Supreme Soviet leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have apparently decided to push ObamaCare legislation through Congress from behind closed doors.

“When I’m president, meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public. No more secrecy, that’s the commitment I make to you as president. No more secrecy.” - Candidate Barack Obama, 2007 Campaign Speech

What about the traditional conference committee where both party’s members from both houses get together and work out the differences between House and Senate versions of the bill? Well, the Democrats have decided that they will act like the late U.S.S.R.’s rulers, where only one political party, the Communist Party, was needed to run things.

“This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.” - Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Press Release, 11/16/2006

According to a poll released Monday a majority of Americans believe the new plans will not only hurt healthcare quality, but that it will also increase healthcare costs. A majority are in opposition to the bills’ intent to cut Medicare benefits by hundreds of billions of dollars, and, a whopping 78% believe that the Obama administration is lowballing cost estimates for ObamaCare.

“My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” - President Barack Obama, whitehouse.gov

It’s not just Republicans who are calling foul on the Democrats’ latest display of Stalinism. C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb, who has a history of taking pains to ensure that his network is fair and impartial, has written a letter to Obama and the Democrat congressional leadership asking them to keep the doors open on the process of reconciling the two version of the the healthcare legislation. He also offered to televise the deliberations on C-SPAN, while vowing to make the process “as unobtrusive as possible.” So far, he hasn’t received a reply.

“That’s what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.” - Candidate Barack Obama, Democrat presidential primary debate with Hillary Clinton, Los Angeles, Jan. 31, 2008

Welcome to the wailing wall of broken Democrat promises. Evan Thomas and John Meacham of Newsweek got it wrong. We are not “all socialists now.” Even in most socialist countries, at least two political parties are involved in the legislative process. What the Democrats are doing more resembles Soviet-style one-party rule than European socialism.

“When there’s a bill that ends up on my desk as president, you the public will have five days to look online and find out what’s in it before I sign it. So that you know what your government is doing.” - Candidate Barack Obama, 2007 Campaign Speech

- JP

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