Deja Vu All Over Again

Here's a bit from an article in the New Republic by Jonathan Chait:

In 1994, when they were killing Bill Clinton's health care plan, Republicans promised over and over they just wanted to do it right. Start fresh and pass a real health care plan without all the bad socialist stuff:

"We don't have to do it all this year," [Bob Dole] said in the closing address to committee members. "We don't have to do any of it this year. You know, Congress meets every year.

"I see a lot of bright spots to (acting) next year." ...

"If they come up with something I can live with, I would support it, " said California state party Chairman Tirso del Junco, a surgeon. "But I do not believe that the plans presently on the table would be approved by the American people. To rush this through is bad news."

Of course, the Clinton plan died, and Republicans proceeded to do absolutely squat for the next fifteen years.

The only 'fix' to health care that the Republicans want is for hospitals to have a big sign on the front door saying 'this entrance reserved for true patriots and property owners' while in the back alley they want a sign saying 'entrance for all the "little people"'. Actually, they would prefer no back entrance. I believe they would be happier for those making less than $250,000/year to go die in the alley somewhere instead of cluttering up doctor's offices and the creating queues for all those fancy new machines at the hospital.

The Republicans are the party of the Leona Helmsley's of this world:

Helmsley's image was sealed when a former housekeeper testified during the trial that she had heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes...," a saying that became notorious and was identified with her for the rest of her life.

They want a world where the "have's" don't have to keep stepping over the "have nots". They want the have nots moved to the back of the bus and kept out of the way.