Over the weekend, Democrats in the U.S. Senate closed the loop on health care reform. Late Sunday night, they achieved cloture by a 60-40 vote. Not a single Republican voted to proceed to an up-or-down vote.
Talking Points Memo has a good summary of what happened:
At sundown on Friday, Democrats [...]By Dave Anderson:
Matt Yglesias is being obtuse as he feigns confusion as to why Senate Republicans are voting against Bernacke despite Bernacke's promise to tie the anchor of 10% unemployment around the Democrats' necks for the next five years.
it’s somewhat baffling to me that six Republicans on the [...]By Dave Anderson:
I really don't get the Blue Dogs and the faux deficit hawks.
I really don't get their incentive structure to cover their own ass as their actions seem faulty as hell. I can understand marginal seat Democrats voting to extend the estate tax rate reductions as that is a [...]
I admit to being deeply disappointed in the US Senate Democrats complete inability to get a decent health care reform bill passed. It's just so damn depressing. I even had to turn the radio off during my commute this morning because it was just more than I could stand.
And then, [...]
It's looking like the Senate health care reform bill won't have either a public option or Medicare buy-in for people under 65.
That's disturbing. It sure isn't what I and other progressives expected when Obama was elected president and the Democrats won solid majorities in both houses of Congress.
I [...]
According to the Oregonian's Jeff Mapes, Oregon AFL-CIO's political committee met today and while they decided to take a position in some down ballot races, postponed making a decision on the Governor's race until March 2010. From Mapes:
The unions have two Democrats with a strong pro-labor record in former [...]
With the possible exception of Nanny Pelosi and a very few others, Democrats are quaking in their collectivist boots. With good reason: one year into a "new Washington" born of optimism and ambition, the mantra of "hope'n'change" has been clearly shown for what it was - just words. The "transparent" [...]
Commentary By Ron Beasley
As Dave noted the other day Self-preservation is not a Democratic instinct. In the comments section of that post I wrote the following:
People voted for the Democrats and Obama for change and they have gotten damn little of it. The danger in 2010 is that millions will simply [...]
38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Nearly 20% more than that oppose it, and BO's numbers are keeping up with the free-fall. That whole Hope'n'Change thing sure had a short shelf-life.
Things are dire when even left-oriented folks like those [...]
It is astonishing to see what the Democrats are doing to America. It is astonishing to see that they are not afraid to show their total corruption so openly by "buying" the votes they needed on...
[...] By Dave Anderson:
Democrats don't want to be in the majority. They don't want Republicans in the majority either, but the Democratic elected elite has minimal interest in being part of an effective governing majority. The healthcare bill is the best example. They have managed to shed their left flank, Ron [...]
Senator Reid tonight:
Today we vote whether to even discuss one of the greatest issues of our generation - indeed, one of the greatest issues this body has ever face: whether this nation will finally guarantee its people the right to live free from the fear of illness and [...]
