nobody knows: [rquoter]Number-two Senate Democrat 'in the dark' about health care bill By: BYRON YORK Chief Political Correspondent 12/12/09 8:15 AM EST Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin admitted Friday that he is "in the dark" about the national health care bill currently under construction by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In an exchange on the Senate floor, Republican Sen. John McCain asked Durbin, "Should we not at least be informed as to what the proposal is that the Senate Majority Leader is going to propose to the entire Senate?" Durbin's answer: "I would say to the senator from Arizona that I am in the dark almost as much as he is, and I am in the leadership." Durbin explained that during a Democratic caucus, Reid and the small group of senators involved in crafting the bill turned to their fellow Democrats and "basically stood and said, 'We are sorry, we can't tell you in detail what was involved.'" "Isn't that a very unusual process?" asked McCain, noting that "we are discussing one-sixth of the gross national product; the bill before us has been a product of almost a year of sausage-making. Yet here we are at a position on December 12, with a proposal that none of us, except, I understand, one person, the Majority Leader, knows what the final parameters are, much less informing the American people. I don't get it." "I think the senator is correct," Durbin answered, "saying most of us know the fundamentals, but we do not know the important details behind this." Durbin went on to claim that Reid is not to blame for the situation; rather, the blame lies with the Congressional Budget Office, which Reid has asked to do a cost estimate on the bill. "We may find that something that was sent over there doesn't work at all, doesn't fly," Durbin said. "They may say this is not going to work, start over." Therefore, Durbin said, Democrats are keeping it all a secret. "It is frustrating on your side," Durbin told McCain. "It is frustrating here." But, Durbin added, he hoped to have the Congressional Budget Office report soon. Here is the entire exchange between the two senators: Mr. McCAIN. Could I ask my friend about the situation as it exists right now? Right now, no Member on this side has any idea as to the specifics of the proposal the majority leader, I understand, has sent to OMB for some kind of scoring. Is that the way we want to do business, that a proposal that will be presented to the Senate sometime next week and voted on immediately--that is what we are told--is that the way to do business in a bipartisan fashion? Should we not at least be informed as to what the proposal is the Senate majority leader is going to propose to the entire Senate within a couple days? Shouldn't we even know what it is? Mr. DURBIN. I would say to the Senator from Arizona, I am in the dark almost as much as he is, and I am in the leadership. The reason is, because the Congressional Budget Office, which scores the managers' amendment, the so-called compromise, has told us, once you publicly start debating it, we will publicly release it. We want to basically see whether it works, whether it works to continue to reduce the deficit, whether it works to continue to reduce the growth in health care costs. We had a caucus after this was submitted to the Congressional Budget Office, where Senator Reid and other Senators who were involved in it basically stood and said: We are sorry, we can't tell you in detail what was involved. But you will learn, everyone will learn, it will be as public information as this bill currently is on the Internet. But the Congressional Budget Office has tied our hands at this point putting it forward. Basically, what I know is what you know, having read press accounts of what may be included. Mr. McCAIN. Could I ask my friend from Illinois--and by the way, I would like to do this again. Perhaps when he can get more substance into many of the issues. Mr. DURBIN. Same time, same place tomorrow? Mr. McCAIN. I admit these are unusual times. But isn't that a very unusual process, that here we are discussing one-sixth of the gross national product; the bill before us has been a product of almost a year of sausage-making. Yet here we are at a position on December 12, with a proposal that none of us, except, I understand, one person, the majority leader, knows what the final parameters are, much less informing the American people. I don't get it. Mr. DURBIN. I think the Senator is correct, saying most of us know the fundamentals, but we do not know the important details behind this. What I am saying is, this is not the choice of the majority leader. It is the choice of the Congressional Budget Office. We may find that something that was sent over there doesn't work at all, doesn't fly. They may say this is not going to work, start over. So we have to reserve the right to do that, and I think that is why we are waiting for the Congressional Budget Office scoring, as they call it, to make sure it hits the levels we want, in terms of deficit reduction and reducing the cost of health care. It is frustrating on your side. It is frustrating here. But I am hoping, in a matter of hours, maybe days, we will receive the CBO report.
Is this really a big deal considering that no when everyone gets to see the bill it will come with cost estimates.
Perhaps if Republicans didn't keep filibustering everything, they might know more. But as it is, they all voted against even debating the bill, so they didn't seem all that interested in the details.
The same group as everyone else: the people who will learn the details of the proposal after the CBO scores it.
He was blessed with a golden voice. This thread would have been so much more interesting if it actually did have something to do with Leonard Cohen.
we can expand the topic, and include Atom Egoyan. <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NXsRcqkOaGk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NXsRcqkOaGk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>
Durbin's not the only complaining - McCain is. McCain and his party chose to use procedural tactics to defeat the bill. Now Reid is using procedural tactics to try to help pass the bill. Big deal. Everyone will still be able to read the bill before voting on it. The GOP clearly doesn't care about the details anyway, as they've already said they are voting no, so what does it matter?
the point of the thread is that eve a guy like Dick Durbin doesn't know what's in HR's proposal. don't you find that rather odd? what happened to transparency?
Leonard Cohen kicks much ass. Those that think he sucks, suck. Those that think his voice sucks, suck. Those named Basso, suck.
No, I don't find it odd at all. The proposal hasn't been submitted to the Senate yet, so why would everyone in the Senate know the details?
My favorite Cohen quote went something like this: Cute female member of the band: "Hey, you want to go to a poetry reading after the show?" Cohen: "No, honey, I don't really like poetry. I just got into it for the chicks."
My wife went to his concert in San Jose. When he got to the line in Closing Time that says, "The women take their blouses off..." all these women in the front took off their shirts and threw them on stage. But, as you'd expect from the profile of his fan-base, they were all 50+ years old.
