Congressman Massa Tries To Torpedo Obama Healthcare Bill

by Mark Henry

Congressman Eric Massa resigned from office Monday night claiming that Democrat leaders pressured him to resign because he intended to vote “no” on the Senate’s controversial health bill. Massa’s resignation occurred after an ethics investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of staffers was made public.

Massa alleges that he was set-up by Democrat leaders who are desperate to reduce the number of yes votes needed to pass the health bill. Massa, a former Naval Commander, admits to using inappropriate "salty" language but that the remaining ethics charges are trumped up.

Last Sunday, on a Hornell, N.Y. radio program Massa spent 90 minutes attacking Democrat leaders including Majority Whip Steny Hoyer and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In his comments, Massa lambasted Emanuel, calling him “the son of the devil's spawn" and said he would "strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive" to get a vote passed through Congress.

Democrat leaders are doing the best to maintain a stiff upper lip and deny Massa’s allegations that they will do “whatever it takes” to pass the unpopular health bill, including destroying the career of one of their own party members. However, Massa’s story has marathon legs and is getting extensive coverage on the radio, television and online media. The story is not only garnering coverage from the predictable conservative programs but is also getting critical attention from leading left of center venues like the Huffington Post.

The details of former Congressmen Massa’s complaints of harsh tactics by Democrat leaders are interesting but not that important. The real story here is the emergence of a clear modus operandi of unseemly deal-making and Chicago thug like intimidation by Democrat leaders intent on doing whatever it takes to get this health insurance bill passed.

Massa is part of a group of centrist and blue dog Democrats who have come under fierce pressure to pass the health bills in the Senate and House. Democrat Bart Stupak has been critical of the Senate bills lack of prohibitions against federal funding of abortions. Others have criticized the Senate bill as an expensive first step towards an eventual takeover of the health insurance industry. Republicans have strongly criticized the Senate bill’s mandate that essentially all Americans purchase health insurance.

These problematic aspects of the health bills, along with the hardball tactics employed by Democratic leaders to win approval of fellow Democrats have resulted in this version of health reform being very unpopular with the majority of Americans.
Given the unpopularity of the health bills, many are wondering why the Democrat leadership is so doggedly determined to pass the bills.

Conservative Commentator Mark Steyn has opined that “Government health care is not about health care, it’s about government.” Steyn asserts that once socialized medicine is put into place it will be next to impossible to get rid of this new entitlement program. This will result in a fundamental change in America with the country having a new and likely permanent left of center entitlement based foundation.

The Senate bill’s encroachment by the federal government into health care insurance is contrary to the fundamental principle of Catholic social doctrine of subsidiarity. This important Church doctrine states that decisions are best made at a smaller, more local level, rather than issuing forth from a more distant centralized source. Subsidiarity is wholly consistent with principles of limited government and personal freedom. On the other hand, it stands squarely in opposition to the statist welfare state’s core tenets of top down, centralized bureaucratic planning.

With the extreme measures used by Democratic leaders to cajole cooperation by their rank and file, it should come as no surprise when a recalcitrant party member pivots, turns on their ex-leader and shouts out a critique or two as he is shoved out the door. Massa said that if he was forced to resign he would not go quietly.

Massa’s tour de force series of prime time interviews during which he rains down criticism on his party’s leadership may be the torpedo that hits the health insurance cruiser just below the waterline. The only question is whether the next command from Democrat leaders presently steering the ship of state will be "abandon ship" or "all hands on deck". Recent polls suggest that most Americans hope it is the former rather than the later.

Mark Henry is a Catholic writer, speaker and author of “Finish Faithful”, a how to guide on Catholic estate planning. He can be reached at mthenrysaz@gmail.com or http://markhenry-quovadis.blogspot.com/