Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders Not A Fan Of Offsetting Hurricane Disaster Relief With Budget Cuts

Ryan J. Reilly | September 9, 2011, 6:30AM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose home state of Vermont suffered severe floods from the remnants of Hurricane Irene, isn't big on Republican Rep. Eric Cantor's plan to offset federal disaster relief with cuts from the budget.

"I think that is totally absurd, and I find it ironic that the same people who are making that type of proposal are the type of people who voted to bailout Wall Street, no offset," Sanders told TPM on Thursday.

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Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders: GOP Budget Would 'Stick It To Working Families'

Jon Terbush | April 6, 2011, 5:35PM

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) took to the Senate floor Wednesday and warned that the Republican budget plan would tip America toward oligarchy by giving tax breaks to the wealthiest citizens while slashing aid for the neediest.

Sanders said the GOP plan was to "stick it to working families in a horrendous way," and that the GOP's proposed cuts would decimate the middle class and further increase the gap between the rich and everyone else.

"At a time when the middle class is in decline and poverty is increasing," Sanders said, "what our Republican friends are saying is, 'let us attack virtually every significant program that improves lives for low income or moderate income people.'"

"Rich get richer, they get more. Poor get poorer, they get less," he added. "Maybe that sense of morality makes sense to some people."

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Progressives

New Report Ranks 'Most Liberal', 'Most Conservative' Members of Congress

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 25, 2011, 9:40AM

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Barbara Mikulski (MD) and Harry Reid (NV) were among "the most liberal" Senators last year, according to new rankings by National Journal. Republican Sens. John McCain (AZ), Jim DeMint (SC) and John Thune (SD) were among the most conservative.

National Journal is out with its annual congressional voting record rankings, which track the voting patterns of the 535 members of the House and Senate. The takeaway? Congress in 2010 was the most polarized it has been in close to 30 years. Parties in Congress are increasingly working in "virtual lockstep," which the magazine's political guru, Ron Brownstein described as the "decline of individualism in Congress" and the rise of a "a more top-down, parliamentary-style institution."

But there are still members on both sides who represent the outer edge of the party's ideological leanings. Here are National Journal's top conservative and liberal leaders in each chamber.

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Social Security

Democrats Identify Tea Party Caucus As Key Threat To Social Security

Brian Beutler | January 27, 2011, 2:05PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

A group of Senate Democrats has identified the new Tea Party caucuses in the House and Senate as existential threats to Social Security, and are aligning to create a bulwark against them. They're pressing President Obama to re-engage and get on their side of the issue, and they have some muscle in the form of their message guru, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

"We're not crying wolf here," Schumer told reporters in the Dirksen Senate office building after a meeting of liberal members. "This is a serious movement to undo the most successful government program in the 20th century."

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Congress

On The Floor: Ten Great Moments From Congress In 2010 (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 8:33AM

As the year comes to a close, and we look ahead to all the wild and wacky things that are sure to happen in the new Republican-controlled House and only narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate, let's take a look back at the past year. A whole lot of amazing and memorable moments happened not only on the campaign trail, but on the two Congressional floors in the Capitol itself.

We've gathered together 10 unforgettable moments from the House and Senate in 2010. Some of them are great -- while others are just so bad that they're good.

But all of them give some perspective on the people who have been running our government, or who are about to have even more power next year. So sit back, relax, and laugh -- because it's better than crying.

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Barack Obama

Top 5 Lame Duck Winners For 2010

Brian Beutler | December 24, 2010, 8:25AM

President Barack Obama

Republicans attacked it as a perversion of democracy, and used it as an excuse to continue to vote against Dem priorities. Democrats recognized it as their last chance to accomplish much of anything for the next two years. People in the media mistook it for a Barack Obama renaissance.

Certainly Democrats accomplished more than most people expected they would these last several weeks. But between the victories and the compromises and the defeats, it's hard to keep track of who came out on top.

Here's a list of the lame duck's big winners to help you sort it all out.

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2012 elections

Poll: Obama Way Ahead In Hypothetical 2012 NH Primary Matchups

Jon Terbush | December 17, 2010, 10:08AM

President Barack Obama

Despite the recent chatter that Obama could face a primary challenge in 2012, a new poll of New Hampshire Democrats finds that those concerns are probably overblown.

The poll, conducted by Magellan Data and Mapping Strategies, matched Obama against three Democrats - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) None of the races were even close.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they would vote for Obama if Clinton were to challenge him, while just 28% said they'd support Clinton. Against Dean, Obama held a staggering 68% lead, with 78% of respondents supporting him in that scenario versus 10% who supported Dean. With Sanders as a challenger, the gap was even larger, with Obama on top 79% to 8%.

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Bernie Sanders

Sanders Ends Daylong Filibuster Of Tax Cut Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 10, 2010, 1:47PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Updated 7:22 p.m. ET

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) finally yielded the Senate floor Friday evening after nearly nine hours of speaking against the Obama tax cut plan. He was spelled briefly by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) but otherwise had the floor to himself for the bulk of a day when there was no other Senate business pending.

Original Story:

About three hours ago, just as he took the Senate floor, Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) staff, tweeted: "You can call what i am doing today whatever you want, you it [sic] call it a filibuster, you can call it a very long speech..."

And he's been speaking, almost uninterrupted, ever since.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Block That Bill! A History Of The Filibuster]

It's a filibuster as filibusters were originally intended -- and, as such, makes a mockery of what the filibuster's become: a gimmick that allows a minority of senators to quietly impose supermajority requirements on any piece of legislation.

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Bernie Sanders

Sanders Outlines Plan To Sink Obama Tax Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2010, 5:06PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is making the loudest filibuster threats in the Senate right now, vowing to do all he can to block President Obama's tax cut compromise.

Here's how: "Find a handful of Republicans who are willing to vote no on this agreement and then come back and come up with a proposal that is much stronger and much fairer," he told reporters today.

"What I'm saying as a progressive should appeal to conservatives all over this country," Sanders added. "I think we have a winnable fight here. I think the American people are with us and I intend to do everything that I can to defeat this proposal."

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Bush Tax Cuts

Unhappy Dems Mull Obama-GOP Tax Cut Deal

Brian Beutler | December 6, 2010, 8:11PM

President Barack Obama meets with Democratic and Republican leaders

Senior White House officials tonight put a positive spin on the tax cut framework President Obama has agreed to with the GOP, while insisting, repeatedly, that they oppose -- and will only reluctantly swallow -- a two year extension of the Bush tax cuts. But the tentative deal is now subject to the consideration of Congressional Democrats who have already telegraphed serious concerns with the plan.

On a conference call with reporters, administration officials boasted of securing nearly $200 billion in new stimulus measures -- a one-year, two-percent payroll tax cut, and a year-long extension of unemployment insurance -- in exchange for giving the wealthiest Americans two further years of tax cuts. But though this framework will punt the tax cut fight into the 2012 elections, frightening a number of Congressional Democrats, the officials insist that they will not shy away from the fight as election season heats up.

Addressing the media tonight, President Obama outlined the compromise.

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Bernie Sanders

Sen. Sanders: War Is Being Waged On America's Middle Class (VIDEO)

David Taintor | December 6, 2010, 12:15PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

In an impassioned Senate floor speech last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that there is a war being waged on America's "disappearing and shrinking middle class."

"We talk about a lot of things on the floor of the Senate, but somehow we forget to talk about the reality of who is winning in this economy, and who is losing," he said. "And it is very clear to anyone who spends two minutes studying the issue that the people on top are doing extraordinarily well, at the same time as the middle class is collapsing and poverty is increasing."

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Obama Appoints Elizabeth Warren To Advisory Position On Consumer Protection

Brian Beutler | September 17, 2010, 9:49AM

Elizabeth Warren, Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP

The White House made it official this morning, appointing Elizabeth Warren to serve as an adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to help the administration set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a post on the White House blog, Warren writes, "The President asked me, and I enthusiastically agreed, to serve as an Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."

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Elizabeth Warren

Confusion Reigns On Warren Role At New Consumer Protection Bureau

Brian Beutler | September 16, 2010, 12:16PM

Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the expenditure of TARP, Elizabeth Warren.

Conservatives are already calling her a banking "czar." The Obama administration is suggesting that she'll help "get the new federal agency standing." But there's still a great deal of confusion, both on the Hill and in the Obama administration about what Elizabeth Warren's new role as consumer protection adviser will be. Will she be a de facto director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? Or will her powers be limited and subservient to the Treasury Secretary? Nobody seems to know.

After a Senate vote today, three key Senators -- including Warren supporters and detractors -- admitted to not knowing what Warren's new job will entail.

Asked by TPM whether he knew what Warren's role will be, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd answered simply, "No."

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Bush Tax Cuts

Nelson: 'It Would Be Very Hard For Me To Support' Allowing Tax Cuts For The Rich To Expire

Brian Beutler | September 13, 2010, 7:01PM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Ben Nelson (D-NE), the most conservative of the Senate's 59 Democrats, became the first in his party to say he might side with Republicans on the Bush tax cuts, suggesting he might filibuster a tax bill that allowed tax cuts for the rich to expire.

"It would be very hard for me to support that," Nelson told reporters outside the Senate chamber before a vote this evening.

Afterward, TPM asked him what tools he would use to ensure that the tax cuts for the rich are extended. "My vote," he said.

Nelson's not alone.

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Byron Dorgan

Despite Reservations, Most Progressives Vote For Wall Street Reform

Brian Beutler | May 20, 2010, 4:07PM

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

Two Democrats--Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)--once again joined the GOP in an attempt to filibuster Wall Street reform, on the grounds that the bill does too little to regulate big financial institutions. But the Democrat who most vocally threatened to block the bill--Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)--ultimately chose not to, and in a way became the deciding vote. Democratic leaders needed 60 votes to break the filibuster, and without Dorgan they would have had only 59.

Why the change of heart? Dorgan cited two things when I asked him: his ability to force a vote on his flagship financial issue--banning naked credit default swaps--and the fact that, ultimately, he didn't want to stand in the way of a bill he thinks makes some, though not sufficient, progress.

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Financial Reform

Vote On Fed Audit Delayed To Accommodate Bennett

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2010, 8:23PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

A last minute snag tonight temporarily delayed a vote on Bernie Sanders' amendment--still expected to pass overwhelmingly--to force an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Republican Sen. Bob Bennett is in his home state of Utah today, in the last days of a tough primary campaign. Because the race is so close, he doesn't want to be held accountable for missing a vote on an important amendment, popular on the grassroots right, so Republicans sought a delay. To move things along, Democrats acceded, but will instead hold votes on several other amendments tonight--including one, authored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), limiting the size of large financial institutions.

Sanders' amendment will likely get a hearing Tuesday.

Financial Reform

Wall Street Reform Takes A Populist Turn

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2010, 7:09PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Anti-Wall Street sentiment is so strong and Republicans have such a weak hand that Democrats in the Senate are suddenly finding themselves strengthening the financial reform bill with new amendments and beating back GOP attempts to weaken it.

The latest evidence of this populist surge is that the Senate is now expected to adopt an amendment, authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), that will require an audit of all of the Fed's emergency lending activities, starting in late 2007.*

Sanders' success in winning support for his amendment is emblematic of the greater debate over financial reform, which has, thanks to the Democrats' aggressive political posture, and the unpopularity of Wall Street, been much more favorable to progressives, even over the objection of powerful interests.

The Sanders measure is similar to a Fed audit proposal that was included in the House's financial reform legislation, which passed last December, and should simplify the process of ironing out the differences between the two bills in a conference committee.

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Audit the Fed

Sanders' Fed Audit Amendment Likely To Prevail

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2010, 4:24PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Could Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) shake off powerful opponents of his proposal to audit the Federal Reserve? It looks like he's about to do just that. By making a few changes to his financial reform amendment, Sanders has won support from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, and Majority Leader Harry Reid, and seems more poised than ever to prevail. The Senate should vote on his amendment later today.

In order to allay some of the White House's and the Fed's concerns, Sanders has agreed to limit the scope of what the Government Accountability Office would be allowed to audit--but his plan will still require thorough review of all the Fed's emergency lending, beginning December 1, 2007.

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Audit the Fed

Dis! Sanders Learns Of White House Plans To Kill Fed Audit In New York Times

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2010, 12:49PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) keeps hearing from Rahm Emanuel about his proposal to force a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve. But the White House isn't calling to tell him about new plans to kill his amendment.

The White House is hoping to cobble together a separate proposal, to be offered as an alternative to Sanders' backers. The so called "side-by-side" would give them cover to vote down the Fed audit amendment, by offering them them a weaker plan to support.

But Sanders had to read about this plan in the newspaper.

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Audit the Fed

Sanders Concerned White House May Kill Fed Audit Amendment

Brian Beutler | May 4, 2010, 3:40PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has rounded up an impressive, bipartisan array of cosponsors to an amendment he authored requiring an audit of the Federal Reserve. Just today, he added Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to a list that includes 12 Republicans, seven Democrats, in addition to Sanders himself.

In the past, a different version of legislation opening up the fed to audit received 59 votes--one shy of the 60 required to break a filibuster. But eight of the Republicans who voted no are now cosponsors of Sanders' amendment. That should mean it's a shoo-in, right?

Not necessarily.

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Audit the Fed

Deal Killer? White House Takes Aim At Fed Audit Provision

Brian Beutler | May 4, 2010, 10:37AM

President Barack Obama, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Possibly today, but if not today then soon, the Senate will decide whether or not to follow the House's lead and adopt a provision requiring government auditors to open up the books at the Federal Reserve. The measure enjoys a great deal of popularity on both the left and the right, but is so fiercely opposed by powerful interests that it could nonetheless become a stumbling block in the way of financial regulatory legislation.

Right now Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is trying to round up 60 or more votes to overcome a likely filibuster and include an "audit the Fed" provision in the Senate's bill. There are just a few small obstacles: the White House, major financial institutions, and the Fed itself. Their resistance is fierce--but the measure is so popular that killing it will be difficult for them and that, in their eyes, threatens to put a grenade at the center of efforts to to tighten the rules on Wall Street.

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Financial Reform

The Top 4 Things To Watch In The Senate Floor Debate On Financial Reform

Brian Beutler | May 3, 2010, 9:04AM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) , Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)

The next few days will likely determine how smoothly the White House's push to strengthen the rules governing Wall Street will go down. Starting early this week, the Senate will begin voting on amendments to the Democrats' proposed financial regulatory reform bill. Republicans will get a chance to pull the legislation to the right. Progressives will try to tighten it in a few key ways. And the results of those votes will clarify a). how strongly, if at all, Republicans will fight the bill; b). how pleased the White House will be with the final product; and c). how easy it will be to reconcile with the House legislation, which passed last December.

There will be many votes on many amendments, but here are four to keep an eye on:

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Public Option

Reid: I'll Try Again For A Public Option This Year

Rachel Slajda | March 19, 2010, 4:58PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

In a letter sent yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told two senators that he would push for a vote on the public option in "coming months."

The letter to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) says Reid was "disappointed" the public option did not make it into the final legislation.

"As we have discussed, I will work to ensure that we are able to vote on the public option in the coming months," Reid wrote. His spokesman, Jim Manley, confirmed to TPMDC that the letter came from Reid.

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2010 elections

Progressives: Punish Lincoln! Sen. Sherrod Brown: Stay Tuned!

Christina Bellantoni | March 10, 2010, 4:22PM

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Senate Democrats attempted to reassure riled up progressive pundits today that conservaDems might indeed pay a price next January when the caucus decides who will - and won't - keep their leadership positions.

TPMDC and other news outlets are in attendance at the Progressive Media Summit on Capitol Hill, hosted by the Senate Democrats. Some here, including John Aravosis and MSNBC's Ed Schultz, are treating it as a forum to tell the Senators what they are doing wrong.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told the group he understands frustration that some Democrats "don't have the backbone we wish they had." After the Democrats were asked why the leadership doesn't strip Sen. Blanche Lincoln of her Agriculture Committee chairmanship, Brown chimed in and said that might be coming next year.

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Health Care

Sanders: Single Payer Never Had A Chance

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 10, 2010, 3:26PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) reminded the progressive media gathered on Capitol Hill today that single-payer health care reform was dead before it started in the Senate.

"It would have had 8 or 10 votes and that's it," he said, addressing a topic central in the minds of many who the bloggers and left wing talk show hosts gathered for the 4th annual Senate Democratic Progressive Media Summit in Washington reach everyday.

Sanders is among the few in the Senate not afraid to say he supports government-run, universal health care. But his calls for such a program have gone unanswered, much to the chagrin of progressives who still feel it is the best way to solve the nation's health care crisis.

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Democrats

Dems United, Republicans Split, By Bunning Benefits Blockade

Brian Beutler | March 2, 2010, 1:22PM

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has caused no shortage of problems for unemployed Americans, federal workers, and Medicare doctors. The list goes on and on. But he's also put the Republican party in a tricky position--upsetting members of his own caucus who want the benefits restored, but who haven't been able to rein him in--and he's unified Democrats, who are using his filibuster to put a human face on the victims of Republican obstruction.

Republican leadership doesn't have a great deal of leverage over Bunning, who is retiring at the end of the year. But they also don't particularly oppose what he's doing. Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) has risen to Bunning's defense, as has NRSC chairman John Cornyn (R-TX), whose job it is to get Republicans elected to the Senate.

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Bernie Sanders

Sanders Signs Letter Calling For Public Option Through Reconciliation Process

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 4:09PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has added his name to a letter from a group of progressive Senators, calling for the public option to be included in the health care bill through the reconciliation process.

"At a time when there is deep skepticism and mistrust of the private insurance industry, when just last month a major health insurer in California announced it would raise its premiums by a whopping 39 percent in one fell swoop, the American people have made it clear that they want the option to buy their insurance through a Medicare-type, government-run public insurance plan," Sanders said in a press release.

Eight other Senators have signed the letter so far. Its original signatories Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), released the letter yesterday. Four others -- Al Franken (D-MN), John Kerry (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) -- signed on earlier today.

Health Care

Senate To Hold Key Health Care Test Vote

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2009, 12:43AM

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)

The result is not really in doubt. Tonight, 60 Democrats and zero Republicans will likely vote to end debate on a package of amendments--stripping the public option, adding stricter abortion language, etc.--to Senate health care legislation.

It sounds, boring, but it's actually highly consequential.

If all goes as planned, the successful vote will be tangible evidence that the Senate is making its final descent towards passing health care reform legislation. All that can stop it is an unforeseen political or procedural catastrophe.

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Health Care

MoveOn Asks Members To Oppose Senate Health Bill

Christina Bellantoni | December 18, 2009, 3:07PM

MoveOn has been very involved in the health care debate with fundraising emails and pushes against conservative Democrats who would filibuster the legislation, but now the progressive group is asking its members to fight the bill as a "massive giveaway to the insurance companies."

MoveOn asked members to sign a petition asking progressive senators such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block the bill unless it's improved.

"America needs real health care reform--not a massive giveaway to the insurance companies. Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives should block this bill until it's fixed," the petition reads, later naming Sens. Roland Burris (D-IL) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) as other progressives who might be swayed.

"But there's enormous pressure from all sides to pass a bill quickly, no matter how weak it is," the email says. "Let's show Bernie and other progressives that we're counting on them to block this version of the bill--and we'll get their backs if they do."

The MoveOn team says there is still a chance to "win" the health care fight and said the House bill is strong and has "a real public option."

Health Care

Democrats Grow Nervous About Meeting Christmas Health Care Deadline

Brian Beutler | December 18, 2009, 12:59PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

The Congressional Budget Office was supposed to weigh in on new changes to Senate health care legislation by early to mid-week, swatting aside one big procedural hurdle standing between Democrats and health care reform. But Tuesday passed quietly. Then Wednesday. Then Thursday. Now it's Friday, and Democratic aides say they're still not sure if they'll hear back from CBO analysts by the end of the day.

And that's making them very nervous.

As I reported earlier today, if Democrats want to pass health care reform by Christmas eve, they'll have to adhere to a very strict timeline, which includes filing for cloture on health care tomorrow.

The late CBO report isn't helping.

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Bernie Sanders

Sanders: We Should've Used Reconciliation To Pass Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2009, 5:11PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has faced a series of disappointments in the last few days. The public option was nixed. The Medicare buy-in died. His single-payer amendment had to be pulled from the floor. As a result, he's not in a position to support the bill yet--"I'm not there," he said today--and he's working with leadership to figure out a way to vote for cloture. But he thinks Democrats missed a golden opportunity.

"If I had my druthers, i think reconciliation is an absolutely appropriate route to go," Sanders told reporters. "I think what people who oppose that will tell you is that you can't have the kind of comprehensive legislation that the Senate is trying to deal with now, and that may in fact be true. But there are a heck of a lot of things that you can do that would strengthen our health care system in a cost effective way that could be a giant step forward for the American people."

"I certainly would've appreciated that route," he said.

That puts him slightly at odds with other public option champions in the Senate--most notably Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)--who in recent weeks have articulated the Democratic leadership's view that reconciliation is off the table, and not a good option for passing health care reform.

2010 elections

In Delaying Health Care GOP Wants To Force August Repeat Over Holiday Break

Christina Bellantoni | December 16, 2009, 2:46PM

A town hall participant gets in the face of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA).

It's not just stalling for fun and games - Republicans blocking health care from moving forward using Senate procedure think if they can force Democrats to go home for the holidays without a vote, they might just kill the bill.

The reasoning is that August was bad for Democrats when they went back to their districts and faced angry voters. Now, as polls tip against them and there's party infighting, it might be even worse.

TPMDC checked in with Republican sources and some Democrats who say lawmakers could face the cold shoulder at best or angry constituents reminiscent of the summer town halls at worst if they leave town without voting on the bill.

And the clock is ticking. Thanks to Senate rules, if they want to vote on the final bill by Christmas eve, leadership has just a few days to wrap it up.

Republican aides were reluctant to reveal their plans, but today was a bit of a preview as they slowed down the chamber's actions by more than three hours.

Using parliamentary procedure to slow things down is exactly what the GOP is aiming for - a dual win of headline-grabbing theater and delay that throws a wrench into leadership's timeline.

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Health Care

Sanders Knocks GOP For Using His Single-Payer Amendment To Force Delay On Health Care

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2009, 2:39PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took direct aim at Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) today, for delaying debate on health care legislation by requiring the text of Sanders' 767-page single payer amendment to be read aloud on the Senate floor.

"A single payer program would be the only way to bring universal, comprehensive, cost-effective health care to all Americans," Sanders told reporters at a press conference today. "I really do appreciate [Senator Coburn's] desire to make the American people know this through 10 or 12 or 14 hours of the reading, but I think he may have overdone it a little bit. But you know this is nothing more than an ongoing, stalling tactic on the part of the Republicans."

Sanders addressed Coburn directly about this on the Senate floor earlier today. He says he told the Oklahoma Republican, "Why do you want to waste hour after hour...it's just incredible to me that with all of the problems facing this country today, that Senator Coburn and the Republican leadership would want to absolutely waste time, and that is why I think the American people get so frustrated."

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Health Care

Even With The Public Option Gone, Passing Health Care Reform Won't Be Easy

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2009, 9:32AM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

The public option is dead. Its successors are dead. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) as much yesterday afternoon. And yet still, there's lingering uncertainty about whether a). the votes are there to pass a health care bill, or, relatedly, b). the bill can pass by Christmas. Here's what would have to happen in the next 9 days to get that done.

Align the liberals and centrists

Reid's first order of business is to make sure that there are 60 votes committed to pulling this bill past a filibuster (actually, several filibusters, but we'll get to that). On the left flank of his party are three particularly disappointed Democrats: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Roland Burris (D-IL), and Russ Feingold (D-WI).

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Health Care

Labor Steps Up Pressure On Health Care Taxes

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 10, 2009, 8:13AM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

The AFL-CIO is ratcheting up its opposition to excise taxes found in the Senate health care reform bill this week. As Democrats huddle together in Senate meeting rooms trying to hash out a bill that can get 60 votes, organized labor is joining the chorus of opposition to aspects of the Senate reform package on Capitol Hill today with a rally outside the Senate and a print advertising blitz in Capitol Hill newspapers.

The AFL-CIO is among the strongest proponents of health care reform, but the Democratic proposal to impose an excise tax on "cadillac" health care plans to help pay for the reform bill has divided organized labor from its traditional allies in the Democratic leadership for a while now. As Senate negotiations seem to near an end, the unions are to making their case against the excise taxes -- which they say could apply to some health care plans enjoyed by union workers -- yet again.

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Health Care

Who Likes The Public Option Deal, Who Doesn't, And Will It Win 60 Votes For Health Care

Brian Beutler | December 9, 2009, 1:45PM

Democratic Senators Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and Tom Harkin

The Senate was remarkably quiet this morning, less than a day after Democratic leaders and health care negotiators announced a tentative deal to swap out the public option in health care legislation for a menu of other measures. But slowly, members have begun making their positions known.

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Health Care

With Health Reform At Stake, Senators Scramble To Reach Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 3, 2009, 2:12PM

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Key Democrats in the Senate, accompanied by party leadership, are bearing down on a solution to the public option problem that has dogged the caucus for months now. They're holding a constant series of meetings, bringing liberals and conservatives together to reach a compromise--seemingly modeled on a trigger--that can garner 60 votes. And interestingly, one key public option supporter seems pleased.

"There's sort of a new initiative on the public option, which is highly useful, without saying anything more about it," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). "There's going to be a group of people representing various points of view who are going to just closet themselves and try and resolve this so we can have something on the floor that can pass," he said.

"It's been taking place, it's ongoing, several different rooms, several different groups," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin.

Included in the meeting, according to Durbin, are the well-known public option skeptics, and, on the other side of the party, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

"I'm doing my best to do what I can do," Sanders said.

"It's one of the two, i think, really critical issues remaining, with the issue of abortion," Durbin said.

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