Tweet
Yesterday, Byron Doran announced that he will bring a bill to the floor that will attempt to blow up the White House deal with PhRMA, specifically the part about reimportation of drugs from Candada. He stands a good chance — he’s got Republican co-sponsors in Snowe and McCain for the bill he introduced in March:
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would save American consumers $50 billion over the next decade, including more than $10 billion in federal government savings. North Dakotans alone are expected to save more than $112 million.
We’ve watched Harry Reid use procedure to say one thing and do another for years. And now he’s trying to protect Rahm’s deal doing it once again. Jon Walker caught this:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed Tuesday that the Senate this year will consider controversial legislation allowing Americans to buy their prescription drugs from abroad, where they sell for much less than they do domestically.
In a Sept. 22 letter to Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Reid promised that if the issue isn’t tackled during the debate over comprehensive health care reform, he “guarantee[s]” consideration of a free-standing bill “before the end of the year.”
Just let the White House deal pass and then we’ll get to it, kids. Right after we end the war probably.
Despite the 30 co-sponsors lined up in support of the Dorgan-Snowe-McCain bill, Reid warned the lawmakers that passage “will not be easy.”
Reid’s son Rory is on a "listening tour" and is eyeing the Nevada gubernatorial race for 2010. If his father gets savaged for killing the public option and facilitating a huge financial burden on states, Rory’s "it’s the the economy stupid" campaign is going to be quickly reduced to political rubble.
We’ll be liveblogging the Senate Finance Committee markup today of the public option on FDL Action.
15 Comments
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About FDL Action
this should be good.
Snowe and McCain won’t change their votes?
Why is Rahm the focal point in “the deals”? Is he Al Capone? Obama’s surrogate? Are we not allowed to point to Obama as key to the deals? I mean, what is the deal?
With Snowe and McCain on board this amendment has more GOP support than Rahm’s drug company deal, or Obama’s healthcare plan, Rahm must be embarrassed.
Thanks, Jane.
I’m amazed how many people I run into are really paying attention to this health care debate; even people who normally ‘hate’ politics.
And I completely agree with Howard Dean that the Dem majority is a ‘use it or lose it’ dynamic.
May Harry turncoat Reid quikly follow his sons steps.
Rahm gets the blame if a deal or WH press leak pisses off the Left double points if the WH later denies it why because it always turns out to be Rahm before Rahm got on board Obama’s people almost never leaked.
Obama will have to fire Rahm soon or start taking responsibility for his failures I am unaware of Rahm winning at any of his schemes.
And no Rahm is no Al Capone but he and the Press do think he is.
Citizen tw3k:
One Hung Harry Reid is a political fossil and his spawn is gunna get ground up by the terrible power of political and economic reality.
A-Men, tw3k !
If Harry Reid does not get a robust PO passed, I will join many Canucks and campaign in Nevada against him … I hate a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing !
Citizen ThingsComeUndone:
Obama’s usin’ Rahm jest like he’s been usin’ the Clinton’s…Rahm’s the lightenin’ rod to mobilize the progressives in the Democratic majority and Obama uses ‘im as cover. This entire fight for peace and public healthcare is ours to lose.
Will Harry sacrifice his son well not intentionally but think about Sarah Palin some parents do use their kids as props for their own ambition they hurt their kids to make themselves important however they do think they are great parents.
If Harry is acting logically to help his son then you have identified a great point of leverage especially given Harry’s drop in the polls. A further drop in the polls by being on the wrong side of Healthcare could easily hurt his son’s chances of being Governor.
But if Harry is all about himself first and not his son then we have no leverage.
I like your theory in the back of my head I think I believe it because I can’t find it in me to blame Obama for Rahm’s mistakes.
Isn’t that supposed to be Byron Dorgan?
When can we sacrifice Harry? Electorally speaking, of course.
testing
can not get in on the blog for the senate hearing
True enough. I just think that its not fun to hate Obama, its kind of depressing to hate obama. rahm makes a good punching bag/scape goat because hes so hate-able. Even if rahm never went anywhere near politics I would hate him. If i had never heard of rahm before, then met him on the street i would say “god! there goes the king of the douchebags.”