Let The C-Span Cameras Roll

I personally do not think we are getting any real "reform" of health care with the proposals that are coming out of the Senate and the House. First off, the things that Obama promised Americans he would push for, and the reason he and others who ran on similar health care reform plans, are not in the "reform" bills currently put forth by the House and Senate. There is, however, the final discussions that will bring out the final bill, and the current debate is whether or not C-Span cameras should be allowed to film it. I believe it should be filmed. Whenever I watch congress in action through the C-Span cameras, I am completely amazed at what passes for congressional actions. Generally, the seats are empty, and the speakers at talking to practically no one, they say such ridiculous things, most of which are never printed in newspapers or aired over television, and they really do expose the American public of just how dysfunctional our way of democracy has become. So, airing the debate over the finalization of the alleged health care reform will most definitely show Americans just how their elected leaders feel about them. And I am quite sure the American public will be disgusted by what they see, which is why congress and the Obama administration are trying NOT to let the cameras in. If this is supposed to be the signature legislation to come out of the Obama administration, and if the elected representatives that hammer this bill out are to be seen live, as they actually work at their job, America will finally get a glimpse of this dysfunction, and perhaps, a call for a new party will finally start to make sense to them.

John Podesta says it well:

Open government and citizen access to information is a first principle of liberty in a democracy that has to be defended — even when it’s unpopular or deemed unhelpful in the short term. It is my experience that corruption in government begins at the moment when officials in power believe no one is paying attention. The scrutiny of traditional journalists, citizen journalists, and other interested Americans serves as a powerful disinfectant for our legislative process and restores confidence in our participatory democracy.

Critics have argued that the presence of cameras is likely to produce political posturing and grandstanding by politicians. And indeed, with the cameras rolling, Republicans have said health care reform is a bigger threat than terrorism, claimed that seniors would be told to “drop dead,” and even called the President a liar. But I’m glad cameras were there to capture those demeaning comments. They have helped all Americans gain a better understanding of the unwillingness of some on the right to engage in a rational debate.

The presence of cameras has also produced some beneficial outcomes. For instance, C-Span cameras exposed House GOP efforts to silence members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus when they tried to speak on the floor. The cameras also shamed Senate Republicans when they tried to filibuster the debate by forcing the reading of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ single-payer amendment.

Democrats have nothing to fear from an open debate. They are working to expand affordable coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans, lowering premiums, ending the insurance industry’s denial of pre-existing conditions, and ensuring women will no longer be charged much more for the same coverage as men. When the House and Senate meet in the coming weeks to discuss this historic legislation, I would humbly urge them to let the cameras roll. We can handle the truth.

Members of Congress should not forget that they are representing actual Americans who stand to be either benefited or harmed by the choices they make. It’s my view that if the American people are allowed to bear witness to the conference negotiations, the most important health care reform in decades will be stronger for it. And the American public will rightly feel that they helped bring it about.