Olympia Snowe smiles at Max Baucus.
"OK, honey. There's your vote. Don't forget my pork!"
Posted on 10/13/2009 11:58:40 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Senate Finance Panel Approves Health Bill, 14-9
By GREG HITT and JANET ADAMY [Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe smiles at Democratic Sen. Max Baucus (left) moments before she announced her support for the Finance Committee's health-care bill.] Getty Images
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe smiles at Democratic Sen. Max Baucus (left) moments before she announced her support for the Finance Committee's health-care bill.
WASHINGTON – The Senate Finance Committee Tuesday approved its health-overhaul measure, pushing a revamp of the U.S.'s health-care system closer to reality than it has been in decades.
The vote was 14-9, with Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine the only Republican to join the 13 Democrats on the panel. Ms. Snowe indicated earlier in the day that she would support the measure.
The Senate Finance panel, led by Chairman Max Baucus, becomes the last of five congressional panels to act on a health-overhaul bill, and it marks the biggest step forward yet for President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. The Baucus-proposed 10-year, $829 billion plan would require all Americans to purchase insurance and aims to hold down spiraling medical costs over the long term.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The polls show that a plurality of voters don't want this reform at all, and a large number on top of that are unsure and afraid that what we are saying is true, that it will increase taxes and reduce the number of care-givers.
It does appear that these people (Democrats) are going to shove this thing up our butts, despite overwhelming opposition. This will cause a 2010 election backlash like we've never seen. That is the silver lining in this very dark cloud.
It could so be reversed, re-privatized, so to speak, and we will have voted in the people who will have the numbers to do it. This is a huge political mistake for the Democrats, as the reaction in the polls will soon show.
Private insurance rates will jump and consumers forced to turn to government programs. This is how socialized medicine will be implemented.
Olympia Snowe smiles at Max Baucus.
"OK, honey. There's your vote. Don't forget my pork!"
This sucks.
‘Unions will oppose Baucus bill unless it’s changed’ [NRO Staff]
From the AP:
WASHINGTON — A top labor lobbyist says about 30 unions will run a full-page ad in newspapers Wednesday announcing their opposition to the Senate Finance Committee’s health overhaul bill.
The ad says that unless the bill brought to the Senate floor makes substantial progress to address the concerns of working men and women, unions will oppose it.
The legislative director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Chuck Loveless, says unions are unhappy that the legislation lacks a publicly run insurance plan and would tax insurers that provide expensive coverage.
Sponsors included the AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America. The ad will run in The Washington Post, USA Today and Capitol Hill newspapers.
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Friends, this war is far from over. This piece of crap in the Senate may collapse on its own weight. It is hated by both the left and the right. The RATS have numeric authority to govern in both chambers, but they have no mandate and no consensus on how to govern.
They must get this through the senate before the November elections, or the bill is toast. Frankly, any of the controversial stuff is pretty much DOA after that.
No they won’t. The same idiots who voted for the idiots are going to be sleeping on election day. They’ll blame Republicans for their misery for not stopping this. That’s they way it works in this country. Good intentions are all that matters.
...I don’t recall the Iraq War being labeled as ‘bipartisan’ or the Patriot Act, or any of the other red herrings the Dems ran on...can it be there’s a media double standard?!!
I agree with your assessment on a backlash in 2010. Let’s say it happens and in 2011 we have the votes to repeal much of this monstrosity (assuming it passes). What do you propose to do when President Obama vetoes the legislative fix, knowing full well we won’t have the votes to override any such veto?
This monstrosity must be neutered or killed this year, or we are in trouble.
There is going to come a point where they aren’t going to be able to get her to commit suicide with empty threats like that. They need the seat to keep their majority more than they need to teach her a lesson buy pulling funding.
It’s a Lincoln Chaffee situation all over again and when it comes to spending party money, they’re going to go for keeping a seat rather than worrying about the loyalty of the person sitting in it.
Seriously though, they could have passed this without her vote. I think Snowe’s vote got her to feel more comfortable going out on the limb. And Snowe isn’t up for re-election until 2014. That’s a long time away from an Oct 2009 committee vote.
She said she was setting aside misgivings now to let it go through. Unbelievable. now that it is out of committee let the fraud begin. Of course they are going to ram it through. It should have stayed in committee and died there.
Senator Snowe said that we need to be ready when history calls. She didn’t tell us that it would be calling collect, though.
“We need a mechanism to toss people out of the party.We need a mechanism to toss people out of the party.”
I refuse to contribute one cent to any Republican until Snowe is removed from the party. Steele should know that.
This is what you get when the GOP loses 11 Senate Seats in two consecutive election cycles.
Elections Have Consequences.
Running (and supporting) candidates like Snowe is the reason the GOP lost those elections. When the choice is between Democrat and Democrat-lite, guess what wins? I know what loses, America does.
Exactly !!!
FIGHT THIS CLOTURE VOTE !!!!!
You most surely could be right that Obama would veto the fix, but, to answer your question, I believe I would rejoice that Obama will have just relegated himself to one term.
Maybe he won't veto the fix. We will have arrived at a place in time when dire consequences have already accrued to the party for passing this monstrosity, if I'm right in my post above, so it will take an awful lot of intestinal fortitude for Obama to veto a fix that has those Dems who still have a seat worried for their jobs.
I called the RNC and the line is busy and the messages are full !
I called Mitch Mcconnel office and demaded that Snowe is punished and make it public and stripped of any committe outside of maybe parking services in DC !
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