I was wondering why the Senate clerk was reading the Bernie Sanders single-payer amendment aloud on the Senate floor. Turns out, it’s more Republican obstructionism. They want to grind the wheels of the Senate to a halt to try to prevent the passage of even this weak, heavily compromised health care bill. I don’t know if there is a way to make this obstruction a political liability for the GOP. Any ideas?
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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You’d have to be a fighter to do that. Unfortunately, the Dems are not fighters, from Obama on down.
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See my diary and follow proceedings on C-SPAN.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."I’m sorry but as an avid cable news consumer the only thing I’m interested in is Tiger Woods — oh, and President Obama’s opinion of Tiger too.
” I don’t know if there is a way to make this obstruction a political liability for the GOP. “
It is holding up funding for the troops.
I don’t think so – this is what their base wants.
It is really a question of what the independent voters want, and that’s a tough one to predict.
Their base wants obstruction. That’s what, 20 percent? 30 percent?
Let them filibuster. Things accumulate.
I think it’s closer to 40%, and growing.
The Democrats should make the point the House has passed health care, cap and trade, and financial regulation while the senate has yet to say boo b/c of the filibuster.
This is the moment, with the republicans blowing up the defense spending bill, to make the case and have people listen. But that requires political smarts. These folks couldn’t even capitalize on Republicans obstructing unemployment insurance.
Btw – I think this could be a good thing, in that people might here it and go wow, single payer. Alright.
(hear, not here, of course)
The problem, of course, is that only the enlightened tend to watch C-Span. But who knows?
i’d only be impressed with a filibuster if they actually make them do it – i.e. read crap like the phonebook into the wee hours. if the GOP is going to waste time, then at least force them to do it instead of throwing arms up and whining about not having 60 votes.
FYI, Sanders apparently recalled the amendment…
withdrew. Trying to multitask here, unsuccessfully.
Another serious question: where the f*ck is the CBO report on the bill? Votes were going to be based on it, and it still seems to lack a delivery date.
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Another dalaying tactic by the Republicans?
In an effort to stem billions of dollars in tax increases that would begin in several weeks and to improve transparency in the health care debate, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) today introduced a motion with U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) that would send the government-run health care legislation back to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions that no taxes or fees be imposed on American families and businesses until the supposed benefits of the bill have begun.
“The Democrats’ government-run health care proposal will levy taxes on virtually every American and business in this country during a time when we’re in one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory,” Senator Hutchison said. “In an attempt to mask the massive cost of this legislation, the Democrats impose these taxes on prescription drugs, medical devices, and business as soon as next month. But astoundingly, it’s only after four years of these taxes that the supposed reforms to the health insurance market will take effect. This is a classic example of a bait and switch,” Hutchison said. “I’m outraged the Democrats would even attempt to tax the American people without offering anything in return for four years, and my motion is a critical step in making sure that doesn’t happen.”
Senator Hutchison’s motion requests that the Senate move “to commit the bill (H.R. 3590) to the Committee on Finance with instructions to report the same back to the Senate with changes to align the effective dates of all taxes, fees, and tax increases levied by such bill so that no such tax, fee, or increase take effect until such time as the major insurance coverage provisions of the bill, including the insurance exchanges, have begun. The Committee is further instructed to maintain the deficit neutrality of the bill over the 10-year budget window.”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Is there a way to make this obstruction a political liability for the GOP?
Not as long as there is a single member of the Democratic who can provide them cover for their obstruction.
And that’s why Joe Lieberman must be shoved to the Republican caucus as quickly as possible. Let him do a reverse Arlen.
of their drones? Yes. Fall on the sword of killing the health bill, pass the DOD bill while ~loudly~ pointing out that the Dems are trying to help troops that the Repubs are willing to throw under the bus. Steal GOP thunder from them.
And then build a health bill that doesn’t suck.
Attach single payer healthcare to the Defense Appropriations bill. Force the Republicans to choose how to vote.
I think that would punish their obstructionism.
The answer seems pretty obvious. What I’m most afraid of now is that the Senate Dems will do their headcount and withdraw the bill without further voting. They can turn the public against the GOP by calling up a bill with the best public option, strong insuranceco regulation, and the widest possible access. Let the filibuster go on day after day. Go all out to make sure the public knows why the Dems want this for them, and that every single GOP senator is using parliamentary tricks to take it away without even coming to a vote. Make sure everybody knows the names of the Dems/gollum who are joining them in killing healthcare for Americans.
After repeated attempts to get to a vote, withdraw the bill. Again pull out all the stops to make sure everybody knows how this happened despite the Dems best efforts. Remind voters that Obama and the Dem leadership has bent over backwards to accommodate the concerns of the GOP, but all for nothing — the Republicans are only interested in increasing insuranceco profits on the backs of hard-working Americans, and in doing everything they can to destroy the president’s agenda.
Recall that Obama’s goal was to bring the nation together. It remains a high ideal, but we’ve seen that it cannot happen in the present climate of Republican obstructionism and the relentless influence of greedy special interests.
Announce that the rules in the Senate are going to change at the first opportunity. Filibustering will be sharply curtailed. In the meantime, the Dem Caucus will hold its members to account on parliamentary votes. When the majority leader designates a bill as a core party initiative, any caucus member who joins a filibuster against it will be expelled from the Caucus and lose all the privileges that attach to membership, including committee assignments, seniority, and election support.
Then pick up Dean’s idea: drop the Senate bill and pass whatever parts of a strong House bill can go the budget reconciliation route.
I think that’s the only way Dems can save themselves, and maybe even grow their power in the face of defeat. They have to show that their patience is exhausted an that they intend to fight for change with everything they’ve got. Anything less will spell disaster.
I don’t think so. I think they will keep watering it down until there is no there there, pass it and hope that when it comes back from conference the Democratic caucus will stay together in the Senate.
The question then is what will the House do during conference.
If it were only the Republican obstructionists involved, Democratic caucus discipline could have shoved this bill through.
Is there any way to fix the RSS feed so that paragraphs are restored? Right now every post is one long paragraph, which is brutal to read.