TPMDC
Senate Overcomes Key Health Care Hurdle--Reform Now On The Horizon
Democratic Senators Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and Tom Harkin
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By a vote of 60-40, the Senate agreed to end debate on a major package of health care amendments--and by doing so, signaled that the Democratic caucus is unified, and ready to pass a far-reaching reform bill straight down party lines.
The Senate is now expected to hold more procedural votes on Tuesday and Wednesday before finally voting on the bill late Christmas eve. Keep your eyes on TPMDC for all developments.
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mcc
December 21, 2009 1:22 AM
So like... 60 more hours of debate?
Anything happen during these next debates? Everybody just sort of reads the speeches they already read?
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dickday
December 21, 2009 1:25 AM
THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
This is truly an historic time.
Repubs, take a back seat and shut the hell up.
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i said GOOD DAY sir
December 21, 2009 1:26 AM in reply to dickday
I plan to start pointing and laughing at their failed attempts to block HCR in 3....2....
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geofu54
December 21, 2009 2:42 AM in reply to i said GOOD DAY sir
I hear FOX news loons were pissed after the vote. Wish I'd seen that.
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lkt
December 21, 2009 1:29 AM
Brian, thanks for staying up late to keep those of us who can't watch this on the teevee informed.
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life_4_rent
December 21, 2009 1:34 AM
I watched a colonel talking about this last nite, he said he did not neee anymore c-17s but they were going to give them 10 more because of the senators in california & missouri which make all the parts for these planes!!! What ever these idiotic senators want they get!! with our money?? They throw stuff in the bill to help their states and I cannot wait until 2010 to get these pack of thieves out of our offices!!!
http://www.topnflnews.com/
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sherifffruitfly
December 21, 2009 1:47 AM
Good, but too bad we couldn't get more. Still, it's a start - you gotta start somewhere.
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Hobartcat
December 21, 2009 1:51 AM in reply to sherifffruitfly
I hardly even see this as a start.
Mandates to do business with private insurers? I refuse.
No rights for states to enact their own single payer systems if they so choose.
No public option.
Tepid medicare expansion.
As Josh noted, this thing won't even kick in for a few years, leaving plenty of time for the corporatists to work their snake magic and erode this "start at somewhere" until it becomes a real Bridge to Nowhere.
Blech.
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celldumceen
December 21, 2009 2:01 AM
The GOP has taken a huge gamble here! If this works and they all opposed it what will be their argument over the next few election election cycles?
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Lok52
December 21, 2009 2:35 AM in reply to celldumceen
Same arguments they have been using for the last 40 years against Medicare, which they opposed at the start and still want to axe. Except when they can use it to scare older people into going against their best interests of course.
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DA in LA
December 21, 2009 3:12 AM
Goodbye majority.
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rbeats
December 21, 2009 3:14 AM
Whoo Hoo, we are getting excited about another major transfer of wealth from the middle class to the elite through a forced penalty imposed by the IRS to buy a sub par product designed to rape the consumer...
Fuck this bill.
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stevenf
December 21, 2009 3:30 AM
I stand with Obama and the Dem who are willing to pass this bill.
I stand with the progressives who want single payer (get a better name like Patient Care).
I ask the progressives to remember who the enemy is.
We had 55 votes but 60 are required in the Senate.
Now onto bringing the two bills - Senate and House together.
Even Howard Dean says the managers' amendment made it better.
Let's see what we can do in merging the bills with the reality that we need 60 still in the Senate and 218 in the House.
The notion that Obama isn't tough enough or conflict avoidant is at best misguided.
Why?
Confusing 55 votes of real support with 60 is more than an accounting error. Being angry at the 5 who undid the pubic option is natural but thinking that you can force them to vote differently is oversimplifying the game board.
Sit at home in the next election and you can have Sarah Palin and the Grinch Opposition Party (GOP). We need more Feingold's, Sanders, Harkin's, Brown's, Rockerfeller's...
Obama never said it was going to be easy. He needs you more now than ever.
The regressive forces are fighting for the status quo.
Lick the wounds. Keep going.
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DA in LA
December 21, 2009 3:34 AM in reply to stevenf
Guess what? You lose.
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Bill E Pilgrim
December 21, 2009 4:01 AM in reply to stevenf
Oh, nonsense. Excuse my French.
Listen I'm glad this bill is passing and yes perhaps it's a start and etc etc. However the idea that everything possible was done to get Lieberman for instance in line with the original aims of this bill, which are now stripped out in large part, is nonsense.
Let's be clear about something. Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson weren't threatening to vote no. They were threatening to join in a Republican filibuster and prevent a vote from taking place.
This should have been the stance that was too shameful to consider, this should be the one that "irritated" the WH and that was called "insane" and all the rest of it.
The idea that the one, sole, option in dealing with them was to flatter, cajole, and excuse this astonishingly destructive behavior is just wrong. The line should have been outrage, across the Democratic spectrum, from the WH on down. "You're joining the freaking Republicans, to block Democracy from taking place?? How dare you!" should have been what they heard.
Actually, and to be fair, the White House now agrees with this, since this is pretty much what Axlerod said about Nelson right at the end. However it was precisely the surge of outrage on the progressive side about how Lieberman had been kowtowed to that got the WH to make this statement about Nelson, of that I'm sure.
No one who actually follows this is going to "sit home" next election, despite scattered online vows by random commenters. When people warn about Democrats losing interest, getting discouraged and staying away from the polls, they're warning about those who don't pay that much attention to politics to begin with. The idea that the activists, Netroots, bloggers, etc are people who don't vote, as Chris Matthews seems to think, is ludicrous.
The was handled astonishingly ineptly. Losing a large part of your base, completely alienating them, was immensely stupid and didn't have to happen. Lines like "Don't worry about the progressives" coming out from Emanuel were disastrous, we just haven't seen the extent of why, yet. It doesn't mean that activists won't vote, but it can mean a lot of other problems, including all the votes they helped get out with their enthusiasm.
I agree with the sentiment lick our wounds, try to improve it, and forge ahead. It's just going to be much, much harder to do so now because of the way that this was done.
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lousgirl84
December 21, 2009 9:45 AM in reply to stevenf
Exactly. Great post and right on the money.
Wake up whiners and fight to improve the bill every year
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mphillip
December 21, 2009 7:12 AM
For those who are actually interested in the speeches, I would recommend Sheldon Whitehouse's speech:
Brutally honest about the "double-cross" of a friend (I assume he's talking about the Lieberman move to undercut Reid);
Brutally honest about how moves to slow down the bill hurt clerks and other workers; (not the Senators - the workers);
Brutally honest about the fact that the 3 Republican votes for the defense spending bill came only AFTER the 60 votes were in (so much for the independence of the women from Maine);
Brutally honest about the Rebublican's Party's deal with the devil (capitulation to the neo-nazis etc.,);
Brutally honest about the discomfort and resistance to "our young president" named "Obama;"
Barely suppressed anger at having to give up what he dearly believed in to move the thing forward (medicare buy-in/opt-out/public option;
...just for those truly interested in the speeches.
And for how highly "ineptly" this process was handled??
Oh, there were bumps and bruises along the way, but I don't know if this is just the nature of the beast. As for Webb's criticism about the lack of info, I'm not sure what one does about that when technology enables so much NOISE coming from all kinds of directions and the teabaggers had a network (Fox)at their disposal.
The WH didn't present the Congress a bill??
Oh, like the Clintons???
But I understand and respect Webb's critique because it is measured and thoughtful.
Unlike the broadly-framed/ultimately useless blatter from parts of the netroots (both left and right - a marriage that also occured, from what i am to understand) during the Roosevelt years.
Go figure.
mphillip
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blueriver
December 21, 2009 2:03 PM
Living in Nebraska and putting constant pressure on Nelson is an experience I will not forget.
He is a sly fox, who lives in an extremely conservative state, who has a strong background working with insurance. As governor he started a program where every child has healthcare, a program called SCHIP. He worked with insurance agencies. He has gotten a lot of money from insurance companies.
And of course he wants to be re-elected.
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Tosh
January 30, 2010 5:03 PM
@mphilip very well put just what was going throught my head while i was reading this.
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Tosh
January 30, 2010 5:03 PM
@mphilip very well put just what was going throught my head while i was reading this.
http://www.m65jacket.com
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