The SCHIP Fight - Two Weeks And Counting

The date of October 18 has been set for a vote to override President Bush's veto of providing health care to children. Regardless of the outcome, this will become a defining issue on the most important domestic policy facing America in 2008.

Several officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing strategy, said Pelosi and Reid seemed set on sending Bush successor bills that are nearly identical with the one he just vetoed. The goal would be to force him — and his congressional allies — to repeatedly expose themselves to criticism that they were denying health care for kids.

Democracy Corps, which offers advice to Democrats, said its poll showed the public sides with Democrats by a margin of 60-35. The veto battle "gives Democrats a large advantage with independents, as well as mobilizing Democratic supporters. Indeed, the president has not won over Republican voters on this issue," said an accompanying memo.

House Republicans quietly distributed a survey by David Winston, who is close to Boehner, that came to a different conclusion. It said critics of the legislation can win the public debate if they say they favor "covering uninsured children without expanding government coverage to adults, illegal immigrants and those who already have insurance...." A copy of the poll was obtained by The Associated Press.

Boehner is lying, of course. The bill does not provide "government coverage" at all, and it's against federal law for S-CHIP funds to go to illegal immigrants. Hoouse Republicans simply have to lie to make their vote palatable. If they were honest, they would say what Bill Kristol said, supposedly in jest but not really.

On Fox News Sunday this morning, NPR’s Mara Liasson said that President Bush’s expected veto of an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which passed both the House and Senate on a strong bipartisan basis, will be seen as “a heartless blow against children.”

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who supports Bush’s veto, laughingly joked:

First of all, whenever I hear anything described as a heartless assault on our children, I tend to think it’s a good idea. I’m happy that the President’s willing to do something bad for the kids.

He clearly is. The President has delivered 4 vetoes in his two terms. Two denied federal funds for stem cell research, upending efforts for medical breakthroughs, many for children. One denied a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, consigning 18 year-old soldiers to a war zone with no end in sight. And this one directly denies children health care. Bush's entire veto lifespan is about doing something bad for the kids. He is the leader of the party of death.

The Democrats have the right idea on this one, voting on it over and over again and forcing Republicans and the President to defend their anti-children stance. I wish they had the fortitude to do the same endless votes on Iraq, as Russ Feingold advocates. But they're not going to give up on children.

UPDATE: It's important to note that the group holding rallies in support of the Democratic position on S-CHIP and against the President's veto is MoveOn.org. You would think that, after being slapped in the face by the Democratic leadership, they would have no interest in helping out on this issue. But MoveOn puts the policy first. Democrats simply don't understand the allies they have in the country in the progressive movement.