As August Deadline Approaches In House, Blue Dogs, Liberals, Still Far Apart On Health Care
A number of high profile Democrats are expressing public doubt that the House can pass health care in the next few days before it's set to adjourn for August recess. Chief among them is Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
"You understand that if we pass something out of committee this week, we've got to spend the month of August putting together the three bills," Hoyer told Roll Call. "Saturday and next week is available. Now whether or not there will be any productive reason to stay for that period of time remains to be seen over the next couple of days."
Part of the problem, as I suggested earlier, is that the news out of the Senate has widened a rift between House liberals and Blue Dogs. Rep. George MIller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and an author of House health care legislation, isn't at all pleased with the watered down reform bill the Senate Finance Committee is set to propose.
"I don't think that adds up to health care reform. It doesn't add up to insurance reform. It doesn't add up to keeping costs down. I don't know what the hell that adds up to," Miller said.
Meanwhile, Alpha Dog Bart Stupak says the Finance Committee's expected proposal is yet more evidence that the House needs to scale things back.
"The Senate's on a completely different agenda," Stupak said. "I've been here long enough, you do a bill and you get a plank sawed off behind you."
Stupak is one of the seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee who's objected to the House's bill. He and his six allies are now trying to decide whether to back a compromise offered by chairman Henry Waxman--but the Finance Committee's on such a different--and less progressive--page that they're wary about striking any kind of deal.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Blue Dogs make NO SENSE!!
They claim to care about cost and the deficit.
Yet they want to force the govt plan to pay HIGHER prices??
Why not negotiate a better rate and save the taxpayers money???
Whose side are you on???? Pick one -- either you want to reduce costs to the taxpayers or you want to guarantee profits for the insurers.
This is bullshit. They make no sense, and yet the gutless clowns in the MSM never raise the obvious glaring logical contradictions in their position.
Krugman is the only one I've seen raise this issue -- that these idiots don't make any sense and are essentially lying to us with bs and delaying tactics.
These guys are basically crooks and sellouts.
July 28, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
TAKE IT to the floor and screw the blue dogs. Go for new blood in 2010!
July 28, 2009 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's site has a tool for callign your Rep/Senate. IT helps find your numbers by zipcode.
http://advocacy.barackobama.com/healthcare/campaigns/1/scripts/8/call_sessions/new?source=actioncenter
July 28, 2009 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Senate isn't on a completely different agenda assmunch. Max Baucus and and three Republicans who are never going to vote for anything the rest of the party can stomach have a different agenda. There are two other Senate committees on this bill and their bills are going to look a hell of a lot more like Waxman's.
July 28, 2009 2:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
On the Senate, from Kos:
Sherrod Brown: We'll get a strong public option
by Jed Lewison
Tue Jul 28, 2009 at 10:40:04 AM PDT
Max Baucus and Kent Conrad would have you believe that they are the only two Democrats who matter in the entire United States Senate.
Well Sherrod Brown had something to say about that yesterday on The Ed Show:
Transcript:
We’re going to enact strong insurance reform rules so they can’t game the system, the community rating system and preexisting conditions, ban all of that.
But we still need the public option to keep the insurance companies honest. We’re going to insist on it in the Senate. We’re going to get it in the Senate. They are going to do it in the House. We’re going to have a strong public option. That’s going to be a major part of our health care bill.
Despite Conrad's and Baucus's intransigence, this thing isn't over. The overwhelming majority of Democratic senators -- and American people - support a strong public option. As long as people like Sherrod Brown stand up for the principles they were elected to follow, we can still win this thing.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/28/758754/-Sherrod-Brown:-Well-get-a-strong-public-option
July 28, 2009 3:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
A few points-
Wouldn't a finished bill be good news for Dems in the House over break (at least we produced something!) and put increased pressure on the Senate?
Was Waxman bluffing on taking the E&C version to the floor? Otherwise, why doesn't he? As I understand it, they are disproportionately represented on E&C and this would defuse a lot of their leverage?
Similarly, if Waxman can go to the floor, why aren't the Blue Dogs being more cooperative? One would think that, if the threat were real, they would want input on the legislation rather than being shut out?
July 28, 2009 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Keep hammering them daily --loudly and often..1.800.828.0498...What really matter is what comes out of the Conference! Call the local offices too.
Baucus has taken $1.3 million from the healthcare lobbyists in the past 2 years...$1.4 million a DAY into congressional coffers and Insurance Co. profits are up 428% since 2000!
The donut hole is killing the elderly--who are not taking their meds! BUt big Pharma is fat and happy- with a Baucus exception to the pharma people for no generics for 12years after introduction!
Bastards!
July 28, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Baucus is a crook pure and simple
July 28, 2009 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maxine Waters had some choice words for Rahm Emmanuel and Blue Dogs on MSNBC today. It's worth a watch.
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/28/maxine-waters-white-house-wont-put-pressure-on-blue-dogs/
July 28, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I said earlier today, it is important to get the Finance Committee out of the blocking position. Use their bi-partisan bill to spearhead a unanimous consent agreement on the Senate Floor (failing that clear the way for reconcilliation) and then amend it with a HELP or HELP modified substitute on a majority vote.
Once Finance reports out a bill, the House logjam will clear.
That's why vanHollen was throwing spit wads across the Capitol the other day
The larger point is, Congress needs to act. The sausage making is getting in the way of delivering an effective public message
See Blumenthal's latest and most excellent analysis - http://www.pollster.com/blogs/health_reform_once_more_with_f.php
July 28, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
July 28, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink