Taking it to the Barricades

Red State is so stupid that they’re amusing. They are invoking the Declaration of Independence and calling for an insurrection because the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the decisions of the Medicare Advisory Board (whose mission was expanded by the Senate health care bill) can be exempt from repeal or amendment. In other words, to protect the independence and integrity of the Medicare oversight board, the legislation requires a true supermajority of 67 senators to overrule their decisions. But Reid put this bill through at the 60-vote threshold. So, in effect, Red State is arguing that Reid has changed the rules of the Senate even though changing the rules of the Senate normally requires 67 votes, too. The parliamentarian disagrees with this logic, but that’s really beside the point. Giving the Medicare Advisory Board (better known as ‘Death Panels’) some freedom from political influence is reason to “dissolve the political bands” to the federal government and start a guerrilla war? That’s just funny.