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Breaking: Lieberman wins, Senate drops Medicare buy-in
Hot Air ^ | Dec.14, 2009 | Allahpundit

Posted on 12/14/2009 4:20:21 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY

Major Garrett’s in the hall outside the Democratic caucus room and tweeting the word from Tom Harkin. Can’t really call this good news, as it makes passage much more likely, so let’s call it slightly-better-than-worst-case-scenario news. No more public option:

Asked by a reporter if the Medicare buy-in will be pulled out, Harkin said “looks that way,” before praising a Democratic health care bill without the two public option compromises.

“There’s enough good in this bill that even without those two, we gotta move,” he said. “All the insurance reforms, all the stuff we wrote so hard for prevention and wellness in there, the workforce development issues that we have in there, the reimbursement based on quality not on quantity — there’s good stuff in this bill. It’s a giant step forward, changing the paradigm of health care in America.”

Lieberman said he can (read: will) vote for the bill without the public plan provisions. Reaction, straight off the top of my head: (1) Kind of surprising that neither Snowe nor Collins defected to bail Reid out, eh? Now that he’s back to 60-ish, I wonder if they or Nelson, Bayh, Lincoln, etc. will suddenly ramp up their own demands. (2) The Democrats are so frantic to pass something at this point — e.g., there was a rumor floated earlier today that Emanuel was pressuring Reid to use reconciliation — that Pelosi will almost certainly want to ping-pong the Senate bill. Will the absence of a public option convince Blue Dogs who voted no on the House bill to vote yes this time or will the gruesome polling scare them away?

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


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; bhohealthcare; harryreid; lieberman; medicare; medicare55
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To: VicVega

” Amnesty in 2010 along with the VAT and Cap and Trade.

All signed and sealed before the Nov., election.”

We’ll see. Obama’s numbers are horrendous, along with the Dems in Congress. If just enough of them vote to keep their seats, Obama’s agenda is FINISHED.

By the way, as for those who keep saying that there is no difference between RINOS and Dems...look how the votes are lining up...and maybe reconsider, since if Maine didn’t have two RINOS in the Senate, Pelosi would have gotten EVERYTHING she wanted by now.


61 posted on 12/14/2009 4:55:48 PM PST by BobL (Real Men don't use Tag Lines)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
LIEBERMAN WINS.............America loses.
62 posted on 12/14/2009 4:56:27 PM PST by Roccus (My anger IS manufactured.......................................in the WHITE HOUSE and CONGRESS!!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
When this monstrosity passes, I will personally only support candidates for congress that run on a pledge to repeal it.
63 posted on 12/14/2009 4:57:25 PM PST by Pox
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To: Rutles4Ever

Yes, and I think the liberals would win in the courts (given the general liberal domination of the courts and atrocious recent court decisions) on the question of whether premiums required to be paid by private parties for health insurance is not really a “tax” imposed and appropriated by government. (but in reality it is both unconstitutional and a tax)

The key for the Rats is to progressively move the policy venue from the public into Congressional back rooms and then into the bowels of a giant government regulatory agency. That is the ultimate home field advantage for them. Even in Republican administrations, government bureaucrats remain overwhelmingly leftwing, and government employees unions are arguably the ultimate inner core of what the Democrat party really is at its heart.


64 posted on 12/14/2009 4:59:31 PM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: Rutles4Ever

As far as the Senate is concerned, there is no bill other than the one they area working on themselves and there is no Senator named Stupak. They won’t even see it until after the conference comes up with yet another version, which may or may not include any particular section from either the House or Senate bills.


65 posted on 12/14/2009 5:04:11 PM PST by wildandcrazyrussian
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To: BobL

I think she did get what she wanted, Cap and Trade and Health Care.

She did her job, now its up to Reid.

Even with the 0’s numbers in the tank, as long as they have the majority, they don’t give a...

Congress no longer cares about the American People.


66 posted on 12/14/2009 5:06:03 PM PST by VicVega (Who dat say they going to beat da Saints, who dat, who dat??)
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To: SirJohnBarleycorn

Judging by the fact that Obamao is below 50% approval in EVERY single poll shows that the public is not distracted by the holidays.

He can call this a victory but everyone knows better.


67 posted on 12/14/2009 5:07:44 PM PST by Carley (OBAMA IS A MALEVOLENT FORCE IN THE WORLD)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
LIEberman is the biggest snake in the SINate.

Anyone who believes that he is "principled" must have missed his speech in the SINate when he "almost" condemned clinton back during impeachment days.

He is NOT to be trusted, nor lauded.

68 posted on 12/14/2009 5:12:11 PM PST by mombonn (God is looking for spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

So now the question is which liberal senators will bolt without a public option or medicare option?


69 posted on 12/14/2009 5:12:16 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: Carley

If the people do not bombard the capitol in the next several days with calls and letters like they did in defeating the illegals amnesty attempt, I will be surprised if the health care takeover does not pass (regardless of Obama’s polling numbers).


70 posted on 12/14/2009 5:12:34 PM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Problem is when they go to conference committee with the house, the pubic option will go back in. As I understand it, it will then take only 50 votes to pass. If it is not killed here, we will have the public option yet...


71 posted on 12/14/2009 5:16:28 PM PST by Mom MD (Jesus is the Light of the world!)
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To: Muzzle_em

Absolutely nothing. It will be added back in later - you can take that to the bank.


72 posted on 12/14/2009 5:18:27 PM PST by Mom MD (Jesus is the Light of the world!)
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To: mad_as_he$$

“Strike for 0. He just had them all to the WH to lay down the law I thought”

It’s more like a walk-off home run for 0.


73 posted on 12/14/2009 5:18:44 PM PST by balls (Sarah, get off your facebook and do something!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Just more theatrics. These changes will be changed back at some point after a bill passes, and a bill WILL pass.


74 posted on 12/14/2009 5:22:36 PM PST by Gator113 (Obama is America's First Failed Black Pres-dent.....)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The Hill reported this weekend the CBO says the bill will devastate the insurance industry!

Joe LIEberman needs to wake up!

75 posted on 12/14/2009 5:23:55 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat
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To: Recovering_Democrat

Are you sure it was the CBO that said that? Do you have a link?


76 posted on 12/14/2009 5:32:38 PM PST by balls (Sarah, get off your facebook and do something!)
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To: pburgh01
"This was a defeat for Obama, pure and simple"

Get a grip, Newbie.

This is the camel's nose in the tent, you'll see it evolve into full-blown Socilaized Medicine, while you savor some "percieved victory", while getting your clock cleaned.

Come back when you see the forest for the trees.

77 posted on 12/14/2009 5:33:52 PM PST by traditional1 ("Don't gotsta worry 'bout no mo'gage, don't gotsta worry 'bout no gas; Obama gonna take care o' me!)
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To: autumnraine
but the first liberal that hoorays for this and says “Thank God, I just lost my health insurance with my job” will be (gleefully) told that it doesn’t kick in until 2013. Oh, and expect their taxes to go up now, in ANTICIPATION of needing the funds for this healthcare bill. Oh yeah, and since employers are going to have to pay for every individual they hire or pay a fine, imagine how many jobs will be gone because of the overwhelming burden of employers.

This is a Plan B I can live with! ;-)

78 posted on 12/14/2009 5:34:05 PM PST by Right_in_Virginia
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To: Recovering_Democrat

Found it: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/72069-bad-weekend-sets-up-rough-week-for-health-bill


79 posted on 12/14/2009 5:36:12 PM PST by balls (Sarah, get off your facebook and do something!)
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To: traditional1
As I've said many times; Socialized Medicine is a done deal.

It may be a watered-down INITIALLY plan, but it will grow and grow until it is SINGLE-PAYER, NO PRIVATE INSURERS will survive, and this first passage is the beginning of the government complete takeover of the Healthcare Industry, just as they have taken over banking, autos, etc.

You have the timeline wrong. Our march to socialized healthcare started in the 1930s when Blue Cross became a tax-free conduit for prepaid healthcare, and in the 1940s when FDR capped wages pushing employers to offer health plans as benefits.

What really needs to be done is to untangle employers and insurers from being preferred healthcare payment channels. The tax code is what makes it that way, and distorts the market through a pile of regulations gathered up over time. People can't afford health care on their own because the market is for large corporations to purchase in bulk from other large insurers who set the prices, and state legislators who target these large organizations.

This also brings up another problem. Making things tax-free to purchase with an income tax system means complicating the tax code, and making it more expensive to hire employees. A sales tax system would work better for such a situation, where you don't tax the people purchasing the product.

80 posted on 12/14/2009 5:36:13 PM PST by dan1123 (Free condoms for teens to have safe sex is like giving them bullet-proof vests for safe gun play)
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