Don't Flip On SCHIP, Dems!

Writer Robert Pear of the New York Times tells us here about eight Democratic senators who have communicated to Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer in the House (the Dem leadership, of course) not to concoct any kind of a “compromise” on SCHIP that limits the rights of states to cover parents along with their kids.

My mind boggles as to why the hell the Democrats in the House would even imagine that such a “compromise” would be palatable to the vast majority of Americans who have firmly decided that fully funding SCHIP in the legislation they have already passed is the right thing to do, as opposed to Dubya and the Repugs who are completely and utterly wrong to oppose such legislation.

And if Pelosi and Hoyer want to hear from someone else in Congress on this (don’t know why they should have to, though), then read this…

“In my home State of Arizona, our SCHIP program, KidsCare, was developed to provide low income children with medical, dental, and vision coverage. KidsCare has successfully enrolled almost 50,000 uninsured children and is anticipating reaching 60,000 by FY 2004. When Arizona found that children are more likely to receive health care if their parents also have access, and the flexibility of SCHIP enabled Arizona to expand its program. Last October Arizona began covering not just children, but also their parents. Arizona now provides health coverage to almost 8,000 uninsured parents. Although a substantial number of eligible children and parents still need coverage, I believe this relatively young program is nothing short of a success.”

If John McCain were to remind everyone of these words he spoke in 2003, I can guarantee you that this would revive his presidential campaign to the point where he would once more challenge pretenders Rudy Giuliani and Willard Mitt Romney (maybe even Ron Paul also), and at the very least, it would offset clumsy moments like this one.

Update: And by the way, speaking of SCHIP, I apologize for inflicting this latest blather from Cokie and Steve Roberts on you, but I must here, particularly the following...

Democrats must also shoulder part of the blame (for the SCHIP veto). Many don’t want a bill that Republicans can support or that Bush can sign. They see health care for kids as a winning issue next year and are already running ads against vulnerable Republicans, slamming them for sticking with the president.

The last thing Democrats want is a Rose Garden ceremony where Bush gets to burnish his legacy and GOP lawmakers get to share credit for an issue that appeals strongly to a key voting group, married moms.

This is total propaganda. I know this may be hard for self-styled pundits like the Robertses to believe, but the congressional Democrats (along with many Republicans) are actually trying to do what’s best for our kids here.

There is no proof whatsoever here from the Robertses concerning these two prior paragraphs. None. Yes, the Dems would want to take a certain measure of credit…and why would they not be entitled to that?

Also, Robertses, regarding the line in your editorial about "hardliners on both sides who would much rather have a political issue than a practical accomplishment," I'll await word on who the Dem "hardliners" are.

Now for some reality; the SCHIP bill that was vetoed by President George W. Milhous Bush is a bipartisan bill, architected chiefly in the Senate by Repugs Charles Grassley and Orrin Hatch along with Dem Max Baucus. Even if the Dems were to try and take credit for the bill in the manner described by the Robertses, it would be disingenuous in the extreme and they would be called on it by everybody, including yours truly, and deservedly so.