We never thought we’d say this, but we feel Kathleen Sebelius’s pain.
Up to a point.
Obama’s Health and Human Services secretary recently found herself in the hot seat when Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus grilled her over reports that ObamaCare may not be ready for prime time when it kicks in fully next January. On behalf of small-business owners, Baucus warned of “a huge train wreck coming down.”
Now, we’ve never been fans of Sebelius, but we’d forgive her for rolling her eyes on this one. If the Affordable Care Act is so full of contradictions that an on-schedule debut is proving impossible, Baucus might take a good look in the mirror.
Because unlike other lawmakers — who might justifiably complain they weren’t given time to read the 2,000-page bill before it passed — Baucus has no such excuse: He was ObamaCare’s primary author.
We’re not surprised to see him now turn on Sebelius. That’s far easier than ’fessing up to the truth, which is that all those who pushed through ObamaCare understood that if Americans knew the details, it could never have passed. With the facts now coming out, Baucus this week announced he would not run for re-election.
He’s not the only one looking for cover. Cracks are appearing everywhere, and the rats are jumping ship faster than you can say “rising insurance rates.”
West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller now whines that the health bill he, too, pushed through is “beyond comprehension.” Last month, 33 Senate Democrats voted to repeal the ObamaCare tax on medical devices. And the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers International, which backed Obama in 2008 and 2012, is now calling for repeal because it will raise the cost of insuring its members.
We’re making progress. At least they didn’t blame George W. Bush.