FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As Congress gets back to work following a 40-day vacation (hope they're rested!) things in Washington don't look all that different than they did before their summer recess - especially when it comes to health care reform.
House Democrats are returning to the same set of problems they left behind 40 days ago:
Conservatives in the party are unsure about backing the so-called public option"... freshman lawmakers from suburban areas are worried about increasing taxes on wealthy constituents... and liberals are threatening to oppose the bill if it doesn't contain the public option.
Something's gotta give.
Polls suggest Americans remain just as divided as they were a month ago - a new Gallup Poll shows 39 percent of those surveyed say they would tell their member of Congress to vote against a health care bill this fall, while 37 percent want their member to vote for it.
Meanwhile - expect Congress to focus on health care mostly as to how it may or may not affect their chances of holding onto their jobs.
At the end of the day, politicians worry about their own political hides first and the public welfare whenever. Polls show that only about one-third of Americans approve of Congress.
And since the Democrats control both Congress and the White House, expect the voters to take out more of their displeasure on them during next fall's midterm elections.
Here’s my question to you: How has the health care debate changed during the 40 days Congress was on vacation?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Dar writes:
The Democrats need to stop infighting and get the job done. The Republicans are laughing all the way to the next election because we haven't passed this legislation and moved onto the next issue. President Obama, you got the votes and there was no scam. Step up, shut up the opposition, and make it happen. That's what I voted for YOU for.
Laura writes:
Village idiots showed up at town halls yelling out things they forgot to fact check first, while young middle class people were busy working and having to watch these crazy people on TV. My opinion has stayed the same: If I have to continue to pay 15% of my pre-tax income to Blue Cross Blue Shield for crappy health coverage and our government passes something that allows me to choose then goodbye, Blue Cross!
Anthony writes:
The insurance lobby has injected all it can to derail any real debate. Hyperbole has been used to paint anybody who favors the public option as a communist (a perfectly legitimate political opinion) rather than somebody who simply believes that health care should not be a commodity… Big insurance is winning.
Linda from Arizona writes:
It's only gotten nastier, and everyone is more entrenched. Obama is going to fail to persuade anyone in Congress. It's a waste of time and political capital. But wasting political capital is what Obama is best at. Stay tuned.
Kathy from Phoenix writes:
Jack, Maybe if we had 40 days to relax, like good ole Congress, we wouldn't need to worry about health care so much.
Jeff from Fort Smith, Arkansas writes:
Speaking of Michael Ware, he spent three days with my unit in Iraq in 2005. He is extremely passionate about what he reports. As a medic on a few patrols with him, I know he will do whatever it takes to tell the story.