Grayson on Republicans Healthcare plan

by Jerome Armstrong, Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 05:16:58 AM EDT

Yea, its partisan. And when the only ones you piss off by telling the truth are the likes of bloggers going by the names of WearingFool and AllahPundit, do nothing but offer some cheese to the whiners. Everyone knows that there is not a lick of principle in the Republicans stance against having a public option for the American people. In fact, every single one of the Republican politicians, and their staff, are on a government-run healthcare plan. I've not read anything about any of them not accepting it as a matter of principle either.

To the state of passing healthcare reform-- how to make sense of the conflicting headlines this AM?

We know that Republicans want to kill the public option plan. And there are a number of Democratic Senators who, though they campaigned for concepts like universal healthcare, are now voicing against voting for something similar. Here's what to notice:

Harkin says there are over 50 votes for the public option.

The Democrats have 60 votes to bring about cloture.

Now, I'll take Harkin at his word, and I think its likely so too. The big question then is: would any Democrat not vote to bring about cloture for the up-or-down vote to happen?

I would consider such a thing tantamount to mutiny. Is there a precedent for such a thing happening?

Jonathan Cohn's article on What Rockefeller Understands nails it:

The arguments you hear in the debate are mostly about costs, payment rates, and how best to make a market function. But for Rockefeller, it really boils down to a simple proposition: A public plan is good because you know it will always be there for you.

That's the big picture. If a government-run healthcare plan works good enough for Republican politicians and their staff in DC, it's good enough for America.

Tags: Alan Grayson (all tags)

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note that grayson represents a traditionally..

republican area. i don't know what cook's pvi is after 2008, but the fact is that this is a democratic freshman congressman in a highly targeted race with a traditionally (socially) conservative base making this stand...

by bored now 2009-09-30 06:04AM | 0 recs

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Re: Grayson on Republicans Healthcare plan

Hasn't Ben Nelson stated he won't vote to bring cloture , if the intention is reconciliation or if the bill doesn't get 65 votes ?

by lori 2009-09-30 06:36AM | 0 recs

4a2fab88-ed3b-47a4-8f14-3ec8a24504ac_normal

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Re: Grayson on Republicans Healthcare plan

Uncldear:

"Senator Nelson has not said he will vote for cloture even if he opposes the health care reform bill," his spokesman, Jake Thompson, wrote in an email to the Huffington Post. "He doesn't even have a bill at this point to consider. Quite the opposite, he has said hasn't made any commitment one way or the other on procedural issues, that his not on autopilot, and his voting record backs that up."

"He has said that a few times in the past he voted for cloture on a bill he opposed," Thompson added. "So he was yes on cloture, no on the bill in the final up or down vote. But he explicitly has said he's made no determination on how he will vote on cloture regarding health care reform."

Thompson's email came in response to a Huffington Post story on Wednesday, which reported that Nelson had "indicated that he would support cloture even if he ultimately votes against the bill." That line was drawn from an earlier Huffington Post story in which Bud Pettigrew, the chair of county chairs for the Nebraska Democratic Party, said that Nelson told him he would vote for cloture on health care reform.

by Jerome Armstrong 2009-09-30 07:30AM | 0 recs

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good lord

what a shocking display of incivility and partisanship!! tsk tsk!!

by tarheel74 2009-09-30 08:44AM | 0 recs

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Wow

Kickass. It's about time someone called a spade a spade.

Grayson is vulnerable next year. Let's support a good Democrat: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraiser s/18665

by TheUnknown285 2009-09-30 09:00AM | 0 recs

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Updating Democratic spinelessness

The Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus John Larson (CT) has asked Alan Grayson to apologize.

by tarheel74 2009-09-30 09:56AM | 0 recs

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Re: Updating Democratic spinelessness

Will he? I certainly hope not, what a bunch of spineless wonders.

by Jerome Armstrong 2009-09-30 10:23AM | 0 recs

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Re: Updating Democratic spinelessness

one would think that the Democrats would embrace Grayson's talking point. It is simple and delivers a succinct message, albeit 4 months late in the game. This is the latest news that I can find:

Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (Conn.) said Grayson's remark wasn't as serious as Wilson's outburst, but still said he should apologize. Wilson apologized privately to the White House, but was officially scolded by the House when he wouldn't apologize on the House floor.

"It's not the same magnitude, clearly, and didn't deal with decorum, as it did in the case of Joe Wilson, but I would encourage Alan to apologize," Larson told reporters. "And I would encourage members that, as we get into a very heated and emotional and visceral debate, that we keep in mind the rules of the House and the way we treat and respect one another."

by tarheel74 2009-09-30 10:44AM | 0 recs

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Re: Updating Democratic spinelessness

Steve Benen notes:

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) said Dem plans would tell seniors to "drop dead." Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) said Democratic plans for a public option would "kill people." Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said Dems' proposals might "put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government." Plenty of other House Republicans have made similar remarks, and not one of them has ever apologized. House Democrats haven't even asked.

by Steve M 2009-09-30 11:56AM | 0 recs

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Re: Grayson on Republicans Healthcare plan

WHAT PLAN THEY HAD HOW MANY YEARS TO DO SOMETHING AND FAILED AT IT
AT LEAST OBAMA IS REALY STRIVING TO GET SOMETHING DONE

by PREDATOR 2009-10-01 04:55AM | 0 recs