Things got little interesting in the Senate earlier today when Senator Tom Coburn fired what can best be called a warning shot across Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bow. Sen. Coburn refused to allow unanimous consent on Sen. Bernie Sander’s single payer amendment to the health care reform bill and demanded that they read entire […]
Senate
Senate Democrats Reach Health Reform Compromise; Drop Public Option
From the Wall Street Journal: Senior Senate Democrats reached tentative agreement Tuesday night to abandon the government-run insurance plan in their health-overhaul bill and to expand Medicare coverage to some people ages 55 to 64, clearing the most significant hurdle so far in getting a bill that can pass Congress. Liberals dropped the public insurance […]
Joe Lieberman: I’ll Block Vote on Harry Reid’s Health Care Reform Plan
From Politico: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill. Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even […]
Harry Reid ‘Likely’ to Make Entire Health Bill an Amendment to Unrelated Tax Bill That House Passed in March
CNSNews.com is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry is ‘likely’ to use a tax bill passed by the House in March as shell for enacting the Senate health care bill: A senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told CNSNews.com that it is “likely” that Reid will use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by […]
The Tax Man Cometh: Senate Health Reform Bill Includes Many Tax Hikes
The folks at Americans for Tax Reform have examined the Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill announced today and come up with a list of all the tax hikes in the bill: Individual Mandate Tax. If you don’t sign up for health insurance, you will have to pay a tax in the following range: […]
Senate’s Liberal Lion Passes, Ted Kennedy Was 77
Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy passed away Tuesday night of complications related to a cancerous brain tumor: U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America’s most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said. “Edward M. […]
Specter Trails Toomey by Twelve
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters is enough to warm my cynical heart: Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority […]
Senate Ethics Committee Clears Dodd, Conrand
As predicted the Senate Ethics Committee has cleared Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd of wrong doing in his dealings with Countrywide Financial: The Senate Ethics Committee on Friday dropped yearlong investigations into two powerful Senate committee chairmen, Democrats Christopher J. Dodd and Kent Conrad . The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had filed […]
Reid and Pelosi: It’s Time to Demonize Insurance Companies…
Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi appear to have a new strategy for pushing health care reform through Congress… They’re going to demonize insurance companies: A day after formally delaying a vote on a healthcare bill and having to accept a further weakening of a public option to compete with private insurers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi […]
Is the Public Option Dead?
I’m hearing rumblings from various sources that the Democrats so called Public Health Insurance option is dead in the the Senate… The Associated Press is reporting that a bipartisan group of Senators is close to a compromise agreement that would eliminate the employer mandate and the public option, two of the Democrats top priorities from […]
Reid: No Health Care Vote Before August Recess
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively pulled the rug out from under Pres. Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today by announcing that the Senate will wait until the fall to debate and vote on the presidents health care reform proposals: Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday abandoned plans for a vote on health care […]
Speed Bump: Senate Democrats Delay Action on Obama’s Healthcare & Climate Initiatives
Democrats in the House and Senate handed President Barack Obama a double dose of bad news yesterday when they moved to delay on his top legislative priorities, healthcare and climate change. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said they would put off work on the climate change bill until September while […]
Chris Dodd Flips on Gay Marriage
Remember the anti-gay marriage stance Chris Dodd took during his presidential bid? It’s apparently become a liability in his senate reelection bid so he’s now in favor of gay marriage: Public officials aren’t supposed to change their minds. But I firmly believe that it’s important to keep learning. Last week, while I was in Connecticut […]
AP: Key Health Care Senators Have Industry Ties
I meant to post the story on Friday but I wasn’t able to get to it so figured I’d lead off with today… The Associated Press reported last week on the ties between several key Senators and the health care industry. Among them Connecticut’s own Chris Dodd. Sen. Dodd’s wife Jackie Clegg Dodd sits on […]
The Hill: Palin Beginning to Irritate Some Senate GOPers
The Hill has a mildly interesting piece about how Alaska Govenor Sarah Palin is beginning to irritate some GOP senators: Sarah Palin has begun to get on the nerves of Republican senators who say the former GOP vice presidential nominee is taking her own White House aspirations entirely too seriously. But those same senators may […]