Posted on 11/22/2003 8:58:56 PM PST by maui_hawaii
Senate Democrats are in a quandary over how to deal with twin Republican-led initiatives to enact Medicare reform and a comprehensive energy bill this year.
Many of the Senate’s 48 Democrats see both pieces of legislation as flawed. But, given the high political stakes involved, they have yet to make a concerted strategic decision on how to proceed.
Still, it appears that the Democrats are not prepared to mount a filibuster when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) calls up the energy package today; the House passed the measure last night. Republican negotiators who assembled the energy conference report over the last several months appear to have included enough sweeteners to mute Democratic opposition.
There was far less clarity, however, on how Democrats would deal with Medicare prescription drug legislation that is headed to the Senate floor later this week. Senate Democrats decided to take more time to study the issue before determining whether to filibuster a $400 billion drug benefit one of President Bush’s top legislative priorities.
The Democrats would need 41 votes to mount a successful campaign to stop the bill. It is unclear whether Democratic opposition is to the measure is sufficiently strong to block the bill.
If Democrats decide they have the votes to mount a successful filibuster, it will be in part due to help from Republicans. A handful, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), have said they would vote with Democrats against cutting off debate on a bill they oppose in its present form.
Several Democrats said they were loath to filibuster the energy bill, which includes subsidies for alternative energy sources such as wind power, ethanol, and traditional oil and gas industries.
Summing up the difficulty faced by Democrats, Minority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.) told reporters he had “grave concerns” about provision that would weaken environmental protections.
But Daschle said that there were “good things” in the bill and he personally would not back a filibuster. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), a Daschle ally, said he preferred that Democrats “take the gains we made” in the bill by supporting it. Dorgan said Democrats had not “made a judgment” on whether to filibuster either the energy bill or the Medicare bill.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee, said he would vote for the energy bill even though he would not sign the conference report.
Since conference reports cannot be amended, senators must vote either for or against the entire bill. Vice President Dick Cheney and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham appealed yesterday to Senate Republicans to go along with the administration.
But Sen. John Sununu (N.H.), citing the bill’s multiple subsidies, said he would “consider voting ‘no’ on cloture,” adding, “It’s a bad bill.”
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) said opponents “don’t have the votes” to launch a successful filibuster.
“Sen. Daschle is very small ‘d’ democratic,” said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). “He wants a thorough review of it.” Many Democrats who are looking to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who delivered a blistering floor speech against the Medicare conference report yesterday.
Whether Democrats decide to mount a filibuster will depend in part on how many Republicans would consider joining them.
“I’ve got a lot of questions,” said Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). “Everybody does.”
Conservative Sens. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) were also considering whether to oppose the hndiwork of the conferees.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the conference report failed to include a crucial provision to boost the pay of Alaska doctors, who are in short supply. “If you don’t have a doctor to prescribe them, it doesn’t make a difference if you have” drug coverage.
They aren't paying for that TV ad campaign for nothing...
Ah, yes, FReepers with any sense who realize how horrible the medicare bill is now have to hope that the dems and McCain can save us.
Maybe so, which makes it all the more ironic that we need to count on him and the dems....
Of course you haven't. It's hundreds of pages long and I'll bet most people in the Congress have not read it either.
It has been described as one of the biggest expansions of government in decades in other reports posted here. It is a $400BILLION thingy
Is that enough?
An exceedingly limp reply.
How about none at all?
Mark my words...in no more than 10 years this one will cost $800 billion. Read the legislation. There are triggers there to force Congress to revisit it.
I have a creeping feeling that your assessment is right, and the opposition's are outlined in post #11.
Other than some Repubs in the House...nope.
True.
So?
Goin' to Hell, but just a little more slowly.....
As I have slightly less than 40 more years of work ahead of me, I am concerned about the big picture.
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