The grumbling from liberals started weeks ago on the direction of health care reform in the Senate. It went away for a little while, but now there are prominent voices in the Democratic Party who have a simple message: "Kill the Senate Bill."
That was also the message from Tea Party protestors who gathered across the street from the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, chanting "Kill the Bill" in hopes of changing some minds.
But this is not about those opponents of health care reform.
Rather, this is about a prime supporter of reform, who has now decided that without a public option and without a Medicare buy-in, the bill is not worth supporting.
"This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate," said Howard Dean, the former Governor of Vermont.
"Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill," Dean told Vermont Public Radio.
SOURCE: Jamie Dupree
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
GOP senator freezes health care debate
As Democrats scrambled to meet self-imposed deadlines, Senate Republicans froze the health care debate for at least a day Wednesday by insisting that a 767-page mega-amendment be read out loud in its entirety.
The move was poised take 12 hours or more and grind Senate business to a halt for the day. It also threatened Democrats' ability to pass a health care bill before Christmas.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, set things in motion about lunchtime Wednesday. As the Senate moved to a sweeping single-payer amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Coburn objected to the common Senate procedure that waives the actual out-loud reading of the proposal.
"I would ask that the amendment be considered as read," Sanders said on the floor.
"I object," Coburn instantly responded.
Senate clerks began with the table of contents and took turns reciting the rest of the bill.
Coburn defended the tactic in a written statement, saying that Americans should hear competing proposals and that the health care debate needed to slow down.
SOURCE: CNN Politics
The move was poised take 12 hours or more and grind Senate business to a halt for the day. It also threatened Democrats' ability to pass a health care bill before Christmas.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, set things in motion about lunchtime Wednesday. As the Senate moved to a sweeping single-payer amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Coburn objected to the common Senate procedure that waives the actual out-loud reading of the proposal.
"I would ask that the amendment be considered as read," Sanders said on the floor.
"I object," Coburn instantly responded.
Senate clerks began with the table of contents and took turns reciting the rest of the bill.
Coburn defended the tactic in a written statement, saying that Americans should hear competing proposals and that the health care debate needed to slow down.
SOURCE: CNN Politics
McConnell Press Conference
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) conducted a press conference on Capitol Hill to discuss the ongoing debate over the crafting of health care legislation.
GOP Press Conference:
SOURCE: C-SPAN
GOP Press Conference:
SOURCE: C-SPAN
Poll: Public sours on Obama's overhaul plan
As Democrats struggle to pass a health care overhaul bill by Christmas, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday found support for the reform plan has sunk to its lowest level since April 2009.
Just 32 percent of respondents said that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul proposal is a good idea, with 47 percent responding that the plan is a bad idea.
A portion of the poll was released just as the Senate was thrust into health care gridlock after a Republican senator forced a clerk to read aloud a 767-page amendment.
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma had sought approval to require that any amendment considered by the Senate must be offered 72 hours in advance and with a full cost report.
When he was rebuffed by Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, Coburn invoked his right to require that an amendment by another lawmaker be read aloud. That sent the Senate into limbo, since the amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is 767 pages long.
It's unclear how long the procedural standoff will continue. GOP aides told NBC News that the reading of the bill could take until midnight.
SOURCE: MSNBC
Just 32 percent of respondents said that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul proposal is a good idea, with 47 percent responding that the plan is a bad idea.
A portion of the poll was released just as the Senate was thrust into health care gridlock after a Republican senator forced a clerk to read aloud a 767-page amendment.
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma had sought approval to require that any amendment considered by the Senate must be offered 72 hours in advance and with a full cost report.
When he was rebuffed by Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, Coburn invoked his right to require that an amendment by another lawmaker be read aloud. That sent the Senate into limbo, since the amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is 767 pages long.
It's unclear how long the procedural standoff will continue. GOP aides told NBC News that the reading of the bill could take until midnight.
SOURCE: MSNBC
What the Health Care Bill Means for You
With the House having passed its $1 trillion dollar-plus heath care bill and the Senate poised to approve its own $850 billion version as early as Christmas, a broad rewrite of America's health care system — encompassing nearly 20% of the U.S. economy — could be close at hand.
If the Senate approves its version, which is expected given the Democrats' 60-seat majority, the package will have to be merged with legislation approved last month by the House. But similarities between the two bills are starting to emerge.
Here, David M. Drucker of the newspaper Roll Call provides a rundown of what the final bill will likely include, while Michael D. Tanner, a Cato Institute senior fellow and co-author of Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It, provides perspective on what those changes mean for you...
SOURCE: Cato Institute
If the Senate approves its version, which is expected given the Democrats' 60-seat majority, the package will have to be merged with legislation approved last month by the House. But similarities between the two bills are starting to emerge.
Here, David M. Drucker of the newspaper Roll Call provides a rundown of what the final bill will likely include, while Michael D. Tanner, a Cato Institute senior fellow and co-author of Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It, provides perspective on what those changes mean for you...
SOURCE: Cato Institute
Dems ready to push health bill despite setbacks
History may be calling but time's running out to act by Christmas, so Senate Democrats are trying to come to terms with the idea they won't get everything they want from a health care overhaul.
Should they listen to former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, slamming the Senate bill as an insurance industry bailout? Or should they pay attention to President Barack Obama, saying the legislation achieves most of what he wants? With each day that senators churn on, the public's doubts about the legislation only seem to grow, polls indicate.
Obama cajoled restive Democrats on Tuesday, urging them not to lose perspective amid intense intraparty battles over government's role and reach in health care. The public plan liberals hoped for appeared dead in the Senate, as did a Medicare buy-in scheme offered as a fallback.
"The president and vice president pointed out that you take your victories when you can and nothing prevents you from fighting on for the things you believe should have been achieved," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. "But why spurn a victory in hand?"
"There was frustration and angst," Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a leading liberal, said after the meeting at the White House. "Everybody has things they want, and they didn't all get what they want and that includes me, big-time."
But Obama got their attention, said Rockefeller, describing a health care remake to cover tens of millions now uninsured as "the biggest thing since Social Security."
"It's hard to ignore that," Rockefeller said.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., a moderate who had been on the fence, said Tuesday night it's time to pass the bill.
But Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was still scrambling to secure the 60 votes he needs to overcome a Republican filibuster. One holdout — Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman — was coming around fast. Another — Nebraska moderate Sen. Ben Nelson — was still uncommitted, criticizing the bill's restrictions on abortion funding as too lax, even after a private meeting with the president Tuesday...
SOURCE: Associated Press > Yahoo News
Should they listen to former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, slamming the Senate bill as an insurance industry bailout? Or should they pay attention to President Barack Obama, saying the legislation achieves most of what he wants? With each day that senators churn on, the public's doubts about the legislation only seem to grow, polls indicate.
Obama cajoled restive Democrats on Tuesday, urging them not to lose perspective amid intense intraparty battles over government's role and reach in health care. The public plan liberals hoped for appeared dead in the Senate, as did a Medicare buy-in scheme offered as a fallback.
"The president and vice president pointed out that you take your victories when you can and nothing prevents you from fighting on for the things you believe should have been achieved," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. "But why spurn a victory in hand?"
"There was frustration and angst," Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a leading liberal, said after the meeting at the White House. "Everybody has things they want, and they didn't all get what they want and that includes me, big-time."
But Obama got their attention, said Rockefeller, describing a health care remake to cover tens of millions now uninsured as "the biggest thing since Social Security."
"It's hard to ignore that," Rockefeller said.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., a moderate who had been on the fence, said Tuesday night it's time to pass the bill.
But Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was still scrambling to secure the 60 votes he needs to overcome a Republican filibuster. One holdout — Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman — was coming around fast. Another — Nebraska moderate Sen. Ben Nelson — was still uncommitted, criticizing the bill's restrictions on abortion funding as too lax, even after a private meeting with the president Tuesday...
SOURCE: Associated Press > Yahoo News
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