Posted on 11/23/2009 5:22:34 AM PST by IbJensen
Here's a new maxim: Nothing good ever happens when the Congress is in session on a Saturday night.
As you know, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Nev) cajoled, coerced, and co-opted Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) into adding the 59th and 60th necessary votes to prevent a GOP filibuster of Reid's health reform bill.
Reid and Obama Administration officials relied on the time honored method (used by Republicans and Democrats) of getting recalcitrant Members to vote a certain way: Bribery which, in the real world, is a felony but in Washington it is called "hardball."
In Sen. Landrieu's case the bribe was $300 million in Medicaid benefits to Louisiana.
It's not even a close call. According to the website Total Criminal Defense, "Bribery is an attempt to influence another person's actions, usually a government or public official employee, by offering a benefit in exchange for the desired decision."
Three hundred million in return for a vote to proceed. If walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck …
SIDEBAR
Imaginary - but very possible - transcript of a phone call between a Senior Administration Official and Senator Landrieu:
"Mary, either you accept our offer or I will have researchers from the Democratic National Committee sent down to Louisiana to make certain that every death of every patient who dies for lack of care anywhere in the state will be called a death caused by the "Landrieu Legacy."
"I am fully prepared to back this up with paid advertising. Every time. You know my reputation, I would advise you not to test me.
END SIDEBAR
Landrieu caved like a sand castle at high tide.
Landrieu is a better bribee than she is an accountant. She said in her floor speech that there was $100 million in the bill specifically to pay for Medicaid in Louisiana and only Louisiana.
Talking to reporters afterward, she said, "I will correct something. It's not $100 million, it's $300 million, and I'm proud of it and will keep fighting for it."
No reports, yet, on how angry White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was when he found out she had been satisfied with the $100 million and he overpaid by a factor of three.
Everyone is being very clever comparing the bribe of Landrieu with the Louisiana Purchase which cost the U.S. government about $15 million. According to the "How Stuff Works" website, “The value of the purchase price negotiated in 1803 of $15 million in today's dollars would equal about $284 million.”
STILL less than Rahm and Reid paid for Landrieu's vote.
Not only that, but now all the other Senators know there is a baseline price for their vote. Reports immediately surfaced that Reid had now turned his attention to Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Me) and Susan Collins (R-Me).
Six hundred million for the pair.
I'm moving to Maine.
This laser-focus on getting a health care done before the end of the year is carrying a political, as well as a financial, price.
The Gallup folks announced that Obama's approval rating has dropped below 50 percent for the first time in his Presidency (49-44). The track which was available last night measured the three-day period between November 17-19.
From the Gallup website: “Among post-World War II presidents, only Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan dropped below the symbolic majority approval level faster than Obama.”
Putting aside President Ford, let us remember what happened in the first mid-term elections of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
In 1982 -- two years after Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter -- Republicans lost 26 seats in the house (starting from a relatively weak minority, much as they have now). In 1994 -- two years after Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush -- the Democrats lost 52 seats and control of the House.
Clinton forced Democrats off the plank for a health care bill. Reagan oversaw unemployment numbers which touched 10.7 percent before it started back down.
Obama's Democrats are facing both.
So, when Gallup points out that Obama is in about the same political position as Reagan and Clinton, don't think 2012. Think 2010.
On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: Links to the Gallup poll, a pretty good analysis of what's in the current version of the Senate bill and the Wikipedia entry for the Louisiana Purchase. Also, a very clever Mullfoto - or at least the Mullfoto of a very clever sign - and a Catch Caption of the Day.
When the Democrats take a crap the accommodating Republicrats lift the carpet while the Democrats sweep the crap underneath.
It’s almost as if they don’t even care if we find out. They are proving themselves to be corrupt and extremely bribable. Do they really think we will vote them in again?
2010 can’t come fast enough!
Perhaps there's something we can do to speed things up. Since the majority in Congress and the occupant of the White House are traitors we have the advice of our founding fathers to guide us.
If the votes are being purchased, why would anyone give one away for free??
Democrats one and all voted to destroy our Republic, our economy, our freedom. This makes them all traitors and war criminals. No wonder they did this on Thanksgiving week on Saturday night .Democrats/Marxists/liberals know the American people didn’t want this. They know their local state office will be closed and Rush, Levin etc weren’t working on a Saturday.
Not one Republican voted for this socialism. God bless you Republicans for doing what the people wanted and for voting to save America.
Economic stimulus package could be a windfall for Louisiana public schools
By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune
January 22, 2009
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON -- Louisiana public school districts can expect a financial windfall under a stimulus package House leaders hope to enact in the next several weeks.
Under the plan, which borrows heavily from suggestions by the Obama administration, school districts would share a $14 billion pot of money to upgrade school buildings and facilities, along with extra federal aid to minimize the impact of budget cuts resulting from the current recession
CUT
The stimulus package also would provide Louisiana with $1.5 billion in Medicaid savings in the next three years, according to the center....
And you have the levees poor condition just reported blamed on the Army Corps of Engineeers' actions..http://levees.org/
When is Louisiana off the teat?
We have the best legislature money can buy.
Well, at least we know she’s an honest politician. She stayed bought.
How dare you combine a sexist insult with a slap at Babycakes?
This satanically evil, liberal, communist democrat/marxist Mary Landrieu and democrat/marxist Blanche Lincoln and the rest of these Democrats, have to be recalled ,jailed, or voted out of office.
Proof that Mary Landrieu stole the Senate office “she” now holds and that Democrats committed massive voter fraud in “electing” Mary Landrieu:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/796352/posts
Landrieu must be recalled.
Don’t forget kudos to the asshat Voinovich who wouldn’t vote either way!
If and when Babycakes is voted out of office she can always earn money walking busy streets.
Fat chance!
I wonder if she will be paying the Botax.
They can believe that she did it with such little support at home.
Most say her supporters have not come back from Katrina and she is toast.
Democrats now with a filibuster proof senate , now Democrats feel powerful enough to shed their sheep's clothing and reveal the ravenous Bolshevik wolves underneath.
Democrats at crunch time showed their true colors that they Marxist/liberal traitors and war criminals one and all.
Republicans at crunch time through their OWN actions not the through the liberal media filter haters of Republicans listen to ,Republicans through their ACTIONS showed their true colors,that they don't accept bribes, that they are more than heros they are the dark knights, protectors Of America,defenders of the free market and of faith and freedom. Long live the protectors of the American Repulic, the defenders of faith and Freedom, long live the Republicans! God bless you one and all Repbublican Senators.
The Creator won't let this treason stand!
:(
A Louisiana politician engaging in corruption, bribery, influence peddling, and racketeering? Say it ain’t so!
I am writing to my REPUBLICAN senators and demanding a complete investigation of this bribery and writing to the Senate Ethics Committee (oxymoron) demanding an investigation of Landrieu and Reid. I am calling Snow and Collins about accepting bribes. THEN I’m writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper (here in NH) that also covers western Maine and exposing the bride of Landrieu and the reported bribe of Collins and Snow. This is OUR money not Reid’s. This is war.
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