The clock is ticking and the healthcare countdown has begun. President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are using every tool in their arsenal to pass an unpopular healthcare bill. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans are against this legislation. During the past week, over 100,000 calls per hour from irate Americans jammed Capitol Hill phone lines, but Democratic Party leaders do not care. They are desperate to pass the 2,700 page bill because they know it will greatly increase the scope of government power, which is clearly the objective of the Obama administration.

To intimidate undecided Blue Dog Democrats, individual meetings are being scheduled in the Oval Office to browbeat the congressmen into submission. If they are still hesitant, judgeships are being offered to their relatives and obscene perks are being presented to those who switch their votes to yes. With the power of the Oval Office, Obama can offer members of Congress almost anything necessary to secure their vote.

The process that Democrats are using to pass this bill is not only improper, it is disgusting to watch. President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are using every legislative trick imaginable to pass this unpopular bill. In fact, the latest idea is to pass the bill without a true vote on the unpopular Senate legislation. Using this ploy, members of Congress would vote for the Senate bill simultaneously with the changes that House members want. This would prevent a solo vote on the Senate bill. Then Pelosi would “deem” the bill passed through the “self-executing rule.” The American people with see through this chicanery and the Democrats will suffer at the ballot box in November as a result. In countless national polls and in the recent elections in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts, the voters have expressed clear opposition to the healthcare bill. Democrats are ignoring the will of the American people to pass a bill that will please the special interests. The unions, AARP, the pharmaceutical industry and other special interest groups are buying millions of dollars of pro-healthcare commercials and flooding the airwaves.

Despite the advertising onslaught and support from the mainstream news media, the American people remain opposed to this bill. If the healthcare bill passes, it would make history in several dubious categories. Never before has Congress passed such far reaching legislation, as the healthcare system involves at least one-sixth of our economy. Even more amazing is that this mammoth legislation might pass with support from just one political party.

In our nation’s history, every major piece of legislation enjoyed at least some bi-partisan support. From Medicare to the Bush tax cuts, bi-partisanship has always been necessary for the American people to accept such monumental initiatives. If the Democrats succeed, the healthcare bill will mark the first time ever such epic legislation has been passed in such a blatantly partisan maneuver.

If Congress approves the bill and it is signed into law by President Obama, it will be both historic and disturbing and will signal the beginning of the end of Democratic Party control of Congress. Amazingly, Democrats care more about passing this bill than controlling the Congress. They know that the healthcare bureaucracy will never be undone and will only grow in size and scope in the future. The result will be more government and declining healthcare services for Americans.

The Democratic Party’s political losses will be the only silver lining in this mess for the healthcare bill will undoubtedly cause havoc in our country. What happens over the next few hours will have implications far beyond the fate of just one party or one bill; it could very well determine the future course of our nation.

Jeff Crouere, a native of New Orleans and resident of Mandeville, is host of a Louisiana-based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and 10 p.m. Sundays on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM on the Northshore. For more information, visit his Web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.