By now I think anyone paying attention understands that Gov. Sanford's life is in full meltdown.  Clearly, here is a man in the midst of a midlife crisis that he is handling very, very badly to say the least.  I've done a little reading on the subject and Sanford shows all the classic signs through his behavior and statements.  Midlife crises are one of the factors that contributes to the higher suicide rate among middle aged men.  In Sanford's case his public and self administered destruction is almost a symbolic public suicide in my opinion.

These sorts of crises go on all the time in the private lives of millions of couples of course, but in the private lives of regular people one doesn't typically get many of the intimate details as we have so unnecessarily in this case as a result of Sanford apparently having lost all sense of what is and is not appropriate.  Unless you are very close to a couple being ripped asunder in this manner you just hear stories through the grapevine of some guy leaving his wife for the younger woman or otherwise making a fool of himself and destroying not only his life, but that of his wife and children too.

In this case, Sanford, like many men, hit this crisis and in essence lost all connection to reality as a result of being overwhelmed by the feelings of desperation and urgency that facing one's own mortality brings and which scares them beyond description. It is the fear they are feeling and don't know how to handle that drives all of this grotesque and harmful foolishness.  This fear and the inappropriate attempts to deal with it is the cause of all the tawdry drama, the sacharrin and quite public pining away for one's "soul mate" finally found, the astounding self absorbtion leading to extraordinarily unnecessary and callous statements about his far more significant and lasting relationship with his wife. 

For some men, Sanford being a prime example, a midlife crisis can become a form of temporary insanity propelled by the terror he feels at suddenly concluding that without some huge and dramtic change, his life will have in some way been wasted and he will have missed his one and only opportunity to fully experience life.  While in the midst of the episode (which can literally last for years) many men's persepctive becomes so distorted they will sacrifice everything that is actually valuable and worthwhile in their lives: their wife and children, their public reputation, their careers, their health, etc...

For almost all those who go through this pathetic drama, the pain, humiliation, the lies, the hypocrisy and so on are bad, but they at least are spared the worldwide publicity and humiliation that Sanford has brought upon himself and everyone associated with him.  His inability to cope with his feelings (not surprising for a highly repressed, moralistic, authoritarian personality) is responsible for all the seedy weirdness of his actions and statements that has been playing out in the media.  No doubt it is all going to get worse before he exits the public stage and no doubt Sanford has now earned himself a form of immortality because he will go down in history books as having made a bigger buffoon of himself than almost any other Governor ever has in the history of the United States.

In a sort of voyeuristic way, what is happening with Sanford is something none of us need to know about but because of the public nature of the spectacle it is difficult for many to avert ones eyes and attention to some degree as with a car wreck or some other ugly incident we happen upon that we are simply drawn to look at when brought to our attention though it is none of our business and is nothing but ugliness.  The drawn out character of Sanford's meltdown is taking this whole episode to new lows that in a regular person's life might lead to some form of intervention by friends and family members.  But obviously, Sanford is so self absorbed nobody can reach him at all at this time. 

In any event, it is no longer funny or even an amusing curiosity.  The ugliness of Sanford's self destruction and unconcsciounable emotional violence he is inflicting upon his family is pathetic, sad, and deplorable on a personal level.  Politically speaking it remains instructive for the general public as the penultimate example of the hypocrisy of the "family values" and "Christian fundamentalist" Republicans particularly but leaders in general.  Perhaps this will lead this generation of citizens to realize that whenever you see leaders so prominently getting on that soapbox it is only in an attempt to manipulate for self advantage.

I hope that, if nothing else, this pathetic drama by Sanford will lead some middle aged men across America to notice what this guy is doing and realize that if they are going through this sort of crisis and if they are having these feelings that what they need is not a "soul mate" to replace their wives or longtime mates, but therapy and perhaps some medication to help deal with it before they damage everyone around them they claim to love and value.

With Al Franken now ready to take his place in the Senate, the Democrats will have 60 votes, but who expects that to make any real difference?  I don't think anyone thinks it will make much difference at all.  So now that they no longer have the 60 votes excuse for failing to do what they've said they would do, what will be excuse now?

I hereby open the field for suggestions! 

Please share what you think the Democrats' excuses for failing to pass universal health care will be.  What will the excuses be for failing to pass a climate change bill that actually does something to address climate change?  What will be the excuse for failing to restore civil liberty, Constitutional government and the rule of law to the United States?  What will their excuse be for failing to pass the EFCA?   Feel free to add to this list other progressive pieces of legislation they will fail to pass.

Personally, I think the number one excuse they will offer is the reluctance of the "moderate" Democrats who fear the backlash and anger of their corporate contributors tied with failure to achieve a "bipartisan compromise."

But no matter what the excuses are that are offered, the real reason is that the Democrats are just as much up for sale as the Republicans.  They will do nothing to challenge the status quo or the power of the monied few over the many.

Why are we even discussing the "Public Option" that our President has proposed and that is being ground to dust by the likes of Max Baucus and other DINO's in Congress? 

Yes, the public option provides for at least the introduction of competition for health insurance companies, but even if it isn't watered down to the point of being counterproductive (which is very likely), the "Public Option" is only a feature of several plans all designed to keep our current system of health insurance for all intents and purposes, just as it is now.  Why the hell would any of us want that unless we are health insurance executives or major stockholders in those companies?  These alleged reforms aren't reforms at all but excuses for reform that prolong the counterproductive, rotten system we have now.  For the average American that sort of approach makes no sense at all---even if you are a cowering Harry Reid Democrat in Washington DC who is afraid of his/her shadow you have to know what a poor substitute such half measures really are compared to addressing the problem at its root which is the for profit insurance industry and it's allies by adopting some form of single payer---any version of which would be much better for Americans and their economic and physical health than anything even under discussion currently in DC.

The insurance parasites and their partners in perfidy in the drug companies, etc. want us to think they will do better in the future and won't gouge us quite so bad even though we all know very well they will never do anything but what they've always done and that is to seek the highest profit possible and the health of the American people be damned.  Seriously now, who on earth is dumb enough to believe such transparent lies?  A 5 year old might fall for such crap, but no self respecting adult can swallow it. 

It is disgusting enough to see how the Republicans rush to the defense of the insurance leeches and their associated parasitical business interests.  It is even worse though to see how obsequious, cowardly, craven and calculating the DC Democrats are generally speaking, but on this issue it is particularly galling.  Nothing could be more important to our people (their constituents).  No single measure could do more to help families, businesses and our economy than doing the right thing on health care.  Instead, we get the same old song and dance from our alleged "leaders" in Washington and among them I must include the President who, out of nothing but fear of the backlash from special interests, took the only real and effective solution off the table prior to any debate at all. 

Why are the Democrats such cowards?  Very simple.  They have grown, in many ways, just as corrupt as the Republicans, but it maifests itself differently.  They aren't quite as beholden to predatory wealth as their colleagues across the aisle.  Democrats like to make everybody happy by carrying all the water they can for the interests and then leaving a few crumbs behind for the common citizenry so they can claim they did something for them.  "See!", cry DC Democrats, "look what we got for you. It may not be what you wanted, but it is something isn't it?"  They and all the rest of the ruling elite have now been so irresponsible and so derelict in their duty to the American people for so long they can no longer get away with this political three card monty act.  No, the situation has become so dire that our timorous leaders must actually choose between predatory wealth and the health of our people.  Once and for all we will get the answer to whether or not there is any issue at all the Democrats are willing to fight for, whether they have the courage to stand by what they say are their convictions in any instance.  Sadly, we all know what their collective choice will likely be.

All this caterwalling about a public option is no favor to the common people.  It is really just another demonstration of Democratic cowardice.  We continue to hear about how "expensive" covering all the people will be.  Why is that?  We know we already pay much, much more than any other comparable industrialized nation for health care.  Why is this going to be so expensive and cost us more than our current system which is universally recognized as costing far too much and producing substandard results in terms of health outcomes?  Shouldn't we be saving money by reforming health care if we put all the money we spend on it now toward that purpose, given that we are paying so much more, by any standard, than the actual care is worth?  Well the short answer is that's right we should be saving money even while undertaking a major expansion and covering every citizen, but you can't do that when you want to keep the insurance companies fat and happy and gorging themselves at the expense of the entire population. 

Given the obscene annual expenditures on health care in this country as a result of the for-profit health insurance industry that is sucking the lifeblood out of what is left of the economy, we ought to be able to get everyone in the nation covered under a national plan and still have money to spare but that would require doing the right thing and a single payer plan is the only right thing.  Are the Democrats in DC up to that?  Do they have what it takes?  The answer as we all know is that it is unlikely.

The single payer approach is the best, most cost efficient, and most medically beneficial approach to "reforming" health care in America.  But we aren't even discussing it because our leaders do not have the courage even to petend to challenge the interests of predatory wealth.  Instead we are toying around with proposals that would have been great 15-20 years ago.  In the rarefied and completely out of touch atmosphere in DC there isn't one serious proposal in Congress that has a chance of seeing daylight that is in any way connected to reality or that will serve the real, short or long term interests of the citizens. 

Why are we putting up with this bullshit from Congress and the President?  Why are we allowing them once again to run away from and shirk their duty to the people who elected them?  It's insane really.

If we were discussing some form of single payer plan in America we would be on the road to sanity in health care.  And until we start discussing it seriously we are just blowing hot air this way and that.  We would also be on the road to better health outcomes for everyone if we were discussing single payer.  It's time for the Democrats to quit kowtowing to the interests and start responding to the national interest.  Just take a look at some raw facts about costs and you will see why the only funding problem we have in health care reform is trying to continue to fund the for-profit insurance companies.  It is time for single payer--long past time!  Dont' bother writing your members of Congress to get a half measure like the public option passed.  Why bother when all it does is perpetuate the current system.  We need a new system.  Write them, call them, fax them and demand what will work instead of what will not.  Demand single payer now!

We have nothing to lose folks.  They don't plan on doing anything that is actually going to be beneficial to the common citizens anyway.  So if the public option fails or some impotent form of it passes we are actually worse off than we were before because when an impotent public option doesn't work well it will become the numer one argument against single payer.  Just as they've done in other instances they will sabotage the "reform" and make sure it doesn't work well and then point to it as the excuse for not doing what is right in the future.  They've been playing this game for decades.  It's time to put it to a stop.  The only Democrat anyone can actually trust on this issue is Sen. Sanders of Vermont.  He has a single payer plan and is gathering the names of supporters.  Go to his site and get involved in it! Here's a link: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/issues/health.cfm

The following facts can be found on the National Coaltion on Healthcare's website at: http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml 

National Health Care Spending

• In 2008, health care spending in the United States reached $2.4 trillion, and was projected to reach $3.1 trillion in 2012.1 Health care spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016
• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense!!!
• In 2008, the United States will spend 17 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2017
• Although nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens
• Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The numbers above considered on their own put the lie to all the whining and whimpering of Democrats in DC about how "costly" health reform is.  The only thing more costly than our present system is to keep the present system just as it is and/or to keep it as it is and also try to carve out a "public option" at the same time. 

It is time to stand up and fight the insurance predators for the sake of the physical and economic health of our families and establish a single payer system and we can easily do it with the money we are spending now if we stop dumping money into the laps of the insurance companies.  We can cover everyone and lower the costs of healthcare for everyone but not with any of the absurd and unrealistic "options" that are being discussed in Congress.  But it will never happen if, a) we don't demand it, and b) as long as the Democratic poltroons in DC are more afraid of the wrath of the insurance parasites than they are of ours.  Whadya say we give me something to really be afraid of eh?  We have nothing to lose by trying and everything to gain.