WOW YOU'RE SO AWESOME. I AM GLAD THT YOURE PROTECTING ME. I AM A DOCTOR AND I HATE POOR PEOPLE. LOOOKS AT THAT ITS A CAT. HEALTH CARE REFORM SCTOOO BROWN WHO NEEDS THAT. TEA PARTAY. TAX BREAKS AND TAX BREAKS AND TAX BREAKS. HEALTH CARE IS FINE. KEEP YOUR HANDS OF MY MEDICAIRE. This is my last post.
True, but the Republicans during their majorities had people like John and Lincoln Chafee (who didn't even vote for GW Bush in 2004) along with the Maine Senators. With a smaller majority than the Democrats now have were able to pass most of their proposals.
Really? OK then. Good-bye. And to send you off with real style, I leave you with these immortal words uttered by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his hit action film "The Terminator": "Hasta la vista, baby."
Because they did not face a united bloc willing to filibuster every single policy - this is the first time in the history of the republic that an effective 40 vote super minority has been formed on a consistent basis.
I agree and that says quite abit about the ability of a party to function. Whether you agree or disagree with their ideas the Republicans have clearly shown a superior ability to function cohesively and maintain ideological discipline. As I said a few months ago if Obama really wants to get health care passed he should take a page from the GW Bush playbook and enforce party discipline.
If by function you mean stop the government from functioning you are correct. They have been more successful at that. I don't know that's really a coup for the GOP though.
ideological discipline? So when 9 republican Senators vote AGAINST cloture, but then vote FOR the bill - that is ideological discipline? There is no ideology behind that, that is purely tactical.
If insurance companies aren't allowed to exclude for pre-existing conditions but people aren't forced to have insurance, then every single insurance company will fold. The reason is because nobody who isn't sick would have health insurance, and then once they get sick, they would get insurance to pay for it. On NPR this morning they said it would be like waiting until after the hurricane and then deciding they need flood insurance, and the insurance companies have to sell to them.
one of the best lines of the day -- Sen. Dick Durbin to Republicans: "You think it's a socialist plot and it's wrong? For goodness sakes, drop out of the federal employees health benefit program."
Obama said he wanted an open an honest debate. The Republicans apparently gave him more than he wanted today. Here is a picture of Obama during a presentation by Representative Paul Ryan. It actually appears that his middle finger is extended along the side of his head. LOL. What is that, Obama's death stare? Hahahahahaha! LOL again.
^ | CSB! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100225/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1187 There doesn't appear to be any love lost between the two candidates who faced off for the presidency in 2008. Taking his turn to speak at this morning's historic bipartisan summit on health care reform, Sen. John McCain launched into a spirited attack on President Obama and the Democrats in Congress. He cited "unsavory" deals made by Democratic leadership in the Senate, argued that Obama had broken his promise to have previous health care negotiations live on C-Span and called on President Obama to "start over." President Obama didn't take kindly to McCain's attack, saying bluntly to McCain "We're not campaigning anymore. The election is over." Chuckling, McCain responded "I'm reminded of that every day." Obama tried to move the conversation back to the policy discussion at hand, saying "We can spend the remainder of the time with our respective talking points going back and forth, [but] we were supposed to be talking about insurance." In a debate over federal deficits, McCain and Obama just tangled again. McCain interrupted the proceedings to angrily reiterate his opposition to a deal to give extra protections to seniors in Florida on Medicare Advantage payments. If we're so worried about costs, McCain said, "why in the world would we carve out 800,000 people in Florida that would not have their medicare advantage cut?" Obama nodded in agreement and, apparently to McCain's surprise, simply said "I think you make a legitimate point."
If Obama really wanted to be an ass, he would have said McCain is campaigning for re election which is no shoe in I didn't watch this whole thing but I did see that exchange. I must say, Obama may have gone to the well once too often on this, the republicans were much better prepared. no they didn't have a plan but they had their talking points
game on President Obama challenged Republicans to do some "soul searching" on whether they will support the Democratic health care plan, using the final moments of his health care summit to ask them to put up or shut up. If they don't want to cooperate, the two parties can battle it out at the polls this November, the president said. bring it!
