Reid On Health Care: We Don't Need No Stinkin' Deadlines
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) probably won't be talking about the new September 15th deadline for the unveiling of the Senate Finance Committee's health care reform bill.
"I had a meeting last Monday with a number of consultants. They all said, 'Get off this exact date. The American people don't care about exact dates. All they want is something to get done.' So I listened to them," Reid said.
Reid might not like deadlines, but some of them aren't so arbitrary. If the Finance committee doesn't present a bill by September, there will be precious little time before Congress votes on a budget reconciliation bill--and when that comes around he'll have to decide whether to circumvent the normal process and pass reform of some kind without Republican votes, or whether he'll put his faith in Republican negotiators who haven't really been playing along thus far.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
How about we set a deadline for replacing Harry Reid?
August 6, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can I second that?
Oh! Oh! And can we also label Max Baucus as an insurance industry tool and whore, while we're at it? I could make the list longer but my fingers are tired, and I'm not sure how worthwhile it is to repeat myself yet again.
August 6, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you ever wonder if Congress stole the term "cash for clunkers" from a health insurance lobbyist describing his relationship with committee chairmen?
August 6, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
You've got it wrong, BB. With the insurance industry, it is CASH for CASH
August 6, 2009 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
In other words:
Cash out to lobbyists (millions)
to be able to continue to reap from American suckers (billions)
August 6, 2009 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes and they get to keep the Clunker Committee Chairman in their pockets too.
August 6, 2009 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I had a meeting last Monday with a number of consultants. They all said, 'Get off this exact date. The American people don't care about exact dates.
Harry - can I talk to you for a second? I'm one of those "American people" these consultants are talking about.
Anyway, here's the deal. Your 'consultants' are misleading you. The Republicans are not negotiating in good faith. I would have thought that would be plenty obvious by now, but you've taken way too many blows to the head in your boxing career, that you don't seem to be perceiving this like we are. So yes, in *general* we don't care about exact dates, but in this circumstance, when time is of the essence, and from our viewpoint you guys just seem to be dawdling and wringing your hands way too much about what a handful of people from the Party of No might say about you if you pass a bill without them, I'd say that exact dates ARE important. We, the American people who demand reform, can all see that the longer this gets drawn out, the less likely it's going to happen, and the worse the bill will end up being.
It's about fucking time that you start seeing it too.
August 6, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh Jesus christ ....
Listen Harry, it's real simple:
NO F--ING REPUBLICANS WILL VOTE FOR THIS GODDAMN BILL!!!!!!!
How do we get this message thru you thick skull???
How many GOP voted for stimulus bill in the House?
How many Senate voted for Sotomayor, a centrist pick????
Get the picture?
August 6, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why are we stuck with this asshole Reid???
He's an IDIOT.
I met or heard a single Democrat who likes him.
August 6, 2009 9:37 PM | Reply | Permalink