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Democrats Grow Wary as Health Bill Advances
New York TImes ^ | July 17, 2009 | ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Posted on 07/17/2009 9:46:22 PM PDT by Mount Athos

Three of the five Congressional committees working on legislation to reinvent the nation’s health care system delivered bills this week along the lines proposed by President Obama. But instead of celebrating their success, many Democrats were apprehensive, nervous and defensive.

Even as Democratic leaders and the White House insisted that the nation was closer than ever to landmark changes in the health care system, they faced basic questions about whether some of their proposals might do more harm than good.

And while senior Democrats vowed to press ahead to meet Mr. Obama’s deadline of having both chambers pass bills before the summer recess, some in their ranks, nervous about the prospect of raising taxes or proceeding without any Republican support, were pleading to slow down.

To help finance coverage of the uninsured, the House bill would impose a surtax on high-income people and a payroll tax — as much as 8 percent of wages — on employers who do not provide health insurance to workers.

Mr. Polis said these taxes, combined with the scheduled increase in tax rates resulting from the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts, would have a perverse effect. “Some successful family-owned businesses would be taxed at higher rates than multinational corporations,” he said.

In a letter to the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Polis and 20 other freshman Democrats said they were “extremely concerned that the proposed method of paying for health care reform will negatively impact small businesses, the backbone of the American economy.”

But the director of the Congressional Budget Office, Douglas W. Elmendorf, testified on Thursday that doing so would come at a steep cost and that the proposals would not curb the rise in health spending by the federal government, which he called “unsustainable.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; bhohealthcare; bluedogs; democrats; healthcare; jaredpolis
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To: Islaminaction

“Obama is all about Obama and trying to rush and bully everyone to do what he wants. This man is not what America is about at all.”

Obama is reading the polls and he sees his numbers slipping quickly. He has to rush this through before the numbers fall through the floor. He absolutely must get this passed before the midterm elections or he will lose the opportunity as he knows the dems will lose one or both houses of congress.


21 posted on 07/17/2009 10:11:56 PM PDT by MissouriConservative (Let the purging of the RINOs begin in 2010. - MissouriConservative)
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To: Dream Warrior

I am not interested in any talk of violent revolution


22 posted on 07/17/2009 10:15:11 PM PDT by Mount Athos (A Giant luxury mega-mansion for Gore, a Government Green EcoShack made of poo for you)
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To: MissouriConservative

You nailed it MC!


23 posted on 07/17/2009 10:16:47 PM PDT by Islaminaction
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To: Islaminaction

the bomb is just another Chicago hood...


24 posted on 07/17/2009 10:19:15 PM PDT by The Wizard (Democrat Party: a criminal enterprise)
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To: Darkwolf377

OMG, don’t mention Kennedy and car keys in the same comment !
On the other hand, maybe you mean it’ll all end up a disaster :)


25 posted on 07/17/2009 10:23:24 PM PDT by 1066AD
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To: 1066AD

Unfortunately, we’re all Mary Jo’s in this scenario. =(


26 posted on 07/17/2009 10:24:47 PM PDT by Darkwolf377 (Losing my job due to Oconomy.)
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To: Mount Athos
Sorry, but "Blue Dogs" are all show - dreamed up as a political strategy only a few election cycles ago. This is just a head fake to make the voters consider keeping that guy with the "D" next to his name in office in 2010, thus keeping their majority in place. After all, he did fight that nasty health care bill, didn't he?

This is a scramble for Democratic credibility as the backlash to their excessive spending rears its ugly head. If we weren't in the middle of an economic mess right now, they'd be slapping each other on the back for passing yet another bill none of them read.
27 posted on 07/17/2009 10:40:47 PM PDT by liberty75
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To: Aria

What do both things (9/11 & Obama getting elected) have in common?

Saudi money and wahnahabiism.


28 posted on 07/17/2009 10:50:13 PM PDT by Frantzie (Remember when Bush was President and Americans had jobs (and ammo)?)
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To: Mount Athos
To help finance coverage of the uninsured, the House bill would impose a surtax on high-income people and a payroll tax — as much as 8 percent of wages — on employers who do not provide health insurance to workers.

And this appears to be backfiring on them because they seem to have forgotten one important factor - - - there ARE wealthy Democrats and there ARE Democrat employers.
My guess is those folks are now raising h*ll with their congresscritters and senators like we've been doing.

I can't help but think, "Heh".

29 posted on 07/17/2009 11:43:15 PM PDT by radu (May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
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To: Islaminaction

[Obama is all about Obama and trying to rush and bully everyone to do what he wants. This man is not what America is about at all.]

I really believe Obama has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (I know some people with it). I think this makes Obama incredibly unstable.

We will be in uncharted territory if Healthcare reform fails and Uberbama goes on the warpath. NPDers cannot admit defeat, they always transfer blame to “those evil others”. Trust me, it isn’t pretty.


30 posted on 07/18/2009 12:07:10 AM PDT by FastCoyote (I am intolerant of the intolerable.)
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To: 17th Miss Regt

Isn’t that what Obama was doing yesterday?? And Biden says “the stimulus is working”!!! Exactly where, we don’t know, but surely not in California.


31 posted on 07/18/2009 12:11:44 AM PDT by Semperfiwife (Health "care" - by the same folks who run Amtrak and the post office)
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To: Darkwolf377

They need about twenty Repubs to bail them out and make this crappola bipartisan. Let’s see who they can blackmail.


32 posted on 07/18/2009 12:13:36 AM PDT by Luke21
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To: radu

Aren’t almost all Congress members in the millionaire club?? Are they exempting themselves from the 50-60 percent taxes?? Why don’t they just work for free instead of giving themselves raises?? We should start a new mantra-—”soak the Congress members”. Tax them to death, let them know what it feels like.


33 posted on 07/18/2009 12:13:56 AM PDT by Semperfiwife (Health "care" - by the same folks who run Amtrak and the post office)
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To: Darkwolf377

“The libs are like bratty kids who are always bitching about their parents...”

And then they lock the parents outside, throw their brothers and sisters down the basement stairs, and raze the place.


34 posted on 07/18/2009 12:16:16 AM PDT by Luke21
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To: Mount Athos

“...many Democrats were apprehensive, nervous and defensive.”

They ought to be—they’re about to destroy human freedom on planet earth.

Sounds overdone, right?

If the hard-left gets this passed it will be the crack in the foundation of American/world freedom that will allow the them to once again crawl out from the shadows and wreak havoc on the human race.

This is a monumental mistake.

America will never be the same again.

Now, why would that make you nervous?


35 posted on 07/18/2009 2:12:45 AM PDT by Boucheau
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To: Semperfiwife
Since they're exempting themselves from ObamaCare, it wouldn't surprise me if they're exempting themselves from the taxes too.

They're "special", ya know? They don't have to live like the "little people". (a sarcasm tag shouldn't be necessary here)

36 posted on 07/18/2009 2:16:09 AM PDT by radu (May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
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To: Mount Athos

Just remember all you socialist democraps, an election is just around the corner and you ain’t looking too good about now.
Personally I’m hoping a few of you unamerican socialist types get serious ass whoopins before any election.

Love to see Murtha go to a wal Mart and have the greeter just beat the scum down. And a whole lot of others.


37 posted on 07/18/2009 3:51:02 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (Patrick)
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To: MissouriConservative
I think your forgetting the $8.5Billion given to ACORN/SIEU. They have 2yrs to perfect voter fraud... who is going to stop them.. NO one. I would not be surprised if DEMS win back the seats..they are counting on voter fraud inorder to win and they will win. They also have Goebbels media on thier side as well.

They so called Blue Dog Dems do not exist.. they went along with the Commi party in the house & senate.
38 posted on 07/18/2009 5:11:50 AM PDT by Strutt9
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To: All

Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RNGeTwctg8


39 posted on 07/18/2009 3:07:27 PM PDT by AliVeritas (Ez 38 Pray.)
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To: FlyVet
Concrete? Cronkite? Obamacare jokes Obama jokes
40 posted on 07/18/2009 3:55:53 PM PDT by tbw2 (Freeper sci-fi - "Humanity's Edge" - on amazon.com)
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