Gallup has a new poll out showing that a majority of Americans wants Congress to suspend the current health care legislation: These results are not shocking, but I really wish Gallup would have thrown in the third option of having no reform at all. If that were the case then the 39% would still be […]
Last night Barney Frank released the following statement: I have two reactions to the election in Massachusetts. One, I am disappointed. Two, I feel strongly that the Democratic majority in congress must respect the process and make no effort to bypass the electoral results. If Martha Coakley had won, I believe we could have worked […]
There has been a lot of focus on the Massachusetts Senate race to replace the late Ted Kennedy and some are trying to paint it as a repudiation of President Obama and health care reform. One of the key findings in the new PPP poll released last night was that those planning on voting oppose […]
Given the very narrow margins that the House passed their version of the health care bill, it appears that one of the key Senate changes could end up meaning doom for the legislation: One thing is clear: Unless Sen. Harry Reid and President Barack Obama back down on the excise tax in the health reform […]
Given the big news of the day, that Democrats plan to forgo the formal conference and instead ping-pong the health care bill into final legislation, I am now stuck turning to Michelle Malkin, who is citing the 2006 report from Democrats on the “death of deliberative democracy”: The conference process in the 108th Congress is […]
Another reason why President Obama shouldn’t have done this deal with big phrama – they are cheaters: “The states are the next battle,” said Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for the liberal advocacy group Health Care for America Now, “and the insurers and health care industry are primed up and ready to go. The industry […]
Bob Herbert has a great piece today tearing about one of the problems I have with the health care bill – the Cadillac tax. First off is Bob’s explanation of the system: The tax would kick in on plans exceeding $23,000 annually for family coverage and $8,500 for individuals, starting in 2013. In the first […]
I was following the back and forth between Jane Hamsher and Katrina vanden Heuve on Twitter the other night regarding health care. I then noticed this post by Jane yesterday: There’s a very slick PR letter posted online that’s being furiously retweeted by DC political operatives. I wasn’t going to address it, but the editor […]
Dave Waldman has a great rundown of what lies ahead for the health care bill as both chambers of Congress attempt to merge two very different bills into one. Sadly the quickest path is once again meeting Republican obstructionism, this time by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) objecting to the appointment of conferees and forcing a […]
Right along party lines as expected, with Jim Bunning not voting. What’s interesting is that since the GOP started praying for Democratic members of the Senate to not show up, a Republican has missed every vote. Irony or sweet revenge? This ends the 2009 legislative year and now we are on to reconciliation to fix […]