Rep. Mike Ross, who flip-flopped on the public option and has authored an amendment that seems like a copycat of Max Baucus’s no-good, terribly bad bill, has been in secretive talks with a Republican, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA), for weeks. Guess what? Rep. Boustany’s the one that’s scheduled to give the GOP address to President Obama’s speech tonight. Here’s an excerpt from the story below:
A lead Democratic healthcare negotiator has been keeping a back channel open to a key Republican in the hopes of forging a bipartisan health reform alternative that could potentially cripple plans to pass a House bill with a public option.
According to GOP sources, Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), who was the lead negotiator for the conservative Blue Dog Democrats during the markup of the Energy and Commerce portion of the healthcare bill, has been in talks with Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-La.) in an effort to find “workable solutions” to the healthcare stalemate that could “win broad bipartisan support.”
Of course Rep. Mike Ross’s press flack denies the past meetings with Rep. Boustany, and only admits to the meeting with Rep. Boustany today on the eve of President Obama’s speech:
Brad Howard, spokesman for Ross, stated in an e-mail on Wednesday: “Per Congressman Boustany’s request from several weeks ago, Congressman Ross did meet with him this afternoon, as Congressman Ross meets with any Member who requests to do so. Today’s meeting was the first and only meeting between the two Members and no future meetings are scheduled. There are no secret meetings about a possible health care alternative proposal with Republicans and Congressman Ross is not working to create an alternative health care proposal. Any reports to the contrary are flat-out wrong.”
What bipartisanship means in this instance for Rep. Ross is agreeing to Republican ideas like those of Rep. Charles Boustany, and killing off great Democratic ideas like the public option, which has popular support in Blue Dog congressional districts.
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A big waste of time and oxygen.
Not necessarily .. as bad as the legislation looks and as determined as President Emmanuel is to get those bipartisan votes… this could be a sincere effort to fuck a Progressive block.
After all, if big insurance reaps trillions and tens of millions of new customers, a lot of Republicans will want to help give it to the corporate campaign paymasters.
That Mike Ross is a real snake.
OT: Bad news – NYTimes is saying Obama will outline the advantages of a public option but he will not insist on it.
I thought he was just a plain ol’ shitbag. I stand corrected.
Now Chuck Todd on MSNBC is saying Olympia Snowe invented the “trigger”.. when in fact it was insurance company folks paid by Democrats in the Third Way organization who invented triggers.
Well, what you’re seeing is all the politicians owned by the insurance industry uniting regardless of party to do the bidding of their benefactors. Follow the money. Add to that the Republicans who are simply antagonistic to the opposition and it’s a force to be reckoned with.
I don’t know if it is widely known, but Vickie Reggie Kennedy(Teddy’s widow) is Boustany’s first cousin.
You can check out their Wikis if anyone doubts this to be true.
And O’Donnell continues to say there is no way there will be a public option in the final bill.
Yeah, well. Chuck Todd’s word is worth a lot less than his haircuts.
Yea, and Obama is related to Cheney. . .
You forgot the part where Rahm Emanuel jumps for joy.
O’Donnell generally rubs me the wrong way, maybe he’s too Hollywood or sumpin’, but he does get things right occasionally, I think he’s on target here.
Ross and the Puke=DUMB and dumber (nefarious) dumb and dumber
I agree but he is doggin these people right now.
we NEDD a drinking game
ideas?
trigger?
bipartisan?
yup, a lot of people are depending on this Obie
@11
Sen. Kennedy touched the lives of many Acadiana natives.
U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, worked with Kennedy in Congress and described him as a man with a great sense of humor who often reached across partisan lines. Kennedy and Boustany worked together on the reauthorization of Head Start, an early childhood program.
“He was a really fun person to be around and he was a dedicated public servant, although I often disagreed with some of the positions he took,” Boustany said.
Boustany also knew Kennedy outside of Washington, having played tennis with him and through family connections.
A Crowley native, Boustany is Vicki Reggie Kennedy’s cousin.
“My condolences go out to both the Reggie and the Kennedy family,” Rep. Boustany said. ____________________________________the advertiser.com
Boustany reflects on ties | theadvertiser.com | The AdvertiserAug 27, 2009 … Reggie, 56, is the brother of Kennedy’s widow Victoria ”Vicki” …. Colleagues mourn Kennedy; see photo galleries, read related coverage …
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/…..ts-on-ties – Cached – Similar
So are they figuring out a way to get the House Republican leadership to OK a small number of Republican votes in the House to counteract the progressive block of NO votes (assuming no public option)?
If the bill has a mandate with no PO, the R’s will be able to capitalize on all the rightous anger in 2010 and 2012. It may be their best strategy. R’s, I mean.
“Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)Song of Solomon
According to Nate Silver’s analysis that slinkerwink links to,
Mike Ross’ constituents probably support the public option 49%-41%.
Mikey should be near the top of any list of PAT (Primary Their A**es) targets for 2010.
Blue Dogs helped out Republicans through all of the Bush years.. I don’t see why they wouldn’t get together on this and call it a victory once again.
Why do Republicans insist on lying about every aspect of health care reform? It seems like they are incapable of telling the truth. Here is Senator Barrasso, a medical doctor, blatantly lying about health care premiums.
progressnotcongress.org?/P=2839
Actually, if the idiots in Blue Dog states were stupid enough to vote for a Democrat, then they should get the Democratic Party’s legislation. These asswipes didn’t join the Republican party. They lost! If you want to hang with the winning team then, you’d better vote like you’re on it! Personally, I plan to do all I can to send money to a challenger to these dicks! If they want to join the minority party, I’m going to do all I can to help them!
im nervous
As if it weren’t bad enough, Boustany is scheduled to be the one to respond to President Obama’s speech. I suppose it’s too much to hope that he pull a Jindal…
By the way, I just read on ugh…politico that this quack Boustany was sued 3 times for malpractice and all 3 times the judgement went for the plaintiff. That means it went against doctor Quackenbush!
Read my awesome diary poking fun at this idiot here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/…..-and-Video!%29
“Tonite we will find out if Barack Obama works for the people or for the corporations.” Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.
Corporations vs. people. I guess it will be corporations.
Fuck the repulicans and the DINO’s. They do not support the american people, they support the insurance companies. They should have NO place at the table.
“Blood sucking, that is what our health care system is right now.” Keith Olbermann. I must correct Keith. That should be blood sucking parasites.
no live blog?
I’m with you on that.
oh my.bWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA
LETS DO IT
Based on the excerpts I’ve heard it sounds like he works for the corporations.
the expert excerpts?
Snort… He apparently wanted to be “royalty” too… Here’s a link to the transcript of Rachel’s show yesterday, in which she says:
GUFFAW!!!
There’s another thread upstairs, but no mention of a live blog…
Apparently upstairs is the live blog.
Say buh-bye Mr. Ross. Even as a child I couldn’t deal with snakes slithering in the dirt at night….
The Congress is back in session and doing the dirty work for the Medical Industrial Complex.
mcconnell $3.3M, hatch $2.9M, baucus $2.8M, grassley $2.7M,
lieberman $2.6M, burr $2.4M, ensign $2.4M, cornyn $2.2M, kyl $2.1M,
conrad $2.1M, cantor $1.8M boehner $1.7M, coburn $1.2M were
paid by the Medical Industrial Complex to kill Health Care Reform.
Follow the Money: Link
Call Congress and demand, Single-Payer Health Care for All!
Sign Single-Payer Petition: Link
Don’t let the Medical Industrial Complex steal your Health Care from you and your family by donating huge sums of money to Crooked Politicians in order to maintain the Status Quo. Keep up the good fight.
SEMPER FI!