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After Accepting Scores Of GOP Amendments, Senate HELP Committee Moves Health Care Legislation On Party Line Vote
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has voted along party to move its health care reform legislation out of committee. The panel has been in mark-up for weeks now, and along the way, has approved 160 Republican amendments--and for all that largesse, not a single member of the minority voted in its favor. I'll pass along more details as they become available.
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
July 15, 2009 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Massive fucking fail.
July 15, 2009 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've been watching these guys on C-SPAN slowing down that committee with endless futile amendment votes, especially Tom Coburn (OK) and Judd Gregg (NH). Enough to drive you nuts.
July 15, 2009 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Brian could write up a list of some of those amendments so we can press our Congresscritters to deep-6 them.
July 15, 2009 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
What's the advantage of bipartisanship again?
July 15, 2009 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Political cover. Republicans wanted Social Security phaseout to be bipartisan so they could have political cover for doing it.
July 15, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chris Dodd kicks a$$. That's all I have to say.
July 15, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
They are still operating on Bill Kristol's 1993 warning that if Dems pass Health Care Reform, the Reps will be out of office for a generation. One of the few times Billy was right. Ironically, their recalcitrance is only driving them to the wilderness faster.
July 15, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously can we look at the 160 amendments offered by the GOP so we can investigate?
July 15, 2009 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this seriously what has happened? 160 GD Republican amendments were approved and none of the Republicans voted it out of committee?
I also would like to review these amendments....
July 15, 2009 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...has approved 160 Republican amendments--and for all that largesse, not a single member of the minority voted in its favor."
It's so MADDENING! I agree that we need a full list of those 160 acts of sabotage by these crooked corporate lawyers.
Of course, remember that most of the democrats on that committee only voted yes because we sent tens of thousands of dollars to ActBlue and MoveOn to savage them with television ads in their home states. They were probably very thankful to have the Republicans do the dirty work of watering down health care reform.
July 15, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guys you are overreacting. Saying "we included 160 Repub amendments" is a bit of political gamesmanship. Most of the amendments are procedural.
July 15, 2009 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Procedural or not, I can think of 160 amendments that wouldn't be high on my priorities when it comes mark-up time.
Who knows, loosing them might teach people a thing or two.
July 15, 2009 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone know how the Senate HELP committee bill pays for health care? The article doesn't say.
July 15, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, does anyone have a link to the amendments accepted and rejected? Rather than just blather about it, why not read them and decide for ourselves which made sense?
If they're bologna, great, but if some of them are valid, and they're not being considered, what does that say about the legislative process?
If this is really a matter of "we won, now sit down and shut up", why keep using terms like bi-partisanship and compromise? Just come out and say "we're in charge" and have done with it.
September 13, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink