Posted on 12/22/2009 4:09:15 PM PST by mdittmar
WASHINGTON — It may be the only bipartisan agreement that Congress reaches this year on overhauling health care.
Republicans, under pressure not to wreck Christmas for lawmakers and their staffs, agreed Tuesday that Senate passage of the Democrats' controversial bill seemed inevitable and scaled back procedural-delay mechanisms to allow a vote by the morning of Christmas Eve.
Had the full debate continued, the Senate would have voted at around 9 p.m. Thursday, too late for many lawmakers and their staff members to get home in time for the holiday. Instead, the vote is set for 8 a.m.
President Barack Obama had announced that he'd delay his own departure for his family vacation in Hawaii until the vote was over.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had said that he'd been willing to stay late into Christmas Eve because, "It's important that we take the time to analyze it in every way that we can before the final votes are taken in the Senate."
However, Democrats as well as Republicans expressed concern about missing Christmas — since many live in places where planes can't get them home in time — and others were concerned about an ice storm that's threatening the Midwest.
McConnell also said, "The final vote in the Senate is not the final vote. There are substantial differences between the House and Senate bills. This debate is not over."
If the Senate's version passes as expected, it will be considered by a House of Representatives-Senate conference, or negotiating, committee, which typically operates largely in secrecy.
"The American people are still going to have another month or so, I would guess, to weigh in and express their concerns about this package to each of their representatives," McConnell said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
They could have continued to push the idea that the Senators and Congressman should be forced on same program...
What is left of this pathetic party is not worth spit. Merry ChristX. What destroyed it??
OK. So you RINOs feel that you getting you and your staffs’ RINO butts home for Christmas means more than fighting these marxist/socialist/losers and allowing them to financially rape us and our children? LOSERS! What the hell are you thinking??????? Vote them out!!!!!!!
Well you see, they don’t have to live with the results. They all will be able to keep their nice insurance policies and taxpayer provided healthcare. They don’t care. I hope no one was counting on these spineless jokers to save the republic or anything.
I can count on one hand the ones I’d even consider leaving in office. Only a few of them have risen to the surface during this year to take a leadership role and fight. I’ve been watching.
If the republic is to be saved the heroes won’t be coming from D.C. It will have to be the people.
I find it hard to believe the GOP did absolutely everything they could to stop this bill. We need new leaders, desperately,,, we need new leaders.
Unbelievable. I guess Reid scheduling the vote after Christmas was too much to ask.
I’m sure you all are proud of your GOP leadership.
well as long as my congressman and senators are enjoying their holidays, that's what is really important in my life.
>> Like 11 extra hours was going to make a difference?
Yes - they are weak.
What you perceive as futility, I perceive as a gesture of honor, will, and devotion.
There is NO anger, NO contempt, NO thirst, NO desire to defeat the political adversary!
Our Liberty is dying, and the GOP grants comfort to those that aim to kill it.
It was Reid who set this up to rush the Bill through that nobody read to force a vote on Xmas eve, he was hoping that the Repubs wouldn’t be willing to fight right up to Xmas and he was right, the GOP leadership is toothless.
I’m sure you all are proud of your GOP leadership.
++++++++++++++++++
Aint my GOP leadership. Demint, Palin, Pence, Ryan, Rubio, Toomey, Wilson, Issa, et al, that’s MY GOP leadership.
You proud of them?
“The Republicans have no way of stalling the vote until after Christmas. What part of this don’t some of you understand? The GOP doesn’t even have to be there, as the DIMS have the votes anyway”
They could stick around long enough to put some pressure on the dems that are getting hammered by their constituents not to pass socialized medicine. Instead, they roll over and show their belly. Sad.
Tar and feathering needs to make a come back. Maybe then these “Republicans” and “conservatives” will stop trying to sell our freedom for pork.
You know, when I heard the vote was going to be on Christmas Eve, I thought that that was a plan straight from the Reds.
When Marx was asked what his object was in life, he proclaimed, “To dethrone God and to destroy Capitalism.”
Voting in Socialized Medicine on Christmas Eve does both. It attempts to shove Christian compassion right down the throats of Americans and they know it is another step toward destroying Capitalism.
As a Christian, I have long fought hatred.
But over the past year I’ve come to understand Ecclesiastes better. And there is a time for love and a time for hate. And I hate what these commies are doing. I try not to hate Obammie the Commie, but I’m not doing very well.
“There is NO anger, NO contempt, NO thirst, NO desire to defeat the political adversary!
Our Liberty is dying, and the GOP grants comfort to those that aim to kill it.”
+++++++++++++++
Like this comfort?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413188/posts
What is Senator McConnell going to do when average US citizens are prosecuted and fined/jailed for not adhering to *rules* laid down by *unelected* bureaucrats running this *unconstitutional* nationalization of medicine?
I gave her my address and requested his answer in a letter. Nothing else. Just answer that question.
I called Bunning's office with the same request. Even though he is retiring.
That's BS! Harry effin' Reid and his co-whores on the Socialist side, are the ones who pushed the timeline. If the pubbies had any nads, they'd walk out during the vote or to make things even sweeter, walk out tomorrow!
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