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In reply to the discussion: Harkin: OBAMACARE Should Have Been SINGLE-PAYER But 'WE BLEW IT' [View all]treestar
(82,383 posts)79. +1 with added congratulations for using "methinks" eom
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I wonder if Obama or Reid had told him you vote yes or no chair if he would have given in?
Autumn
Dec 2014
#10
I disagree, IMO there was leverage. The chairmanships he was given after campaigning for McCain.
Autumn
Dec 2014
#82
"It was not enough". Your opinion. When BO wanted Dennis Kucinich's cooperation
GoneFishin
Dec 2014
#157
Oh, please. Presidents have bargained with Senators on important votes since forever.
merrily
Dec 2014
#182
Fine. Prove I couldn't do it if I had access to Lieberman and the same leverage over
merrily
Dec 2014
#263
Well, some would use them as an opportunity to explain how they'd actually get Lieberman's vote.
jeff47
Dec 2014
#267
Those would be the asses, Jeff. The notion that you can negotiate with Joe Lieberman in 2009
merrily
Dec 2014
#269
And going all in with a pair of 4s when they're showing a pair of kings isn't gonna win.
jeff47
Dec 2014
#281
Nope. Nothing Could Possibly Have Induced Lieberman to Vote For a Public Option
AndyTiedye
Dec 2014
#161
I don't buy it , Liberman would have caved if every other Democrat voted for single payer
helpmetohelpyou
Dec 2014
#26
No, they didn't go crazy. They were only laughing at how silly the alleged challenge is.
merrily
Dec 2014
#208
It is an insult to this President to claim he had zero influence over his own party.
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#235
You you think the voters are sympathetic to a party that can't get the job done with 59 Senators?
Doctor_J
Dec 2014
#151
You've hit the nail on the head. Democrats, rather than doing what they needed to to get things done
smokey nj
Dec 2014
#155
No, it was not 20-30 days, but closer to 3-4 months. Besides, Kennedy's illness was no surprise.
merrily
Dec 2014
#183
LOL! You are not going to count Kennedy's hand picked place holder as a Democrat?
merrily
Dec 2014
#190
Lieberman would have voted 'yes' for anything to keep his chairs. All they had to do was
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#177
Exactly! The excuses are ridiculous. In Jan 2009 Dems not only had control of the Senate, Congress
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#233
Yep. The lack of a strong public option, as promised, was the final straw for a number of Dems
merrily
Dec 2014
#250
Better query: Why did Lieberberman lose a chair for campaiging for McCain, but lose nothing at all
merrily
Dec 2014
#179
No shit. I think we know why the law didn't include liberal policies like a single-payer health care
Autumn
Dec 2014
#5
And Kasserine Pass was the point in which the U.S. lost the second world war...
LanternWaste
Dec 2014
#120
"Bullied forward and gone to war" a black first-term President trying to get healthcare reform that
kelliekat44
Dec 2014
#75
Just one more consequence of Democrats not having the balls to fight like Republicans do.
world wide wally
Dec 2014
#8
I disagree. It wasn't about balls. It was about getting what they set out to get.
merrily
Dec 2014
#203
It was not about balls or vaginas or any other body part. See Reply 17 and others on this thread.
merrily
Dec 2014
#198
They know damn good and well they are screwing the pooch while they're in the process of doing it.
Autumn
Dec 2014
#14
You're right. It's a shame that all their introspection and courage doesn't show up
Buns_of_Fire
Dec 2014
#21
Wyoming conservatives to Heritage Foundation to Billarycare to Romneycare to Obamacare.
merrily
Dec 2014
#199
That's what we tried to tell them, but we are attacked and told we wanted 'ponies' and how
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#18
Of course, the now thoroughly disgraced John Edwards pointed this out seven years ago
RufusTFirefly
Dec 2014
#72
There you go, you always come through for me. I was going to go look for some comments
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#136
The same as Bernie Sanders....who said "We must protect the progress we have made"
VanillaRhapsody
Dec 2014
#144
Maybe I misunderstand your position, then. When you said you wanted progress, not ponies, it
tblue37
Dec 2014
#230
Yes that is exactly what I am saying.....because the "Perfect" or "ponies" are not likely to happen.
VanillaRhapsody
Dec 2014
#247
The health pony Obama-Biden promised us during the 2008 campaign? You bet I wanted it.
merrily
Dec 2014
#195
No shit, what is wrong with him, why would he say such an obviously provable wrong thing?
NoJusticeNoPeace
Dec 2014
#35
That's why they should have taken care of the 60 vote rule as soon as they had the chance.
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#78
That's WHY Dems should have done it. You are MAKING THE POINT. Had they done it, lots of
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#176
Not only did Dems not deal with it, they didn't even make Rs actually work
SomeGuyInEagan
Dec 2014
#248
It's a great excuse, isn't it? I guess they actually do believe we are all stupid!
sabrina 1
Dec 2014
#135
They did. In March 2010, Obamacare passed by reconciliation because Brown got elected January 2010.
merrily
Dec 2014
#218
Senator Harkin is 100% correct. Democrats did have a 60 vote majority in the Senate.
Zorra
Dec 2014
#158
Yup. I was correct. Snowe never voted for Obamacare. (I just checked her wiki.)
merrily
Dec 2014
#217
We didn't have "60 votes" for single-payer. We had 60 Senators caucusing with the party.
NYC Liberal
Dec 2014
#36
no he couldn't. Lieberman, Bayh, both Nelsons, and other blue dogs wouldn't go for it.
still_one
Dec 2014
#127
You need to read this entire thread. The cake was baked before Baucus ever got his
merrily
Dec 2014
#204
The Disease Management Industrail Complex has a vested interest in making sure we get sick
Dont call me Shirley
Dec 2014
#53
Mencken was an extreme racist and opponent of representative democracy, an elitist.
Bluenorthwest
Dec 2014
#231
barring single/universal advocates isn't an oopsie, it shows what the whole thing had a chosen goal
MisterP
Dec 2014
#56
hey Tom, you didn't blow it, you gave us exactly what the insurance companies wanted.
spanone
Dec 2014
#62
Obama could not have and did not do this alone. He would have gone with PO had the Dems
kelliekat44
Dec 2014
#81
1. Gotten with Reid and Lieberman and told them no committee assignments or chairmanships -
treestar
Dec 2014
#92
You do realize what else the newly elected President was dealing with at the time. Dems failed to
kelliekat44
Dec 2014
#88
LOL! You may as well put that silly, simplistic challenge away. No one is falling for it.
merrily
Dec 2014
#206
Dude, you got nothing but embarrassing yourself. Have him call me. I'll take care of it.
merrily
Dec 2014
#252
schumer can go screw himself. I didn't hear him protest at the time. As for Harkin, he is not
still_one
Dec 2014
#128
Democrats can try and shift blame all they want. There was a window of opportunity to get it done.
liberal_at_heart
Dec 2014
#134
No, you don't feel silly at all now--because you never fell for their story back then.
merrily
Dec 2014
#256
Rotating villains or rotating DU memes. Take your pick. The kabuki could not have been
merrily
Dec 2014
#210
Like any of the "minor tweaks" that were made ostensibly in the name of wooing Olympia Snowe.
Marr
Dec 2014
#273
It was necessary to at least have a national discussion on single payer. Max Baucus quashed that.
Enthusiast
Dec 2014
#149
Baucus was one of several (willing) scapegoats. Please see Reply 204, among others.
merrily
Dec 2014
#211
this is a waste of time. republican radio made single payer politically impossible long
certainot
Dec 2014
#159
Obama NEVER wanted single payer. He works for the 1%, and they tell him what to do.
blkmusclmachine
Dec 2014
#163
I think the last thing I remember Ted Kennedy saying publicly was "Don't screw it up"
loyalsister
Dec 2014
#180
Yeah, instead we dicked around for a year with "town halls" that allowed the tricorner hat crowd to
Warren DeMontague
Dec 2014
#181
The idea that DU knows more about the workings of the Senate than Harkin is laughable.
merrily
Dec 2014
#213
Shh. Don't remind DU activists that a public option was considered an absolute backstop
Leopolds Ghost
Dec 2014
#229
“We had the votes in ’09. We had a huge majority in the House, we had 60 votes in the Senate,"
Jesus Malverde
Dec 2014
#275