Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate?

by BooMan
Fri Nov 20th, 2009 at 05:47:17 PM EST

I generally agree with Jay Cost's analysis on where the health care bill stands right now. His analysis also supports what I've been saying about the general strategy of maintaining momentum by postponing the toughest votes as long as possible. It looks very likely that Harry Reid will get unanimity from the Democratic caucus for opening debate. But he won't get 60 votes to end debate so easily because several Democrats are afraid for their political futures (erroneously, I think) and Joe Lieberman is more interested in winning Republican than Democratic votes in his next election bid.

The amendment process is going to be very unpredictable and it could very well determine whether the bill passes the second cloture threshold or not. I don't know whether Olympia Snowe will vote yes in the end, but Reid crafted the bill in such a way as to give her maximum comfort. She may not like the public option, but she'll like a lot of other things that she'll be able to take partial credit for.

It's hard to believe that we could start this process and debate the bill for three or four weeks, and then Lieberman and forty Republicans would kill it. But, then, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't.

Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? (none / 0)

I'm ready for the debate.

That said, the Senate is a depressingly slow moving institution. At least with the current crop of Senators. It would have taken this bunch 20 years to pass the reforms that FDR passed in his first 100 days.

I'm also worried that Obama will have less than 20 appellate judges confirmed by the Molasses Senate before the 2010 midterms. If we lose a few seats, guess what, confirming ANY judges will become near impossible.

In January, Reid really needs to just pull the nuclear option out and destroy the filibuster once and for all. Could he get 50 votes for it? Maybe not. But if Obama and the Senate Dems started showing the same frustration with the GOP obstructionism as the rest of us, who knows.

by existenz on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 at 09:50:59 PM EST

Re: Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? (none / 0)

I'm against the nuclear option.

by BooMan on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 at 09:59:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? (none / 0)

Boo:
Would Lieberman really stab Obama in the back(some might stay the front) like that? Doesn't HoJo owe Obama big time?

by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 at 10:52:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? (none / 0)

i don't know. Do you trust Rape Gurney Joe? I don't.

by BooMan on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 at 11:47:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? (none / 0)

This doesn't sound like a debate at all. It sounds like propaganda to promote the editors long-standing position for a single-payer system.
Why not attempt to cover some of the taxes in the bills and how they will affect business, employment, and the economy of the QC? What does John Deere think? What do Genesis and Trinity think? What about the other top-10 employers? What about small business owners?
What about all the cuts to Medicare? $500 billion isn't exactly loose change. How do seniors like the thought of this after they have paid into it for so many years?
What about physicians? Especially specialists. How many of them will opt out or retire? Does that mean they have to rely in secured loans? How can the hospitals stay open with all patients paying only Medicare or Medicaid level reimbursements? What about the rationing provisions? Or the health decisions panels? Or the new IRS provisions?

by SophiaA on Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM EST

Are You Ready for the Health Care Debate? | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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