The House vote on the health care measure is scheduled for Sunday, and it has become the hot topic du jour throughout the media. I expect the bill to be passed by a handful of votes; that the political establishment wants it badly and, as usual, will get its way. The rest of the hand-wringing and arm-twisting, and “it’s too close to call” prognosticating, is just part of the well-rehearsed script designed to create the impression that members of congress are genuinely listening to “the people”; that the system “really works,” and that if you don’t prevail in this instance, all you need do is increase your energies and donations to the political parties and, given the closeness of this vote, you just might prevail next time.
As the bumper sticker reminds us: “no matter who you vote for, the government always gets elected.” The politicians who genuinely seek to serve the interests of their constituents are always in small enough numbers to be swept aside by institutional interests. When politicians speak of listening to “the people,” they are being quite honest; but for almost all of them, “the people” to whom they listen do not include you.
8:10 pm on March 19, 2010
