Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle

[rich_t]

A bruising debate on health care awaits the Senate after Thanksgiving now that the historic legislation has cleared a key hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama.

The bill would extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

Well, the Democrats in Congress have taken one more step to destroying the America that I grew up in.

Note the AP bias in the bolded section.  They assume that it's about punishing Obama and not doing the right thing for the country.  This bill if it passes, will merely accelerate the complete and utter collapse of the current American middle class.

I see that Landrieu sold out for $100 million.  11/2010 is going to come too late I fear, as the republicans should they come back into power will never attempt to undo this legislation.

[formerlurker]

Sweeteners for the South

By Dana Milbank
Sunday, November 22, 2009



Staffers on Capitol Hill were calling it the Louisiana Purchase.

On the eve of Saturday's showdown in the Senate over health-care reform, Democratic leaders still hadn't secured the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of the 60 votes needed to keep the legislation alive. The wavering lawmaker was offered a sweetener: at least $100 million in extra federal money for her home state.

And so it came to pass that Landrieu walked onto the Senate floor midafternoon Saturday to announce her aye vote -- and to trumpet the financial "fix" she had arranged for Louisiana. "I am not going to be defensive," she declared. "And it's not a $100 million fix. It's a $300 million fix."

It was an awkward moment (not least because her figure is 20 times the original Louisiana Purchase price). But it was fairly representative of a Senate debate that seems to be scripted in the Southern Gothic style. The plot was gripping -- the bill survived Saturday's procedural test without a single vote to spare -- and it brought out the rank partisanship, the self-absorption and all the other pathologies of modern politics. If that wasn't enough of a Tennessee Williams story line, the debate even had, playing the lead role, a Southerner named Blanche with a flair for the dramatic

.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112102272_pf.html




Votes for sale... votes for sale.. get your votes here....

[seabelle]

The floor debate should be interesting 

 In the meantime, I see Glenn Beck rallying the troops for his New Plan and a major rally in DC before the 2010 election. We have to move beyond "call your rep" because they don't listen to us anyhow. Literally.

I wrote my Congressman (D) to THANK him for voting NO on the HCR bill and admired how he listened to his constituents.  Just got a lousy form letter back "I'm sorry you don't agree with my vote, but here's why I voted No....." and a link to his war chest for 2010.

I knew MoveOn and OFA (Obama's 2012 attack dogs) were all over him, writing nasty letters to the editor and taking out local ads to sh*t all over him.  Thought he could use a happygram.  Oh well, I tried. 

 

[Airwolf]

They are not listening to the people. A recall or impeachment against the congressman or senator that votes for this is the only option left outside of storming the gates of the capitol with torches and pitchforks with more then a few armed people tossed in as well.

[NHSparky]

A recall or impeachment against the congressman or senator that votes for this is the only option left outside of storming the gates of the capitol with torches and pitchforks with more then a few armed people tossed in as well.

No such mechanism in the Constitution.

[Hawkgirl]

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.  The thing that angered me most is when Tom Harkin said "once the american people understand this bill, they will be happy"  patronizing pr1ck! ...like americans are so stupid, he'll need to splain it to us because THEY know better than we do.

It's this arrogance from the left,  that pisses me off the most.

[Baruch Menachem]

The deal is, they are more scared of Acorn and the SEIU than they are of the voters.    Most of the democrats arent up for election this year anyway.   I think it is mostly republican up for re election this year anyway, the guys from the 2004 cycle.