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Two (Filibusters) Down, One To Go, Until Senate Passes Health Care
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
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The Senate cleared its second procedural obstacle this morning, when 58 Democrats and 2 Independents agreed to end a second Republican filibuster of health care reform.
The final vote on the motion to end the filibuster--known as cloture--was 60 to 39. After Monday morning's 1 am vote, the result of today's wasn't much in doubt. But the substance of the underlying was in fact much greater. On Monday, Democrats signaled their unity behind the cause of health care reform, by agreeing to end a filibuster on a package of amendments to Senate health care legislation.
Today, with the 60 vote alliance not in doubt, the party agreed to end a filibuster of the actual reform package--known as the "substitute."
On Wednesday, Democrats are expected to end one final filibuster, before holding an up or down vote on the bill itself Christmas eve. That is, unless the GOP admits the jig is up, and allows the votes to happen sooner than scheduled.
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RhodaA
December 22, 2009 8:31 AM
This is such a beautiful picture of Harry Reid.
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Joe
December 22, 2009 8:43 AM
Who didn't vote?
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Atomist
December 22, 2009 8:47 AM
The non-voter was most likely Judas Iscariot in disguise, a vile reprobate who will turn on a spit over a slow fire down in the Bad Place for the next 30,000 years!
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UTMark
December 22, 2009 8:48 AM
If the Republicans are unified in their opposition to something, how could it be a bad thing?
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LBJs Brain
December 22, 2009 9:59 AM in reply to UTMark
Well, it does mean that we are ever more beholden to partisanship on major bills and thats not good. Medicare got double digit GOP votes in both Houses in '65. Hard to believe.
Sen. Whitehouse quoting Richard Hofstadter, warning that a right-wing minority could create “a political environment in which the rational pursuit of our well-being and safety would become impossible.”
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Acoustic
December 22, 2009 9:00 AM
It fills so good to finally be reading REAL liberal news instead of the Huffington Post! Arrianna lately seems like a Republican masquerading as a liberal IMO - a media Ralph Nader. The political effects of her supposed non-compromising liberalism in practicality favor conservatives more so than liberals, politically.
Anyway, we're just about there with healthcare reform! For those mad about the absence of the public option, it's very unlikely, after the passage of this bill, that it'll be absent for too long.
However, the bottom line is that it was merely an element of reform, not the majority of the reform bill itself. Let's not squabble over the missing cherry and miss the cake sitting in front of us -- December 24 folks!
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shooter242
December 22, 2009 9:12 AM in reply to Acoustic
Uh, you know this isn't the real bill they're passing Christmas eve, right? The Senate and House bills now have to be reconciled in committee, the result of which is anyone's guess? And then passed by both houses all over again?
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hbobrien
December 22, 2009 11:02 AM in reply to shooter242
And are you aware it's entirely possible the House will just reintroduce the Senate bill, approve it, and thus there won't be any reconciliation?
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BrookJolley
December 22, 2009 9:13 AM in reply to Acoustic
I personally do not feel that the public option is really of the vital amount of importance that it has been given. I know from personally selling medicare supplement insurance, and health insurance, that when there is a gap in the marketplace that is not being filled someone tends to step in and fill it, it just might be a bit harder to find the product that is more affordable. One of the problems you run into with health insurance, your agent gets paid 10-15% of the monthly premium as commission, so it is in their benefit to try to get you to pay too much. The fact is, most people RIGHT NOW can save several hundred dollars a month by finding a better insurance agent. I believe that the added demand for agents after this bill passes will help to tighten up the prices across the board, with the companies and the agents, and you'll see a pretty steep decline in costs over the next 2 to 3 years when people figure out which companies and agents are going to do their job correctly.
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amber
December 22, 2009 9:39 AM in reply to Acoustic
There is a certain satisfaction watching Republicans squirm in helpless defeat.
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bentd
December 22, 2009 10:12 AM in reply to Acoustic
I agree completely. It seems there is an increasingly disturbing trend on HuffPo to blindly embracing supposedly liberal ideas without any critical thinking. This started for me when they began to publish stories from Jenny McCarthy on the dangers of vaccines, even though every major study has shown there not to be a link between mercury in vaccines and autism (in Montreal for example, when mercury was phased out of the vaccines, autism rates were actually higher in the group that did not have mercury).
Now, with HCR its increasingly annoying the stubborn resentment to the fact that the Senate public option was thrown out. The Senate public option was watered down from the beginning. But on HuffPo, they continually rail against Obama, Reid and Co for throwing it out. I'm as progressive as they come, but I have a problem with the liberals who say we should have started from scratch on this. Setting aside the political suicide that it would be, I'm curious as to why these people think we'd be able to get something more liberal through if we started again. The Senate needs a super-majority to pass anything, and a state like North Dakota has as many senators as New York or California. So, the Senate is definitely going to lean more conservative.
If liberals want to continue to make progress, they need to see the value in stepwise accomplishments. Rather than get mad at their leaders they need to champion the accomplishments at hand, and then push hard for more seats next term so that perhaps filibuster rules could be amended.
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realist
December 22, 2009 9:04 AM
Not Voting - 1
Inhofe (R-OK)
The Model A wouldn't start this morning?
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UTMark
December 22, 2009 9:17 AM in reply to realist
Apparently God answered my prayer that the biggest horse's ass in the Senate wouldn't make it in to vote. Although DeMint still voted....
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twoviragos
December 22, 2009 10:20 AM in reply to realist
I'm just speculating here, but I wonder if Inhofe is still even in DC. While the Democrats need 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, I believe the Republicans only need one person to stay for their side to keep things going. I'd give good money that the Republicans Senators start slinking out of town as early as today.
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tlees2
December 22, 2009 9:32 AM
"Apparently God answered my prayer that the biggest horse's ass in the Senate wouldn't make it in to vote. Although DeMint still voted...."
So second biggest horse's ass voted. Vitter voted, so third biggest horse's ass voted, etc.
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Bloggin
December 22, 2009 10:00 AM in reply to tlees2
This is the second time republicans decided to pray for something bad to happen to Democrats, but it only backfired on themselves. They prayed for rain at Democratic Convention, but got Hurricane GUSTOV at the RNC Convention.
Now they pray for (1) Dem Senator not to make the vote, and they lose (1) Rep Senator.
It makes me really wonder why the RNC took the 3 stars from the American flag, and turned it upside down(point facing down) for their logo when George Bush took office. When it had always been right-side up(point facing up)just like on the American flag prior to 2000.
When I googled satanic pentagram, there was the RNC Star. I guess it makes sense based on what's been happening with the Republican party and their 'followers' since the Bush years.
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tlees2
December 22, 2009 9:38 AM
Apparently God answered my prayer that the biggest horse's ass in the Senate wouldn't make it in to vote. Although DeMint still voted....
So the second biggest horse's ass voted. Vitter voted, so the third biggest horse's ass voted, etc.
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UTMark
December 22, 2009 9:43 AM
After the first few it gets pretty murky. So many possibilities....
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tlees2
December 22, 2009 10:24 AM in reply to UTMark
You know the old saying - "There are more horse's asses in the world than there are horses" :)
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Atomist
December 22, 2009 11:34 AM
I'm just speculating here, but I wonder if Inhofe is still even in DC.
He's probably back in Copenhagen, the Pornography Capital of the World.
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Jodi
December 22, 2009 2:08 PM
This bill MUST include a PUBLIC OPTION and PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS! Mandated coverage without a public option is like welfare to the same insurance companies who overcharge and deny coverage to our friends and family. Denying abortion coverage in health insurance will take away the right to choose for poor women. Speak up now! Call your Senators!
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gotpm
December 22, 2009 4:02 PM
...about time, no more Republican power games,
no more Republican NO NO NO. The party of NO NO NO
must GO GO GO.....(and jump in the lake or something)
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