Bush Veto Of Child Health Bill Puts Republicans in Bad Shape For 08
It is legacy time, and the Child Health bill veto by President Bush, guarantees that this issue will haunt the President years after he leaves office.
The bill is designed to cover the gap for millions of children, not eligible for Medicaid, but with incomes a little too high to seek government relief. If a compromise is worked out, there could be a chance to get help to the nearly six million children involved. Don’t count on it.
The bill had widespread Republican support, and Republicans are angry at the White House. This will be one of the most powerful weapons that Democrats will use againt GOP candidates next year. It will be potent, and could cause major defeats in close races.
The White House has a legitimate argument that the bill may be too expensive, but where was the spirit of compromise that you expect from leaders who are bold and visionary?
I would like to know who is giving advice to Mr. Bush, and if any of these advisers haved learned the political sensitivities of dealing with issues affecting children.
As I said, it is legacy time and the people who manage the Bush White House are throwing fuel into the fire of controversy and the repeated charges of incompetent leadership against the current leadership on Pennsylvania Avenue.
I do not understand the idea behind a legacy. Does a legacy mean that we have to foster more programs on a nation whose economy has already been weakened by the foreclosure crisis?
Governor Schwarzenegger is doing something similar in California and will create a health program in a time when the state will face a multi-billion-dollar deficit. Better to be a Calvin Coolidge and do nothing than to leave a legacy and let future generations get stuck with the bill.