First off, I'm centrist - honestly hate both of the major parties out there and don't fully fit in with the others either.
I'm honestly confused about this whole Deem & Pass thing. The senate has passed a health care bill. Congress feels that the health care bill is unpopular. They also want to make amendments to make it pass. It sounds like this whole Deem & Pass thing is supposed to ultimately pass an amended bill without a vote, because they're afraid of voting yes on an unpopular item.
But wouldn't the fact that the dems are the party that is pushing Deem & Pass in this case basically paint the entire Dem party as wanting to vote yes on this bill? How does it not do that?
I'm just trying to understand this because it just seems like I have to be missing something here. It seems like the dems are fucked in general due to the focus on this health care bill to begin with as if it'd be simple, when it's not the real issue the average person is faced with anyways, i.e. Bush's Iraq War vs. focusing on finding Osama Bin Laden = Obama's Health Care push vs. fixing the economy and creating jobs. Still though, this Deem & Pass tactic to me would only further fuck the party because it would damage EVERYONE in the party if they truly feel it's an unpopular item.
I can't help but think of most republicans as old curmudgeons (which John McCain, whom I actually DID like in 2000, came off as in his pres running in 2008) so I'm not looking forward to whomever will be undoubtedly taking Obama's position in 2012, but things are not looking good for him or the Dem party right now, so we'll be back to that soon I guess. There needs to be a party that gives a shit about the people that comes into power but that'll never happen.
