The Prof
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- Joined
- Jul 26, 2009
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1. Problems aplenty persist for Obamcare.
2. They appear insuperable.
3. In the Senate, key senators have SPOKEN OUT in pubic their objections.
4. Blance Lincoln: "I've ruled out a government-funded and government-operated plan," levelled the legislator from Arkansas, which McCain won by 20 points.
5. Mary Landrieu from Louisiana, which also ran red by a similar margin, maintains, "I'm not for a government-run, national, taxpayer-subsidized plan, and never will be."
6. Roland Burris is another bother: "I would not support a bill that does not have a public option, that position will not change."
7. The Blago bought bencher, don't forget, has suffered assaults from the president and majority leader, and Obama and Reid have required him to renounce any reelection run.
8. What has the dour old duffer to lose?
9. And then there's Lieberman---nuff said.
10. Evan Bayh of generally Republican Indiana, a prounounced opponent of the PO, relates his reluctance to gut a GOP filibuster, which he explains "is asking some of us to enable passage of legislation that we think would be harmful to the people of our states, I don't think that's a fair thing to ask."
11. In other developments: Miscalculation delivers loss on Medicare doctor's fix for Majority Leader Reid - TheHill.com
12. Reid blames the AMA for his full floor bellyflop on the "doc fix."
12. The leader was relying on 27 GOP'ers the AMA was supposed to deliver.
14. "I was told by various people that we would have 27 Republican votes, which was pretty reasonable to assume since one of the co-sponsors of this legislation was Jon Kyl."
15. So Reid is now required to come up with a quarter tril---to be INCLUDED in Obamacare, unlike the cynical stand alone yesterday---to buy in the bone setters.
16. How to do this without busting CBO's and Obama's 900B appears, as well, impossible.
17. James Rohack, president of the AMA: "the reference to 27 votes was made well before [the bill] was introduced and in the context of bipartisan health care legislation."
18. Today, in the aftermath of the resounding defeat of the doc fix, Senators are querulously questioning what the manuever accomplished.
19. Reid said he'll revive the multi-year freeze of doctor's pay after health care is passed (which means, never), and in the meantime he'll settle for a one-year adjustment.
20. And he thinks that's going to get him the Galens?
21. Debbie Stabenow, sponsor of the failed fix, contradicts Reid's 27: "I did not specifically hear that" 27 reds would cooperate.
22. Instead, she felt the AMA could parlay 14 or 15 from the opposition.
23. Either way, an AMA rep later advised, "27 is a little ambitious."
24. Heck, so is one.
25. There's more: 36 Moderate Democrats Threaten to Vote Down Health Bill - Roll Call
26. Thirty six centrist dems in the House petitioned Pelosi to prove her piece reduces the deficit.
27. Otherwise, they will vote it down.
28. "CBO director Douglas Elmendorf has already indicated that the bill being considered by the house does nothing to rein in the cost of health care and therefore may not be sustainable outside the ten year budget window," lays out their letter.
29. "We will be unable to support any health care legislation that doesn't meet the president's goal of driving down and holding down the cost of health care as determined by CBO," continues their correspondence.
30. Written by John Barrow of Georgia and Glenn Nye of VIRGINIA, the cable commends Baucus for cutting the debt over the next decade while reversing the trajectory of the cost curve in the out years.
31. Of course, the bluedogs failed to mention that such savings are arrived at only by taxing benefits, insurers, manufacturers and small biz, fining individuals, cutting Medicare by half a tril, and reckoning only five years of outlays versus ten full years of revenues.
32. Unfortunately, Ms Pelosi has been preoccupied the last two months moving her monolith as far left as she can.
Pelosi pushes strong public option - Patrick O'Connor - POLITICO.com
33. Whip Hoyer holds with the dissenters: "I share their views, and we're working to do that," he highlights.
34. A senior dem aid warns worrisomely: "If our CBO numbers don't come back showing solid deficit reduction and a holding down of long term costs, then we will not have the votes to pass a health bill."
35. "I think [the 36 signees] are trying to make clear that leadership trying to gloss over or rationalize a weak or shaky CBO score is not going to fly," added the anonymous aid.
36. But we're still not finished: CongressDaily - In Wake Of Deal, House Dems Say They Have 218 Votes
37. Charlie Rangel, the most corrupt congressperson in the capitol, claims there's a "general feeling" that 218 ayes exist for the PO in Pelosi's Place.
38. But a more realistic and less political source says leadership needs more than that merest margin because some who support a PO will still vote against the house bill over other objections.
39. Particularly problematic, for example, is the payment schedule for doctors doing business with whatever government entity is created by passage of the PO.
40. The party is divided down the middle over the PO, it's a non-starter in the Senate, says Kent Conrad, Baucus' right hand man.
41. Yet even those progressives pushing for the PO are split over how to compensate caregivers.
42. The far left favors doctor pay be scaled to current Medicare rates.
43. This is the poison pill that impelled Reid to impale himself yesterday before the full Senate assembled over that cynical, stand alone "doc fix."
44. But more moderate PO proponents object "vehemently" to tying pay to Medicare schedulings, scanty as they are in rural districts.
45. Conrad, for instance, on ABC with Stephy last Sunday, asserted his political support for a PO, but NEVER if compensation is accorded by Medicare mandates.
46. Such paltry pay scales would destroy his industry in North Dakota.
47. "For those of us in rural districts," demurred Earl Pomeroy from Conrad's state, "the robust PO would be like a BTU tax vote," widely considered responsible for costing so many blue freshmen their seats in 1994.
48. Dogs are also dreary over prospects that passage of the "robust" PO will expire their possibilities of passing upper house.
49. "We would prefer to not have to vote on a lot of issues that are not going to survive conference, especially the controversial ones," cavilled Gerry Connolly of VIRGINIA, president of the freshmen class.
50. When leadership says it "sees 218 in sight," it means they have about 180.
51. Finally: Dems seek cover to boost debt limit - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
52. In a separate matter, Reid is today trying to raise the debt ceiling to 14T.
53. He knows he can't get his way here in any stand alone measure, having learned the hard way over his doc fix.
54. So Reid readies to attach his redrawing of the red ink line as a rider to a defense appropriation.
55. Yet, even here bigname bailiffs balk.
56. Ben Nelson: "Regardless of the political treachery, I'm more worried about the economic treachery and the monetary aspects of it with devaluing the dollar."
57. Kent Conrad demands a debt increase be linked to language that would create a "comprehensive" course to compel Congress to compensate with cuts.
58. Evan Bayh objects he won't support an increase in the ceiling "unless there's some mechanism to start getting the deficit under control."
59. The Indiana centrist and NINE other dems delivered a letter to the leader calling on Congress to approve a "special process" to reduce red ink, warning that adding trillions to the country's credit card will increase interest rates while declining the price of goods and services, deepening our dark Depression.
60. Furthermore, any stand alone legislation will force the house to undertake similar measures, a reality too ugly for the lower legislature to look at.
61. Republicans, meanwhile, are already preparing their assault, mailing a missive to Ms Pelosi and Appropriations Chair David Obey insisting no such encumbrances complicate defense dole outs.
62. Just a glimpse of a party coming completely apart.
Some Senators Wary of Obama's Health Care Appeals - ABC News
The Prof
2. They appear insuperable.
3. In the Senate, key senators have SPOKEN OUT in pubic their objections.
4. Blance Lincoln: "I've ruled out a government-funded and government-operated plan," levelled the legislator from Arkansas, which McCain won by 20 points.
5. Mary Landrieu from Louisiana, which also ran red by a similar margin, maintains, "I'm not for a government-run, national, taxpayer-subsidized plan, and never will be."
6. Roland Burris is another bother: "I would not support a bill that does not have a public option, that position will not change."
7. The Blago bought bencher, don't forget, has suffered assaults from the president and majority leader, and Obama and Reid have required him to renounce any reelection run.
8. What has the dour old duffer to lose?
9. And then there's Lieberman---nuff said.
10. Evan Bayh of generally Republican Indiana, a prounounced opponent of the PO, relates his reluctance to gut a GOP filibuster, which he explains "is asking some of us to enable passage of legislation that we think would be harmful to the people of our states, I don't think that's a fair thing to ask."
11. In other developments: Miscalculation delivers loss on Medicare doctor's fix for Majority Leader Reid - TheHill.com
12. Reid blames the AMA for his full floor bellyflop on the "doc fix."
12. The leader was relying on 27 GOP'ers the AMA was supposed to deliver.
14. "I was told by various people that we would have 27 Republican votes, which was pretty reasonable to assume since one of the co-sponsors of this legislation was Jon Kyl."
15. So Reid is now required to come up with a quarter tril---to be INCLUDED in Obamacare, unlike the cynical stand alone yesterday---to buy in the bone setters.
16. How to do this without busting CBO's and Obama's 900B appears, as well, impossible.
17. James Rohack, president of the AMA: "the reference to 27 votes was made well before [the bill] was introduced and in the context of bipartisan health care legislation."
18. Today, in the aftermath of the resounding defeat of the doc fix, Senators are querulously questioning what the manuever accomplished.
19. Reid said he'll revive the multi-year freeze of doctor's pay after health care is passed (which means, never), and in the meantime he'll settle for a one-year adjustment.
20. And he thinks that's going to get him the Galens?
21. Debbie Stabenow, sponsor of the failed fix, contradicts Reid's 27: "I did not specifically hear that" 27 reds would cooperate.
22. Instead, she felt the AMA could parlay 14 or 15 from the opposition.
23. Either way, an AMA rep later advised, "27 is a little ambitious."
24. Heck, so is one.
25. There's more: 36 Moderate Democrats Threaten to Vote Down Health Bill - Roll Call
26. Thirty six centrist dems in the House petitioned Pelosi to prove her piece reduces the deficit.
27. Otherwise, they will vote it down.
28. "CBO director Douglas Elmendorf has already indicated that the bill being considered by the house does nothing to rein in the cost of health care and therefore may not be sustainable outside the ten year budget window," lays out their letter.
29. "We will be unable to support any health care legislation that doesn't meet the president's goal of driving down and holding down the cost of health care as determined by CBO," continues their correspondence.
30. Written by John Barrow of Georgia and Glenn Nye of VIRGINIA, the cable commends Baucus for cutting the debt over the next decade while reversing the trajectory of the cost curve in the out years.
31. Of course, the bluedogs failed to mention that such savings are arrived at only by taxing benefits, insurers, manufacturers and small biz, fining individuals, cutting Medicare by half a tril, and reckoning only five years of outlays versus ten full years of revenues.
32. Unfortunately, Ms Pelosi has been preoccupied the last two months moving her monolith as far left as she can.
Pelosi pushes strong public option - Patrick O'Connor - POLITICO.com
33. Whip Hoyer holds with the dissenters: "I share their views, and we're working to do that," he highlights.
34. A senior dem aid warns worrisomely: "If our CBO numbers don't come back showing solid deficit reduction and a holding down of long term costs, then we will not have the votes to pass a health bill."
35. "I think [the 36 signees] are trying to make clear that leadership trying to gloss over or rationalize a weak or shaky CBO score is not going to fly," added the anonymous aid.
36. But we're still not finished: CongressDaily - In Wake Of Deal, House Dems Say They Have 218 Votes
37. Charlie Rangel, the most corrupt congressperson in the capitol, claims there's a "general feeling" that 218 ayes exist for the PO in Pelosi's Place.
38. But a more realistic and less political source says leadership needs more than that merest margin because some who support a PO will still vote against the house bill over other objections.
39. Particularly problematic, for example, is the payment schedule for doctors doing business with whatever government entity is created by passage of the PO.
40. The party is divided down the middle over the PO, it's a non-starter in the Senate, says Kent Conrad, Baucus' right hand man.
41. Yet even those progressives pushing for the PO are split over how to compensate caregivers.
42. The far left favors doctor pay be scaled to current Medicare rates.
43. This is the poison pill that impelled Reid to impale himself yesterday before the full Senate assembled over that cynical, stand alone "doc fix."
44. But more moderate PO proponents object "vehemently" to tying pay to Medicare schedulings, scanty as they are in rural districts.
45. Conrad, for instance, on ABC with Stephy last Sunday, asserted his political support for a PO, but NEVER if compensation is accorded by Medicare mandates.
46. Such paltry pay scales would destroy his industry in North Dakota.
47. "For those of us in rural districts," demurred Earl Pomeroy from Conrad's state, "the robust PO would be like a BTU tax vote," widely considered responsible for costing so many blue freshmen their seats in 1994.
48. Dogs are also dreary over prospects that passage of the "robust" PO will expire their possibilities of passing upper house.
49. "We would prefer to not have to vote on a lot of issues that are not going to survive conference, especially the controversial ones," cavilled Gerry Connolly of VIRGINIA, president of the freshmen class.
50. When leadership says it "sees 218 in sight," it means they have about 180.
51. Finally: Dems seek cover to boost debt limit - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
52. In a separate matter, Reid is today trying to raise the debt ceiling to 14T.
53. He knows he can't get his way here in any stand alone measure, having learned the hard way over his doc fix.
54. So Reid readies to attach his redrawing of the red ink line as a rider to a defense appropriation.
55. Yet, even here bigname bailiffs balk.
56. Ben Nelson: "Regardless of the political treachery, I'm more worried about the economic treachery and the monetary aspects of it with devaluing the dollar."
57. Kent Conrad demands a debt increase be linked to language that would create a "comprehensive" course to compel Congress to compensate with cuts.
58. Evan Bayh objects he won't support an increase in the ceiling "unless there's some mechanism to start getting the deficit under control."
59. The Indiana centrist and NINE other dems delivered a letter to the leader calling on Congress to approve a "special process" to reduce red ink, warning that adding trillions to the country's credit card will increase interest rates while declining the price of goods and services, deepening our dark Depression.
60. Furthermore, any stand alone legislation will force the house to undertake similar measures, a reality too ugly for the lower legislature to look at.
61. Republicans, meanwhile, are already preparing their assault, mailing a missive to Ms Pelosi and Appropriations Chair David Obey insisting no such encumbrances complicate defense dole outs.
62. Just a glimpse of a party coming completely apart.
Some Senators Wary of Obama's Health Care Appeals - ABC News
The Prof
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