6:00 PM: Harkin: No Public Option No Medicare Opt In. --Both

[OHdem10]

off the table . The Bill will now pass.

[DrToast]

1. Unless he told you think directly, please tell us where you're hearing this.*

*

[OHdem10]

28. Fox News at 6:00 reported this. Harkin was speaking to reporters

up on Capital Hill.

[timeforpeace]

2. Well that was easy. What's next on the agenda?

[IndianaGreen]

5. Anti-abortion rights Stupak language is restored

Got to keep them pedophile bishops happy!

[LooseWilly]

11. Climate change.

The climate needs change for a $5. Anyone have 23 cents handy?

[timeforpeace]

19. I laughed out loud.

[LooseWilly]

35. Heh, serves you right... your post nearly made me piss myself laughing...

:)

[timeforpeace]

24. Actually the agenda order is whacked. Back to Old Business. First item, withdrawal from Iraq.

[DJ13]

3. Let it die

Our economy is in too bad a shape to force people to buy private insurance.

[mrmpa]

4. This is insanity

at its finest.

[JVS]

6. The republicans are going to completely kick our asses with this one.

They've gotten us to compromise so far that we are actually imposing a burden on most voters rather than providing them with a beneficial reform. Now that they've gotten us to make our legislation suck so bad, they're going to cram the reform up our asses sideways as an electoral strategy.

[IndependentDem]

30. THAT was the whole damn point, and they still wont vote for it.

:banghead: :argh:

[JVS]

33. Well of course they won't vote for it. They want their hands clean of this. They're going to say..

to the public "This healthcare thing that sucks so bad and is costing you such high mandatory premiums. Well we tried to stop it, but the democrats rammed it through without any of our support or consent! We we robbed!"

[Cant trust em]

7. Au revoir le mandate.

I've been saying it for months.

No public option = no mandate.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. I see. Is there anything left that we wanted?

Damn it.

[timeforpeace]

9. Presumably we will be told tomorrow what's left. And that we wanted that.

[villager]

31. Nope. As with most other hopeful, change-y agenda items, btw...

n/t

[IndianaGreen]

10. AP: Senate Dems weigh dropping Medicare expansion

Senate Dems weigh dropping Medicare expansion

December 14, 2009 06:52 PM EST |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats say they may jettison a proposed Medicare expansion from health care legislation they are eager to pass before Christmas.

Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, emerging from a closed door meeting, said Monday the move is probably necessary to pass the bill.

Under a tentative agreement worked out last week among Senate liberals and moderates, uninsured men and women beginning at age 55 would be permitted to purchase coverage from Medicare. They would be required to pay higher rates than is charged to beneficiaries age 65 and up.

But Connecticut's independent Sen. Joe Lieberman threatened over the weekend to oppose the legislation if the Medicare provision is included, and several Democrats have also expressed concern about it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20091214/us-health-care-medicare/

[DrDan]

12. sure hope they left in the mandatory buy-in - otherwise it would be quite a flop

[Cant trust em]

13. Are you serious? Why would you want a mandate with no public option?

I don't think its fair to force people to buy something that is too expensive and might not fit their needs.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Because the people we elected serve the corporations, not the people

BOHICA

[DrDan]

22. you missed the sarcasm thingie - it was virtually there

[Cant trust em]

25. I was wondering...

You never know sometimes because some people might actually want it.

[timeforpeace]

18. You must buy in! "But why?" Shut up, that's why!

[Phx_Dem]

14. That squares with CNN's report of Rahm urging Reid to use reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a budget process that could be used to pass a public option alone. This is the scenario that was floated by Howard Dean and a couple others months ago -- essentially, the Senate would pass a bill with no public option, then they would pass public option bill separately using budget reconciliation which requires only 51 votes.

If the Harkin report to correct, it sounds like this is where they're headed.

[jberryhill]

16. Not only that....

...but there will be hell to pay if they don't.

[Phx_Dem]

34. Also squares with reports that WH urged Reid to "make a deal" with Lieberman

Presumably, they make a deal by taking out P.O. and Medicare, then pass it in reconcilliation where they don't need Lieberman.

By George, I think that's what they're doing! And I'm loving it.

[a kennedy]

17. This just sucks......

:mad: :mad: :mad: :grr: :grr: :grr: D*mn those g*wd d*mn blue dogs.

[IndianaGreen]

20. Washington Post is reporting Reid agreed to drop Medicare buy-in

Posted at 6:45 PM ET, 12/14/2009

Democrats move toward dropping medicare expansion

By Shailagh Murray

Senate Democrats emerged from a special caucus meeting Monday night determined to pass a health-care bill by Christmas -- but without the Medicare buy-in plan that liberals had sought as an alternative to a government insurance option.

The Medicare buy-in was never warmly embraced by moderate Democrats, but independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman(Conn), whose vote is needed to break a GOP filibuster, appears to have dealt the proposal a mortal blow when he informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) on Sunday that he wouldn't support the buy-in plan in any form.

In the Monday evening meeting, Reid urged Democrats to accept political reality and move the $848 billion bill across the finish line without the proposal.

"It appeared that would be necessary," Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), a moderate, said in response to a question about whether the Medicare expansion would be dropped as he left the caucus.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/health-care-reform/daily-dose/?hpid=topnews

[QC]

21. How very, very hopeful and changealicious! n/t

[Starry Messenger]

23. I'm sure glad we put off DADT.

This was totally worth it! :patriot:

[IndianaGreen]

27. Remember that Lieberman was asked for help on DADT

and many DUers, including too many LGBTs, swore to the heavens that Lieberman could be trusted on DADT.

[Starry Messenger]

29. I was remembering all of the DUers

who said that this health care bill was going to be so great that everyone else could go screw. That's what I remember.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MNDemNY]

32. And Obama will signit with fanfare!!

gobama!!!Could we get that anti-choice language in it as well?? Pleeeeeease?:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: