Harry Reid on the transparency of healthcare reform

Hey, do you remember when they told us if we voted for McCain it would represent a vote for continuing the secrecy of the Bush years? Well, they were right.

Recall how we’ve been challenging proponents of Obamacare to divulge some of the specifics contained in the legislation as reasons to support the same. With even major points of the Obamacare bill appearing, disappearing and then reappearing, it’s a fool’s errand for supporters of the Senate bill.

But it’s not just us John Q. Publics out here in fly-over country that aren’t in the loop with the Senate version of the bill, the #2 Democrat in Senate has nary a clue regarding what’s in the bill.

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin admitted Friday that he is "in the dark" about the national health care bill currently under construction by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In an exchange on the Senate floor, Republican Sen. John McCain asked Durbin, "Should we not at least be informed as to what the proposal is that the Senate Majority Leader is going to propose to the entire Senate?" Durbin's answer: "I would say to the senator from Arizona that I am in the dark almost as much as he is, and I am in the leadership." Durbin explained that during a Democratic caucus, Reid and the small group of senators involved in crafting the bill turned to their fellow Democrats and "basically stood and said, 'We are sorry, we can't tell you in detail what was involved.'"

You see, we’re all supposed to just trust Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, who with his staff and health care lobbyists are writing and re-writing this legislation in the secrecy of his office.

Durbin claims that Reid is not to blame for the secrecy rather the Congressional Budget Office which Reid has asked to do a cost estimate on the bill. (Insert jaw-drop face, here).

That damn CBO and their rather inconvenient scoring of the various permutations of Obamacare has been a thorn in Congress’ side since they took up their task late in the spring of this year. CBO can’t score what CBO can’t see. Brilliant strategy, Harry.