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Senator Graham Has A Few Choice Words On The Health “Care” Bill

By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on December 22, 2009 at 8:30 PM in Barack Obama, Chicago politics, Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, Democrats, Harry Reid, Health Care, Hoodwinking, Louisiana, Medicare, Nancy Pelosi, Obama's Broken Promises, South Carolina, Ted Kennedy, U.S. Constitution, US Senate

My senator, Lindsey Graham, has been hot under the collar about this Health “Care” bill, and the manner in which Ben Nelson was bought off by Harry Reid at OUR expense this past weekend. He likened it to “Chicago-style politics.” I’d be inclined to agree. Here is Senator Graham explaining his assertion:

You tell ‘em, Senator Graham!! I admit, even when I was a far lefty Democrat (now Independent), I couldn’t help but be impressed by Senator Graham.

I may not agree with him on everything, but I sure as hell agree with his interpretation above. I also agree with his call for a Constitutional review by the SC Attorney General regarding the Nebraska Buy-off:

This article found in my local newspaper provides a more comprehensive explanation of Graham’s request:

Graham Wants Investigation

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he wants South Carolina’s top prosecutor to investigate a deal that helped secure the 60th vote needed to pass a Democratic health care bill through the Senate.

Blasting Senate Democrats for what he called “backroom deals that amount to bribes,” Graham found much to complain about in their health care bill. He was particularly irked that the senator who provided that final vote to head off a Republican filibuster, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, cut a deal in which the federal government pays his state’s share of the cost for new Medicaid recipients.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, called on state Attorney General Henry McMaster to review the constitutionality of the deal, and a McMaster spokesman said he looks forward to meeting with Graham to discuss it.

“There is one state in the union where new enrollees for Medicaid will be signed up and it won’t cost anybody in that state money,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“A lot of people, Republicans and Democrats, are upset by this,” Graham said. “Is it constitutional? I want the attorney general of South Carolina to look at this.”

Nelson, who skirted the issue in a news conference Saturday, confirmed the deal in a CNN interview Sunday. But he said he didn’t ask for special favors…

Click HERE if you wish to read the rest of the article.

Senator Graham is by no means alone in his disgust for the way this Health “Care” bill has come about, and its resemblance to “Chicago-style politics.” This article by the Chicago Tribune (!) certainly supports that supposition: How Health Lobbyists Influenced Reform Bill; Former staffers of lawmakers from Harry Reid to Mitch McConnell push clients’ agenda. Uh huh. What a big ol’ surprise – that this bill being shoved down our throats was crafted by LOBBYISTS:

David Nexon had a big problem. An early version of national health care legislation contained a $40 billion tax aimed squarely at members of the medical device trade association he represents.

Nexon, a former adviser to the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, went to work. He marshaled 14 people like himself — lobbyists who were once congressional aides, many of them from staffs of congressional leaders or committees that had a hand in crafting the health care overhaul.

When Senate Democrats unveiled their bill in mid-November, Nexon’s handiwork was evident. The tax on device-makers was still large — $20 billion — but only half what it might have been without the efforts of Nexon and his fellow lobbyists.

Nexon’s team is an illustration of how deeply the health care industry has embedded itself on Capitol Hill, using former aides of lawmakers and ex-lawmakers themselves.

An analysis of public documents by Northwestern University’s Medill News Service in partnership with the Tribune Newspapers Washington Bureau and the Center for Responsive Politics found a revolving door between Capitol Hill staffers and lobbying jobs for companies with a stake in health care legislation.

At least 166 former aides from the nine congressional leadership offices and five committees involved in shaping health overhaul legislation — along with at least 13 former lawmakers — registered to represent at least 338 health care clients since the beginning of last year, according to the analysis.

Their health care clients spent $635 million on lobbying over the past two years, the study shows.

The total of insider lobbyists jumps to 278 when non-health-care firms that reported lobbying on health issues are added in, the analysis found.

My blood is boiling now; how about yours? Better take your high blood pressure medication, then:

Part of the lobbying pressure on current members of Congress and staffers comes from the powerful lure of post-congressional job possibilities.

“There’s always a worry they may be thinking about their future employment opportunities when dealing with these issues, particularly with health care, because the stakes are so high and the breadth of the issues — pharmacies, hospitals, doctors,” said Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz.

Lobbyists’ earnings can dwarf congressional salaries, which currently top out at $174,000 annually for lawmakers and $156,000 for aides, though committee staff members can earn slightly more.

In the health care showdown, insider lobbying influence has magnified the clout of corporate interests and helped steer the debate away from a public insurance option, despite many polls indicating majority support from Americans, according to Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker.

“It imposes a kind of conservative bias on the discussion,” said Baker, himself a former Senate staffer.

The lineup of insiders working for clients with health care interests includes at least 14 former aides to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and at least 13 former aides to Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee and a key overseer of the health care overhaul.

This is just shocking on its face, isn’t it? I gues I shouldn’t be at all surprised that a bunch of these people worked for the same ones trying to ram this through before anyone has had a chance to read the damn thing in its entirety:

Nexon, who is now senior executive vice president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, is among at least a half-dozen former Kennedy aides lobbying on health care.

Nexon acknowledged the value of congressional connections, “but in the end, it’s not who I know, it’s what I know.”

It makes sense to hire former staffers for the health care showdown because they tend to be “more generalists, dealing with a broad range of issues,” something that is in demand for legislation that sprawls across at least a half-dozen federal agencies and encompasses issues ranging from tax policy to hospital reimbursement rates, according to Nexon. But specific issues also get specialized help. Earlier this year, the Christian Science Church hired a former Kennedy staffer, Carolyn Osolinik, and three of her colleagues at the Mayer Brown law firm, all veterans of Capitol Hill. The firm has been paid at least $110,000 so far to push a provision requiring insurers to consider covering Christian Science prayer treatments.

Phil Davis, a senior official of the church, said the church wanted access to decision makers. “The noise level goes sky high. It’s hard to get in to talk to people,” he said.

The largest insider lobbying cadre belongs to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, which employs at least 26 former congressional members and staffers, according to Medill/CRP research.

Two other drug interests, biotech firm Amgen Inc. and the Biotechnology Industry Organization trade group, with at least 24 and 16 insiders respectively, ranked second and fourth among reported hiring over the past two years of lawmakers’ former staffers and members of committees considered in the analysis.

“The numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone,” said Ken Johnson, a PhRMA senior vice president. “Former staffers have a unique understanding of how the legislative process works. And when you are trying to advocate on behalf of smart public policies, you want smart people on your team.”

But Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog group, had a harsher assessment, blaming “a toxic cocktail of insiders and money” for short-circuiting a government-run plan that would have competed with private insurers.

“We’ll get a bill. And the president will sign it. But it’ll be less than the country deserves,” said Edgar, a former six-term member of the House.

Health care lobbyists increase their effectiveness by strategically targeting their campaign contributions or the donations of the interests they represent, Edgar said.

But, but, but – I thought lobbyists were going to have no part in an Obama Administration!! Ahahahahaha – and if anyone actually bought THAT line of crapola from Obama, I have some waterfront property in Wyoming to sell you because there is more:

Health industry contributions to congressional candidates have more than doubled so far this decade, rising to $127 million in the 2008 election cycle from $56 million in the 2000 election, with disproportionate sums going to the party in power and to members of committees that oversee health care, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

But lobbyist and former Kennedy staffer Andrew Rosenberg said political conditions, not big money or the predispositions of lobbyists sidelined a public option.

“You could see this coming from a long way off. The Democratic Party is now the big tent party. They have to get to 60 votes. That is the reality,” Rosenberg said. “It was going to have to be something that appeals to moderates” opposed to expanding government-run health insurance. (Tribune Newspapers’ Tom Hamburger and Joe Markman contributed to this report.)

So now you know – Senator Lindsey Graham has it exactly right – this policy was not crafted with US in mind. It was crafted by and for the health care insurers and those who are connected to them. They wrote this thing that the Democrats are hell-bent on getting through this year. They, and the Democrats who are getting money from them, are the ones who will most definitely benefit most. Because from everything I have heard and read, WE will be the ones who lose the most while paying the most.

And if all of these shenanigans to buy votes aren’t unConstitutional, they are most definitely unethical. Seems like the only change that has come to Washington is bolder cheating. Yep, sounds like “Chicago-style politics” to me!

SHV

Pro-single-payer physicians call for defeat of Senate health bill
Posted by Mark Almberg on Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009

Legislation ‘would bring more harm than good,’ group says

For Immediate Release

Dec. 22, 2009

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/12/22/pro-single-payer-physicians-call-for-defeat-of-senate-health-bill/

This letter to the Senate is relatively short but outlines what a disaster Obamacare is for the American People. This group of 17,000 physicians are strong supporters of single payer and have bent over backwards looking for the Pony in the steaming pile of corporate welfare called “Health Insurance Reform”…today they finally gave up….

It’s too late, IMO, the Dems want to give the Narcissist in Chief a Christmas present and f*ck the American People for the next 20+ years.
RedDragon62

I’m sorry Amy but when a Republican, after the Bush years, complains about “Back room” deals and cries about being left out of discussion…I just have to scream… HYPOCRITE!

I don’t like the bill. I don’t like what has become of my democratic party but come on….Look who’s calling the kettle black here.

John Smith

Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Dems better as losers

Red Dragon — as a former Dem I consider this bill a disaster. Nothing Bush did can compare with The Democratic Party passing a bill without one single Republican. During the Medicare negotiations back in the 60′s the bill received bipartisan support because compromises were made to get that support. When the bill did pass the reception to it was overwhelmingly positive because it took 1-1/2 years to pass and everyone knew exactly what was in the bill.

We are going to pay higher taxes now for a bill which won’t go into effect for 4 years. How would you like to pay for a brand new car and be told that you can see that car in 4 years? I shed no tears for the Democratic Party. They have decided that what American voters think matters very little. After the 2010 elections Dems will find that they have grossly miscalculated the anger out there

Onofre’s arm

And even after all of the deliberation and compromises, Medicare still ended up costing NINE TIMES more than expected. Recently revealed information indicates that Johnson and his people KNEW it would cost a great deal more than promised, but LBJ kept that information hidden because he realized that if people were aware of the true costs of the bill it would never be passed.

Gosh, is it possible that the creeps pushing this current bill aren’t being totally honest with their cost/benefit projections?
tek

how can you the Bush admin didn’t do anything as bad as pass a bill without one opposition vote. Almost everything passed in the Bush years was one-sided and Bush never gave time to read bills, passed bills in the dead of night, threatened his own party to get what he wanted, destroyed John McCain in the primaries through slander. It was the exact same thing: Bush and Obama are twins who were separated at birth.

armymom

So you’re saying Obama really isn’t any different? I mean, this argument sounds like my kids when they were little. “Well Molly hit me first”, No way, Lilly hit me first”. “Did not”, “Did too”.

Truly pathetic. And by the way, Obama sucks and as far as I am concerned now, democrats suck. Not the party I was once a member of.

Prime Obot

Amy, for heaven’s sake. I’m sorry to keep posting notes to you and not sticking around to discuss, and I may not get back to my laptop until later tonight now, but the more I read about this bill, the sillier all these fulminations seem.

The reality appears to be that there are late additions to the Senate bill, most notably by the great Bernie Sanders, that will do more good for more people, and set America more firmly down the path of health care reason, than even the public option that was being debated toward the end of this marathon. See this:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/22/818060/-This-HCR-Bill:-45,000,000-Get-Single-Payer-Vermont-Health-Care

Yes, it’s DailyKos. But you know, the serious leftists there are so upset about the “compromises” that they don’t want to hear this either.

The grownups are winning the day, despite hysteria from the Jane Hamsher left and of course complete abdication of adult responsibility from the Republicans.

As for NQ: I don’t really know what to say. Reverend Amy, you write like a well-intentioned, smart, compassionate progressive. And yet you refuse to see the obvious landmark nature of this bill. I don’t get how opposition to Barack Obama is STILL more important than salvaging America’s future from right-wing, corporate-rule ruin.

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

Prime, I appreciate the kind words, but the flaws in this bill far outweigh the good. Perhaps you could take a look at Bronwyn’s piece on the 11 things wrong with this bill, taken from Jane Hamsher. She is pretty clear abt what the problems are.

That the lobbyists wrote this bill, that Big Pharma stands to gain a great deal, that the insurers are making out like bandits, that many of us will be paying far more out of pocket than we are now for less coverage, and that this will have a tremendous impact on our deficit are all big reasons to not support this bill.

What’s the rush? This is a HUGE bill – why rush it through with all kinds of hidden goodies in there (like ACORN being eligible for grants within this bill – courtesy of Obama’s IL replacement, Burris)? Why not do it RIGHT, not have a lot of pork and payoffs, but actually craft a bill that helps the majority of Americans without costing us an arm and a leg(ahem)?

The health care lobbyists wrote this bill – do you think they did it for US, or for their clients?

Prime Obot

I’ve read Hamsher’s 10. I’ve also read the rebuttals, which are far more persuasive. Why the rush? Because 45,000 people die every year from lack of insurance, and because the U.S. economy will flat-out drown within a decade if we don’t reform our system, and because with a Congressional and then Presidential election coming up, it could be years before this opportunity to build in these reforms comes again.

These aren’t revolutionary ideas. Every progressive in the country understands them. A few, like Jane, have been deranged by the political battle into making what I think are extremely foolish decisions. Sad to say, most people on this site, who view every issue through the prism of Obama hatred, have reached similarly warped conclusions about this health care bill. It will pass, it will work, and within a year or two we’ll be moving on to the next stages of reform.

Onofre’s arm

Somebody please give the turntable a bump, the dreary record of Obama’s silly talking points is repeating.
Chicago Joe

That whole thing about people dying without insurance is a crock. If you present to an ER, they have to take care of you. Period.

Onofre’s arm

Yep! How many people have “Lack of insurance” written as the “cause of death” on their death certificates?
andrew

A lot of good that does someone having a serious chronic illness. And lots of luck with early detection.

Onofre’s arm

Do you think that people with serious chronic illnesses will get better treatment under Obamascare than they do now? Do you still believe in Santa? Do you like the service at the DMV? Do you have a brain?

Prime Obot

Yes. They will. Without question. By dismissing the 45,000 number, you are dismissing a peer-reviewed study performed at the Harvard School of Public Health. We’re just posting on a blog, so anybody can say anything. But when the HSPH releases a study, that’s as close to gospel as we’ll get, at least as far as I’m concerned. Your blithe dismissal of such figures as false, and by extension your blithe dismissal of the enormous annual suffering they imply, is revolting.

Onofre’s arm

I can’t think of anything more revolting than your fucked up phony sanctimony botfly. The Harvard study has been highly criticized for it’s methods. They always used the high end of their estimates, they did NOT take into account harmful lifestyles that are greater among the uninsured, and they did not eliminate the “voluntarily uninsured” from their figures.

A more accurate study put the increased risk (not cause) of premature death of the involuntarily uninsured at 2%. Let’s see what happens when we use the 30,000,000 currently uninsured number who will be covered by this new bill FOUR YEARS FROM NOW! (If there is such urgency to shove this bill through, why stall implementation for four years? Using the 45,000 number you love, that’s 180,000 needless deaths, you heartless asshole). Of that 30,000,000 42.8% are VOLUNTARILY uninsured, so let’s remove them from the calculations. That leaves 17,160,000 involuntary uninsured. Since the nation wide annual death rate is around 1.25 people per hundred people, there would be expected attrition of 214,500 from the 17,160,000. Since there is only a 2% higher risk of premature death for the uninsured, 2% of 214,500 is 4,290.

4,290 possibly premature deaths from lack of insurance botfly. Do you think it is wise to ram through a bill that will cost trillions to arguably save 4,290 people? Ever heard of the “point of diminished returns”? 9,820 people have died from H1N1 so far in the USA (more than twice the size of increased uninsured deaths). For far less than trillions of dollars, your precious, but lethargic, Obama administration could have been more efficient at getting out the vaccine.

This bill isn’t about saving lives or some hokey progressive compassion. It’s about power, payoff, and prevaricating politicians. Your role on the whole affair is that of the USEFUL IDI0T!

ziggy

Some of us suspect blocking all democratic reform efforts without offering any alternative approach to very real health care problems might have much to do with “power, payoff, and prevaricating politicians”.

Onofre’s arm

Let’s see. Republicans have proposed medical savings accounts, tort reform, the ability to purchase ins. across state lines, Medicare and Medicaid reform, and more tightly focused solutions for the uninsured. You just never hear about these because the Dems shoot them down immediately. And how many Republicans were invited into Reid’s locked office while the entire bill was brewed?

The Dems in control have given as much consideration to Republicans as they have to the 60 plus percent of the public who want the bill scrapped.

Chicago Joe

Obot, I have read the study. Different findings than the IOM study, which I would find to be more reliable.

This is another one of those analyses of analyses, so lots of conjecture here.

A little problem with the study, Obot. They never verified who did or did not have insurance.

So it is pretty useless, politically motivated pablum for the left.

Onofre’s arm

And it’s an amazingly huge appetite the left has for that pablum.

I just wish they would quit barfing it up like bulimic behemoths.

Prime Obot

I should add, this doesn’t mean I’m not bitterly disappointed by the negotiating failures that left us without a true public option or Medicare expansion. And yes, I blame Obama, who really might be much more of a corporate/lobbyist shill then many of us would have expected a year ago. But at least now all of you who have been calling him a Communist/socialist for the past year understand why those of us who understand politics a bit more deeply have been laughing at you. That characterization of Obama has been silly all along. I am definitely somewhat disillusioned to have learned recently just how silly such language really was.

But this is still a good and important bill.

armymom

Which is why those of us who work in healthcare laugh at you progressives. You haven’t a clue now do you? This bill sucks, you just have your head too far up your butt to realize it.

Prime Obot

Right, that’s why the AMA just endorsed it.

Docelder

The AMA are lobbyists. They got theirs as well. It’s the ~~Chicago~~ Washington way.

Prime Obot

I see. So we’re dismissing the American Medical Association and the Harvard School of Public Health? Neither has credibility?

I’d LOL if the subject weren’t so serious.

Donna Brazile

They represent 1% of doctor’s primedingbutt!

Stop asking for a free handout or move to Nebraska or Louisiana!
Docelder

Fu#k anything Harvard. Those stuck up, nose in the air and better than thou do gooders can kiss my a#s. Harvard is the most overrated college in America, but they keep on validating themselves.

Chicago Joe

Agreed. Both the AMA and ANA are special interests, and they have a fraction of the universe of health care providers as their members.

So they do NOT represent the practicing provider by any means.

Dems better as losers

This bill was written so that Obama could be seen as historic for doing something that no other President has been able to do. It will raise the cost of our Healthcare while cutting the quality. We will see rationing because no thought was given to training more doctors and nurses to cope with the added recipients.

It also tells us that older sicker Americans are of less value than younger healthier ones. Secret deals have been cut which further erode the bills popularity with the American People.

In this economy what people want is jobs not higher taxes. Its an odd phenomenon in these times that this bill has brought together the left and the right in their hatred of this bill. Americans have been called Nazis and extremists for disagreeing with their Representatives who appear to be determined that no matter what the prices they will force this bill down our throats.
getfitnow

and why was Bernie Sander’s amendment pulled from being read. I don’t trust ANY of these fools that much.

SHV

I agree…anything that Lindsey Graham or any Republican Senator says isn’t worth a bucket of warm spit. On the other hand Obots are using the the “enemy of my enemy argument” as a reason to pass Obama’s Health Insurance Company welfare legislation.

I just received an e-mail for the Physician’s group that has fought for single payer…they have tried very hard to find the Pony in this steaming pile of sh*t legislation…today they have finally given up and recommend that it be killed. The letter is short but outlines how bad this legislation will be for the American People. All the Dems care about is giving the Narcissist-in-Chief this bill as a Christmas present and screw the consequences.

“Pro-single-payer physicians call for defeat of Senate health bill
Posted by Mark Almberg on Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009

Legislation ‘would bring more harm than good,’ group says

For Immediate Release

Dec. 22, 2009″

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/12/22/pro-single-payer-physicians-call-for-defeat-of-senate-health-bill/
NomNomNom

Graham served as a House manager of Clinton’s impeachment trial and voted for three of the four articles of impeachment. He voted for the $787 billion TARP bailout. He is for amnesty of illegal aliens and calls his constituents who oppose it bigots. He was censured by the Republican party of South Carolina for working with John Kerry on cap and trade legislation.
He is the same pos he has always been.
As for no repubs voting for No Insurance Company Left Behind, they didn’t have to. jmo, if 10 dems had failed to get in line, 10 repubs would have. These clowns are all on the same team.
One expects a lot of repubs will win in 2010: then we’ll see.

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

It seems you have pretty much copied what the Charleston Republicans have said abt him. But I’m not a Republican, and was surprised they censured him. As for the immigrants thing, he said just the other day that one acceptable way for them to become citizens was serving in the military. That doesn’t sound like amnesty to me.

You do make a good point that these two parties are pretty much the opposite sides of the same coin. I agree with that! But that doesn’t negate his trying to stop this horrible bill. Just sayin’.

NomNomNom

when the repubs impeached Clinton, many said, they’d never vote repub after something like that
when TARP was passed, the near unanimous consensus was that no one would ever vote for any of them.
serving in our illegitimate wars to gain citizenship? how noble of our government. I don’t want illegals given any form of amnesty, but I’d rather they came in no strings attached than that they provided an extension to these wars. Also, he voted for McCain’s amnesty in the past (which did not include serving in the US military) and has pending legislation re amnesty due out in the first 1/2 of next year: one supposes we will see then what his real plan is.
I must not have made my overall point clear: the guy is a pos. He has shafted every one of us before: this position of the repubs that they are against the insurance act can only be believed by the credulous. They simply do not have to admit backing it under a dem filibuster proof majority. When the dems lose that majority, you’ll see just enough of these people stepping forward to pass the agenda that they both support, and have supported, just as one saw with TARP.
I had this same argument the other day re McCain & reinstating Glass Steagall (when his chief financial adviser Phil Gramm was among those foremost in its removal, and which during his campaign he said was a good thing) & Howard Dean coming out against the insurance plan after he helped rig the dem primary.

How many times do you have to be screwed by someone to say, stfu, I’m not listening and I’m not going to vote for you? The idea that any of these people are in any way on the citizens side is completely ludicrous. They will say whatever it takes to get reelected and they will do whatever they please once elected. He’s already proven it.

NomNomNom

sorry, that is a generic “you”, not you, RRRA.

getfitnow

Yep, I don’t care who stops it or why. This bill needs to be stopped.

jbjd

The ONE thing Senator Graham said that gives me hope is this: he accused all 60 D’s who support this Ponzi scheme, “co-conspirators.” Send him the citizen complaint of election fraud to the state AG of SC. Let’s see how HE handles overwhelming circumstantial evidence the D’s conspired to commit election fraud to get BO into office! (You can download this complaint from the front of the blog, in the sidebar.)
http://jbjd.wordpress.com
HARP

Holy Cow!!! Obama has now thrown the whole progressive bunch under the bus by saying he never campaigned on the public option.

Arabella Trefoil

Yeah, he has. But the progressive bunch either doesn’t realize that they’re under the bus, or they’re saying “Oh please, drive the bus back and forth over us. This such a teachable moment for us.”

bart

This has been one wild and woolly year, eh? I’ve never been a fan of Graham, but if a UU in SC thinks he’s OK, well, he must have something going for him.

And I’d soooo love to ask any DC pol just what they think is going to be the outcome of their health reform. They must think they know something the rest of us crackers in the hinterlands don’t. Wonder what that is?

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

LOL, bart – yeah, well, as I have said, he’s better than others, that’s for sure, especially on this issue. He also played very well with Hillary Clinton when she was a senator (on health care for returning vets).

It is a bit of upside down world, that’s for sure. I never thought I’d be so disgusted with the Dems, either, but here I am!

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

If I may say so, one of the other major points here is that the Health Care Bill was written by LOBBYISTS. Wassup with that?
Texas Playwright

bho the corporate puppet/fake liberal and the pay to play Dems–change you can deceive in.
I’m a Linda too

Great post rrra.

Woot, Senator Graham. I saw him on Fox and Friends this morning and he rocked. He seemed quite upset, though.

Here he was just mad and laying straight on the line. He always saying things clearly and concise.

He’s been a constant strong voice. Of course there are differences, but he puts Americans interests first. And he put so much in to election Senator McCain. He has a reelection coming up and I made sure I donated some bucks to him!

https://secure.donationreport.com/donation.html?key=QRA05WJ9BNUU

And I was just about to say the same thing as you did about Barry’s empty Lobbyist claims. “No lobbyist working for his administration …or writing the bills”. Yeah right.

Obama deserves to have just his face splattered on a poster with the words, L i a r !

Please remember to donated to Senator Graham.

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

Thanks, IALT. You are so right – Obama deserves to be called out for who he truly is – and we KNEW he was all along. WHY did people buy his B.S.? It makes no sense to me!

Graham’s not perfect, that’s for sure, but he DOES seem to care a lot abt the country. He was asked today abt getting perks for the state he represents. He acknowledged that indeed, he does represent SC, but the COUNTRY is most important to him. That’s the thing with all of these payoffs, and backroom deals – they aren’t to help the COUNTRY, they are to help a select few. If not, they would be done in the light of day, out in the open.

NOTHING abt this bill has been done in the open, despite Obama’s claims to have it on C-Span, printed up on the internet, blah, blah, blah…

SHV

If I may say so, one of the other major points here is that the Health Care Bill was written by LOBBYISTS. Wassup with that?
********
I down loaded all 1000+ pages of the HR bill about a month ago…After reading through it, the only people who have clue of what is in it are the few staffers and the many lobbyists who wrote it.

I later read that in order for a informed person to get some understanding of the bill, they would have to go through an additional 10,000 pages of Federal law and statutes in addition to the 1000 pages of the bill.

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

Good grief – that’s incredible abt how many pages one would have to read to understand this bill.

And kudos to you for downloading the entire thing. WOW – that is no small feat.

I think you hit the nail on the head abt who knows what’s in the darn thing, and that’s a huge whole problem.

ziggy

A previous republican majority had 12 continuous years to initiate health care reform and “get it right” as they like to put it, but all they did during that time was sabotage Hillary Clinton’s efforts. Maybe if they’d gotten off their butts they wouldn’t now be watching someone else going at it like runaway locomotive. They could have been taking part in shaping a better outcome. Instead they’ve decided to stick to erecting barricades, calculating it will play well for them in 2010. So long as they take that attitude I don’t much care whether they step off the tracks or not. We’ll see what happens in 2010.

Onofre’s arm

Hillary’s efforts were derailed before the Republicans took over Congress, it was THAT unpopular. In fact, the threat of Hillarycare was a major factor in the 1994 Republican revolution.

Since the best reform to health care would be for the government to get the hell out of the private health care industry as much as possible, and let market forces work their wonders, the real cure may never be realized. You know….the third rail and all.

tek

The market DOES NOT WORK to the benefit of the common people. When will Americans get that through their heads? The big companies have the government (especially Republicans) to stack the deck for them, so they are never playing “fair” or “free.” If you knew history at all, you’d know we tried getting the government out of the way of society in The Gilded Age. The result was crumbling or nonexistent infrastructure, unemployment, constant fatalities at the work place, an uneducated public who spent all their waking hours working so they couldn’t attend school–including four and five year old children–shoddy products that were killing consumers, rampant disease, including cholera epidemics that finally started killing off even the corporate elite. All this stuff Bush and Reagan tried to put into place is not an experiment–it’s our past, horrific history that these greedy men would like to repeat.

The PURPOSE of government is to protect and defend the people who have consented to be governed (Maybe you should start reading Locke), not protect corporate profits and defend them, but to protect THE PEOPLE. Otherwise, why even have a government? It benefits no common people to pay a huge chunk of our income to a federal government that unleashes corrupt businesses and street criminals on all the honest, productive people in society.

If you just LOVE the idea of a society where the government gets out of the lives of the people and lets the “market” work, go to the library and get some good books on the Third Reich. If you people are too stupid to know it, that was a system where “the market” ruled supreme. It’s called FACISM. It’s not pretty, but it’s the wet dream of the corporate elite in the U. S.

So, I take it you either own a corporation or you’re the CEO or you’re a defense contractor, or you just don’t know what you’re talking about.

Onofre’s arm

Most of our crucial needs are delivered very efficiently and affordably by private enterprise. Profit is the main driving force for efficiency, quality, accessibility, and affordability. This has been proven countless times. In fact, just recently, for the first time a woman has received the Nobel prize in economics. The main point of her contribution to the understanding of economics is this: All things considered, private enterprises guided by market forces are far more efficient at distributing goods and services than governments.

I don’t expect you to accept this or even understand this tek. You’re too far gone with the almost cultist mindset that profit driven private enterprise is somehow trying to rape the very customers who they depend on FOR those profits. You need more reprogramming than I can give you on a blog. But first, you have to “want to change”.

ziggy

Hillary’s plan was only THAT unpopular following a media saturation campaign funded by special interests. They’re currently following the same script again. They’ve also adapted the approach to the global climate issue.

They don’t influence public opinion by reasoned discussion and honest policy debate, but with continuous spin and fear-generating propaganda. Nor do they offer clear alternatives for critical evaluation.

Dems better as losers

What Bush and the Republicans tried to do was strengthen the Medicare Advantage Plans by having them administered privately. As a member of one of these plans I have been happy with my coverage and preventive care. Along comes the Obama and the Dems to gut the Medicare Advantage Plans along with a 500 Bill cut for Medicare. Simple things could have been done to give more portability to those who lose their Healthcare. Something which the Dems have refuse to consider–competition with the 1300 other insurance companies could have lowered costs and allowed Americans to purchase insurance across state lines. If we covered all Americans who had no coverage it would cost 29 Bill a year but Obama wants to turn the system upsidedown in an effort to control our lives.

andrew

The prescription coverage set-up specifically precluded Medicare administrators from seeking lower high-volume drug prices, effectively funneling billions of additional taxpayer dollars into drug company coffers. HMO members often lost their freedom of choice concerning which primary care doctors they could see, when specialists could be consulted, etc. Many geographical areas were underserved by HMOs, often requiring patients to travel long distances to receive care.

Health care rationing can result from privatization with a narrow focus on profits. With private corporations, it can be assumed that profits are generally in the driver’s seat.

jangles

They did pass a medicare prescription drug program which is actually working pretty well now, after a rough start—and it is costing less than originally projected.

Repubs also put in place Health Savings Accounts which are really beyond most people but if you figure it out, it has some benefits.

TeakWoodKite

Rev. Amy. Thank you for a great read.

This “no lobbist” policy of BO’s is a very sad piece of coal.
elaine

Sen Jim DeMint’s blog is interesting. You may recall he stood up Harry Reid’s “procedural changes.” He has some interesting stuff to say about the type of mandatory colonoscopies Obama/Reid are so hung up on. Guess Jimbo likes barium better.. While some people suffer due to lack of insurance don’t forget how many people are offed by bad medicine & procedures. The way I see it: It’s my body & my life & I sure as hell don’t need some bureaucrat in DC dictating my medical decisions. Do you know a hospital, or even a doctor’s office, (if they want to be jerks) they can stamp A.M.A. (Against Medical Advice) on your file & then most insurers,including Medicare, won’t pay. Tell me that ain’t tyranny. How many unnecessary procedures can they shove down your throat or up your…? A few years ago I had a doc try to force me to have 50K worth of back surgery…ended up taking a $4 antibiotic & I’m fine, but I had to give an academy award winning performance to avoid the knife & it shouldn’t be that way.
elaine

MANDATORY colonoscopies. LOL. & no future Congress or President can ever exempt you from it…LOL.. 1 size fits all medicine. What are they gonna do if you don’t want their mandatory colonoscopy? A fine? Prison? Guess that’s next. I think this whole thing is creepy
http://rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

Great comments, everyone – sorry I missed so many of these last night. Very thoughtful, provocative responses – thanks!
tek

The trouble with all these criticisms is, when Bush was in, his people used the same Stalinesque tactics. None of the politicians get attention over this stuff anymore because they all do it. We have a bunch of people in Washington from both parties who just want to be dictators. No good accusing the other side of it.

What infuriates me is Obama threatening congress people if they don’t vote his way. Those reps didn’t get elected to represent Obama or Pelosi or Durbin, they got elected to represent the people of their districts and their states. Obama is shutting down democracy–exactly what I expected.

But I guess we all remember his remark that “Republicans do what they’re told, the trouble with Democrats is they think for themselves.” I guess he’s determined to change that. Can’t stand these people.

Docelder

Democracy now is just a head count… a census on a smaller scale. What is lost is the constitutional republic. People who like this will soon see how well democracy and majority rule work for them. Especially now that propriety is a thing of the past and we have the Chicago boys dug into Washington. This could very well be our last elected President. Wait until we have the $500 illegal amnesty bill passing. We think there are 10 million illegals here, but 100 million will pony up the $500 and say they have been here all along and we have an instant 100 million votes for the Chicago boys. Think new democrats won’t go for it, think they will grow a pair… they don’t have anything to build on. This is how great empires die… this is history.

NomNomNom

刺用叉子，因为…

tek

I agree with Graham that a Constitutional review of the NB compromise is in order.

People over 70 should NEVER get colonoscopies. It’s dangerous to their health. Competent doctors will tell you that.
Surfered

Sen Graham was not so outraged when Rep. Tauzin (R-LA) drove Bush’s unfunded prescription drug bill for seniors through the Republican controlled Congress, then quit the House to work for a Pharmaceutical Trade Organization for $2 million per year.

The bill prevented the government from negotiating prices with the pharmaceutical companies. Escuse me, WalMart negotiates prices with the pharmaceutical companies.

I think they are only mad because they have lost control and cannot skim off the top.
Surfered

Sen Graham was not so outraged when Rep. Tauzin (R-LA) drove Bush’s unfunded prescription drug bill for seniors through the Republican controlled Congress, then quit the House to work for a Pharmaceutical Trade Organization for $2 million per year.

The bill prevented the government from negotiating prices with the pharmaceutical companies. Escuse me, WalMart negotiates prices with the pharmaceutical companies.

I think they are only mad because they have lost control and cannot skim off the top. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” A pox on both their houses.

Former Democrat, then Republican, then Independent.
Chicago Joe

Republicans, emboldened by a new letter from the Congressional Budget Office, accused Democrats on Wednesday of “Bernie Madoff accounting” for double counting the savings from Medicare as a means to pay for the Senate health care bill.

As the Senate prepares for a crucial vote before final passage of a massive overhaul bill that Democrats argue will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over 10 years, Sen. Jeff Sesssions, R-Ala, said the nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare actually will add $300 billion to the deficit

“The real score on this legislation is that it would cause the deficit to increase, and not be a surplus as the
Chicago Joe

You need to call your Dem senators now and beg them to change their vote. This bill is not deficit neutral and never was….they counted money twice….and that is why they have made their claims about saving money.

This gives these cowards the cover they need to vote new.

Read the rest of the above at FOX news web site, or according to Google, you can read it at a Chinese site because none of the rest of the MSM has picked it up yet.

Call!!! Email!!!

Chicago Joe

IT SHOULD READ TO VOTE NO!

wbboei

WH putting health-care off until … February?
POSTED AT 11:36 AM ON DECEMBER 23, 2009 BY ED MORRISSEY HOT AIR
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Politico’s Mike Allen and Alexander Trowbridge have some bad news for Democrats, especially in the Senate, where Harry Reid has kept the chamber locked in battle over ObamaCare for weeks in an attempt to hit the finish line by Christmas. Barack Obama plans to put the health-care overhaul on the back burner until after the State of the Union address, pushing any conference between the House and Senate off until February. Instead, Obama plans a “hard pivot” towards jobs and the economy:

The White House privately anticipates health care talks to slip into February — past President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address — and then plans to make a “very hard pivot” to a new jobs bill, according to senior administration officials.

Obama has been told that disputes over abortion and the tight schedule are highly likely to delay a final deal, a blow to the president who had hoped to trumpet a health care victory in his big speech to the nation. But he has also been told that House Democratic leaders seem inclined, at least for now, to largely accept the compromise worked out in the Senate, virtually assuring he will eventually get a deal.

Internally, White House aides are plunging into a 2010 plan calling for an early focus on creating jobs, especially in the energy sector, along with starting a conversation about deficit reduction measures, the administration officials said.

Both will be major themes for his first State of the Union speech, which will likely take place on Jan. 26 or Feb. 2. White House aides are in the early stages of planning for the national address, but Obama will not only trumpet what he has described as his “B-plus” performance in 2009 but also set the stage for the 2010 congressional campaigns.

This tells us that the White House has done some legwork in the House and found that the lower chamber is not going to adopt the Senate version as is, as Politico also reports this morning:

House Democrats insisted Tuesday they have no plans to roll over for the Senate in upcoming negotiations on a health reform bill, even as they acknowledged it would be all but impossible to reinsert a public insurance option or force the so-called millionaire’s tax on the Senate.

Either move would disrupt Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s no-margin-for-error 60-vote majority. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team seem to have their sights set on lower-profile – but no-less important – differences, like boosting affordability credits in the final bill and starting the insurance exchange a year earlier, which they did in the House.

On a conference call Tuesday, Pelosi (D-Calif.) walked the party’s leadership team through differences in the two bills.

Other differences the speaker mentioned Tuesday include: replacing the Senate’s state-run exchanges with a national exchange established under the House bill, adding tougher mandates to make sure everyone secures health coverage and closing a gap in prescription-drug coverage next year. Senate negotiators have agreed to close the so-called “donut hole,” but they haven’t agreed on a time to implement those changes.

Forget Raul Grijalva’s note of encouragement. These issues will be too tough to overcome without the House reworking the bill. That will either require a conference committee to resolve the two bills or an attempt by Harry Reid to get the Senate to buy a House version (the “ping-pong” strategy), either of which would be subject to cloture votes and unlikely to succeed to a floor vote.

The longer that debate drags, the further Obama drops in the polls, which is why this move only makes sense if the White House sees weeks more futility in the health-care overhaul debate. Even liberal commentators like the Seattle Times editorial board want Democrats to shelve ObamaCare and start paying attention to the fact that unemployment has spun out of control on their watch. Deficits are even more wild, as Obama’s OMB Director Peter Orszag was forced to acknowledge when he admitted that he had underestimated deficits over the next ten years by 22%, or $2,200,000,000,000.

Unfortunately for Democrats in Congress, that move tosses them under a very big bus. They wanted to close this debate as early as possible in order to allow anger over the unpopular measure to ebb in time for their re-election campaigns. Under the new timing, Congress would have to consider ObamaCare and cap-and-trade in rapid succession, just in time for the summer and fundraising time. Unlike last year, Democrats won’t be able to avoid appearing in public and being surrounded by Tea Party protests, and those two agenda items will provoke them to even more fury than last year.

The other term for “hard pivot” is “dithering.” The more Obama dithers, the less likely ObamaCare becomes.

ziggy

I trust republican strategists are gauging public opinion and the effectiveness of unrelenting negativity as accurately now as they did in 2008.

Exactly what, btw, is the GOP trying to peddle these days? It’s all well and good knocking the competition’s merchandise at every stop, but at some point you’ve got to offer your own alternative product to get a sale.

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

They have – repeatedly, but they have literally been locked out of every discussion on this issue. The Democrats have absolutely kept them out of this entire process.

I hated it when the Reps did it to the Dems before, and I hate it now, especially since this is such wide-ranging, sweeping legislation that will cost our country a great deal. Add to that we will start being taxed for this program immediately, but not reap any benefits until 2014 (what there are – but don’t wait for those mammograms all you women under 50 – better get them while you can!).

Sassy

Greetings Amy!
We were without electricity and internet for two days due to our “5 inch” blizzard.
Along with several layers of clothing, I kept warm by steaming over this “big buy-off”!
My oldest sister and my mother-in-law are both sinking fast, and the difference in their treatment is striking!
My mother-in-law has a woman physician who is compassionate, and my sister has Dr. Death! Seniors are going to suffer terribly from the betrayals of democrats!

http://www.rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com/ Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

Hey, friend -

Wow, I am so sorry to hear you lost power during your, um, blizzard. I guess this bill keeping you warm is ONE benefit I hadn’t considered! Ahem.

I am so sorry to hear how it will affect your sister and mother-in-law, and all of us, at one point or another.

Here’s the thing – the Democrats have had every opportunity to do this thing RIGHT. They could actually meet with doctors, with PEOPLE, with hospitals, with representatives from other countries that have public insurance. They could be working on a JOBS bill, and trying to grow jobs, making that Priority Number One, while they work on real Health Care Reform.

But no. They are selling their souls, and our health, down the river for the gain of a few over the many. It is reprehensible. It is immoral.

Thinking of you and your family, Sassy.

Chicago Joe
Anonymous

“But lobbyist and former Kennedy staffer Andrew Rosenberg said political conditions, not big money or the predispositions of lobbyists sidelined a public option.”

He may know lobbying, but he is wrong here. Obama and his crew were never for the “public option.” His statement today ices the cake. He didn’t say he had to compromise, he said he never said he supported or “campaigned” on the public option. He made a mental mistake of saying something closer to the truth, rather than sticking to the cover story built that it was out of his control.
BlogConsulting.com

test
BlogConsulting.com

trst 2
stodghie

well we have a long way to go and can take power back from these double dealers and do this health debate and bill the right way. the dimocrats have shown they can’t do anything right.
Lindsay

Obama Lashes Out at GOP For Using Filibuster to Stall His Takeover of 1/6 of US EconomyThursday, December 24, 2009, 10:56 AMJim Hoft

More Hope and Change…
Hugo Chavez Barack Obama lashed out at Republican senators today for stalling his takeover of one-sixth of the US economy.
<img src=”http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/obama-angry-150×150.jpg” title=”obama angry”/>
Obama suggested that the senate should change its rules to better accomodate his plans for America.
Breitbart reported:
President Barack Obama on Wednesday expressed frustration with the way the Senate does business, saying the use of delaying tactics there harms the nation’s ability to “deal with big problems in a very competitive world.”
“Other countries are going to start running circles around us,” Obama said in a White House interview with PBS. “We’re going to have to return to some sense that governance is more important than politics inside the Senate.”
Obama’s critique of his former Senate colleagues came just as his allies there were on the cusp of giving him what he wants: passage of a Senate health care bill.
The bare-minimum bloc of 60 senators—all 58 Democrats and two independents—voted to end a GOP filibuster and move toward final passage Thursday.
Obama said the use of that vote-stalling tactic, which requires 60 votes to cut off debate, has been imposed in an “unheard of” routine fashion. He said it’s problematic regardless of which party controls the White House and Congress, but conceded that, as president, he doesn’t have much power to do anything about it.
How dare Republicans stand up against this historic power grab by the Obama Administration.
Only 36% of voters approve of Obama’s nationalized health care plan.

Now Obama’s feeling dictator like.
Lindsay

I keep hearing the Pelosi and Reid are not going to take this bill into reconciliation but are going to come up with a compromise bill themselves. So that Der Leader will have something to sign before The State of the Union. The way the Senate bill stands it couldn’t make it through the house.
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