Health Care Bill In A Few Words

I Tweeted my expectations re the HC bill last night in under 140 characters, I believe. It's a relief to have some to spare. I can't recall a bill that struggled this much in the House making it through the Senate. fwiw

Do contact your Senators. There's still the threat from reconciliation. However, it's hard to see the two houses getting together on something both can live with. Beware of political tricks, or quick votes, though I'm not sure Obama's power is all that when it comes to the Senate. Their terms are longer than is. But they're the ones who would have to most live with the grief apart from an election. Also, who is up for election in 2010 may well play a difference.

All is not lost. Call your Senators.

 

The Democrats wheedled, cajoled, begged, and finally abandoned its defense of abortion — truly a watershed moment — in order to get their version of ObamaCare passed … in the House of Representatives, where they enjoy a 75-seat majority. In the end, they could only muster a five-vote win on Nancy Pelosi’s bill out of that strong majority. Until this week, most had assumed that any ObamaCare bill would pass the House easily, but that the fight would be in the Senate.

So what does this 220-215 vote tell us? Capitol Hill Democrats know that this bill is an albatross. It’s true that Pelosi was able at the end to negotiate votes to allow a few at-risk Democrats that supported the bill to oppose it in the final vote, but even that tells a tale of fear and consciousness of unpopularity. The razor-thin vote, as well as a number of earlier, more sincere defections, show that this bill was a radical and expensive approach to fix a 13% problem — and even most of the Democrats know it. . . . We always thought the fight was in the Senate, so the only real surprise yesterday was how weak Pelosi actually was on ObamaCare.

Comments

[Gregory Pittman]

Keep in mind, though. The Senate has already passed a HC reform bill. All that's left, as I understand it, is the conference committee's work to iron out the differences between the two. There's no doubt at this point that Obama will get and sign a very bad bill.

[X11B1P]

I wonder what America will be like if we go bankkrupt?

[Dennis D]

The thinking that only Blue Dogs from the South would be at risk is wrong. I believe most Dems will be at risk with the exception of those from extreme left wing or black voting districts.

[MDr]

The Senate has yet to begin the debate on the combined Bill. I wish there was some way to convince Lieberman to join in keeping the Bill from ever reaching the floor for debate. Once on the floor. the nuclear option is in play, and I have no doubt Reid will use it.

I believe in ideological purity (for the Dims). I'll be hitting the tip jars for the far left candidates they'll run against Lincoln & Landrieu. The further Left their candidates move, the less Right the GOP candidate will have to be. Plus, it never hurts to deplete the opposition's campaign chests while hopefully watching an intra-party cat fight. The winner usually comes out, twice damaged.

[peter]

How am I supposed to call my Senators? I have the Marxist Schmuck Schumer and his lap dog Hildenbrand as my senators.

[Mary]

I have Dorky John Kerry, who was in Vitenam (and Cambodia LOL) Husband of "Lovey". The other senior is a replacement and carbon copy of Teddy Killer Kennedy, who never met a problem he couldn't throw our money at. For house rep. Bill Delahunt, close personal friend to Hugo Chavez....I'm SCREWED!!

[MarkJ]

Interesting information. Given that the Senate may not even vote on ObamaCare until spring, take a look at who the oldest senators are along with their states, birth dates, and who will control the governor's office in January 2010:

Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) 1917 - Democrat Governor (Manchin term-limited and can't run again in 2012)

Ted Stevens 1923 (R-Alaska) - GOP Governor (Sean Parnell up for reelection in 2010)

Frank Lautenberg 1924 (D-New Jersey) - GOP Governor (Chris Christie just elected)

Daniel Inouye 1924 (D-Hawaii) - GOP Governor (can't run again in 2010 - term limits)

Daniel Akaka 1924 (D-Hawaii) - GOP Governor (ditto)

John Warner 1927 (R-Virginia) - GOP Governor (Bob McDonnell just elected)

Arlen Spector (D-Pennsylvania) 1930 - Democrat Governor (Ed Rendell can't run again in 2010 due to term limits)

Bottom line: 5 of the 7 oldest senators are Donks with the oldest being 92 and the youngest being a "youthful" 79. All of the above individuals are worse for the wear and, with malice toward none, the odds that they'll celebrate Christmas 2010 are decreasing by the day. Even worse for the Donks, if I were a Vegas bookie I'd say the odds of the GOP picking up most, if not all, of the above seats are now better than even. Hell, I'd be willing to wager right now that at least three of the above seats will become vacant before Summer 2010 and the GOP will grab all of them. Furthermore, even if both Warner and Stevens leave the scene, both of their seats are almost certain to be retained in the "R" column.

No wonder Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are people in a hurry: their biggest political enemy isn't the GOP. Nope, it's the Grim Reaper.