"Trigger Mechanism" a Joke

Tonight Rachel Maddow talked to guest David Sirota about the trigger mechanism, the latest meme to bubble up from the depths of the health care debate. Sirota in his column and on the Rachel Maddow Show clarified for me exactly what a trigger mechanism actually is: it's a way to kill a bill while pretending that you're not killing a bill. For example, the prescription drug bill included a trigger mechanism that ostensibly would have allowed Americans to buy prescription drugs from overseas once the HHS secretary judged them to be "safe". The problem is that no HHS secretary has pulled the trigger. Once a trigger gets put into place, the corporacy just needs to make sure that the trigger doesn't get pulled, by bribing or intimidating bureaucrats. The trigger mechanism will appeal to obstructionist Democrats who want to appear to their constituents that they are in favor of reform, while not endangering industry contributions.

As much as 'trigger mechanism' is actually a way of killing a proposal while looking like you're in favor of it, it's funny that conservatives still oppose it.