Democrats and Republicans playing the same old game

There is perhaps no more confusing political arena than here in the US. People are bombarded with ads during elections that are nothing but personal attacks on their opponents’ character; all to obscure the class question. The nature of US politics and the absence of any mass party of the working class allows the twin parties of capital to dominate political life and limit the substance of debate.

We only have to look at the reaction to the health care bill that is being debated in Washington. Sections of the population are in a panic because if changes are made, “the government” not their doctor, will decide whether a procedure is needed or not. This is in a country where accountants working for insurance companies determine the level of one’s medical coverage, (and whether one has coverage at all),

Because working people have no party of our own in this country, the debate takes place between politicians that represent the interests of the corporations. So whenever we read about the need for the Democrats to “win over” support for plan, it is not the working people of America they are talking about, but other representatives of capital. There is no "Aisle" that divides the Republicans and Democrats in Washington. There is a chasm that divides them both from working people

I have to admit that I am not fully aware of every detail of the differences between Republicans and Democrats on health care. I am aware of the similarities; the two capitalist parties are both opposed to single payer, or a national health system that is not dominated by the private sector. For both parties, sickness is very profitable and caring for the sick is too lucrative a business to be a public service. Education, social security and other areas of state spending are huge pools of capital that need to be in private hands.

It is a sure sign something is up when Republicans are portraying themselves as the defenders of Medicare. Republicans are attacking the proposed health bill’s attempts to scale back medical care costs, “Medicare shouldn’t be the piggy bank.” Says John Kyl, an Arizona Republican. Cuts in Medicare will leave seniors without treatment is the implication. Seniors are a major voting bloc which is the basis for the Republican's support. Republican’s, like Democrats, are not averse to severing life support for elders, the disabled or anyone else when need be. The massive assault on public services by both parties are proof of that.

The real cause for concern is more likely because the $400 billion reduction in federal health spending over ten years that is proposed is primarily a reduction in payments to health care providers. According to the Wall Street Journal, $124 billion of the proposed cuts would come from Medicare Advantage, a program for seniors that receive health benefits “through a private insurer rather than directly from the government.”

“The bill would force the insurers to bid competitively to run the plans, a change from the current law.” The WSJ adds. *

It is a widely held belief that private insurers are overpaid by the government and the proposal is an attempt to curb this activity. Democrats are arguing that the proposal is an attempt to cut waste and not cut services.

The Democrats might well be right here; the two parties play this good cop bad cop role historically. Most people are so confused by the issue it’s hard to figure out what’s in the details of any legislation that the big business politicians write. But what is clear is that this issue, like the battle around the public option, the creation of a public insurance company as an alternative to the private insurers that dominate the health care industry, is not about access to health care but who provides it, the public or private sector.

After all the US Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC has, given $13 trillion of support to the US financial system $400 billion over ten years is a pittance. Public money to bail out capitalism has flowed quite freely of late.

The public option is not even a form of public health care and is a very divisive measure that will force everyone to have health insurance, a gift to the insurance companies to gain their support. But the fear of any alternative to the private sector is enough to force the capitalist parties on to the offensive, like the supposed curbs on the financial services industry, the Democrats and Republicans will arrive at some compromise that allows the plunder of society’s resources to continue.

A mass political party based on working people and our organizations, Unions and community and the like, this is what is absent here and would transform the political scene, it would break the monopoly that the two parties of big business have over political life. It would change the balance of class forces and open the door to the elimination of the dictatorship of capital and the building of the democratic socialist alternative.