Posted on 02/04/2010 12:59:39 PM PST by OldDeckHand
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Don’t mess with Mary Landrieu.
The Democratic Senator from Louisiana has had about enough of people criticizing the clause she helped put into the Senate version of health care reform and she took to the Senate floor today, giving a fiery defense of special funding for Louisiana that Republicans have derisively nicknamed “the Louisiana Purchase” – implying the language was put in to buy Landrieu’s vote.
Today on the Senate floor, Landrieu her naysayers to “keep their mouth shut.”
She pointed out that Republicans in Louisiana, including Governor Bobby Jindal and a good number of Republican Congressmen, have all asked publicly for Louisiana to be given the extra money to meet its Medicaid commitments.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
THAT'S the postcard we should ALL send to her - and all should be signed "Hillary Clinton"!!!! :-)
I take this as a sign that there really is serious negotiation going on between the House and the Senate to push through Obamacare with a House vote on the Senate bill plus a reconciliation sidecar.
Otherwise, I doubt Landrieu would pick this moment to focus attention on, and defend, the Louisiana purchase.
Since the Democrats don’t need to build public support for Obamacare, in fact they would prefer to see the spotlight moved to something else, we won’t know if they have the votes for it until they announce the votes in the House and the Senate committees. The negotiations, the threats, the bribes, the backroom deals, and the language of the legislation will all be hidden until sprung at the last minute after all the deals have been completed and the votes counted.
Then, it will be up to the Republicans to see if they are willing to shut down Senate business indefinitely by offering endless amendments, and up to the Democrats to see if they are willing to use nuclear tactics to cut off debate.
I think the Democrats are willing to go nuclear in terms of parliamentary tactics in order to get it passed, IF they can get the votes sewn up beforehand.
I don’t think the House vote will be difficult to cobble together if the Senate is willing to do a reconciliation sidecar.
The question is whether there are 50 senators willing to go that route. It is quite possible. We’ll see over the next several weeks.
I think your analysis of Landrieu's impetus for commenting now is an interesting one. I hope you're wrong, but I fear you're right.
I can't quite figure out what their actual end-game is with this Budget Reconciliation process on the Obamacare bill. Technically, they (the House) could just adopt the Senate bill. But, that assumes that they could get the 217 votes to pass the Senate bill - I'm not sure that they could. Even if they could, such a maneuver would likely face Constitutional problems with a revenue bill originating in the Senate, and not the House as the Constitution demands.
Furthermore, I recognize that the House libs aren't happy with the Senate's bill. But, I don't see how the Budget Reconciliation process helps the libs get to where they need to be. Because of legal limitations of the Budget Reconciliation, it would actually make it harder, not easier for the libs to pass non-budgetary provisions of their health-care plan.
Of course, the House could pass the bill they want (assuming that they could get the votes now) and then use the Nuclear option in the Senate to get it passed. I doubt Reid can get 50 votes to go nuclear. It might be close, but I don't think he can get there.
Will we still hear her when she’s booted to the curb and on the unemployment line?
SO, apparently she is not only for sale, but she’s REAL DANG CHEAP, if the “Louisiana Purchase” wasn’t they key to getting into her pantry.
If she’s not cheap, then she’s definitely easy.
“You’re not of the body !”
Like o-bow-man she is bought and paid for and will do and say whatever she is instructed to do or say by her owners.
LOL!! Made my day. It’s almost the red hour! Come November it will be time for FESTIVAL! FESTIVAL! Now I am have to did out the Star Trek DVD’S. Great episode.
Peace.
“We know what you are its only the price that requires discovery.”
Reminds me of the story about the guy meets a girl in a bar, and in the course of conversation asks her if she would go to bed with him for a million dollars. She says yes, of course. Then he wants to know if she would go to bed with him for two dollars. She angrily responds, asking him what he thinks she is. And his reply is similar to yours, “we’ve already determined that, we’re just haggling over the price”.
I like your post card idea. What a way to let everyone “read my mail”!
That (w)itch is real lucky she was up in 2008. She wouldn’t get 40% today.
Ms. Piggy is just auditioning for a job in the Obama regime. She’ll need a new one in 11 months.
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