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According to Politico, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is apparently trying to revive the “Gang of 14” idea, but this time to stop Democrats from using reconciliation to pass some changes to the Senate health care bill. He claims that a bipartisan group in the Senate could agree to a new smaller health care bill if Democrats gave up on reconciliation even though Graham seemed to show zero desire to work on health care reform the first time around.
Of course you’ll remember the original Gang of 14 agreed to allow an up-or-down vote on what the Republican majority wanted to protect the filibuster. With this new plan, Graham is asking the Democratic majority to give up completely on an up-or-down vote and the Republican minority in exchange might think about cooperating.
If Graham is really prepared to vote for a bipartisan health care bill he should draft a legitimate bill, put his name on it and be prepared to take it to the floor for a vote. Otherwise this is just an attempt to trick Democrats into running out the clock with pointless negotiations.
Coming up with a decent health care bill is surprisingly easily. There are dozens of other health care systems around the world and several fairly successful programs in this country which could be mimicked. If Graham is looking for help writing a reform package I’ve previously suggested a bill which uses as a starting point Republicans’ ever-shifting health care reform principles.
The ridiculous thing is that if Graham really wanted a bipartisan health care bill he could probably easily get it. With Democrats desperate to find away out of the Gordian knot they have tied themselves into with health care reform, I suspect that if Graham along with a handful of Republicans offered a slightly smaller but still sensible health care reform bill the Democrats would probably snap it up.
I’m glad to see for once that the conservative Democrats are not buying into Graham’s silliness and only hope the media will see through it as easily. If he really wants a sensible health care reform bill that Republicans will vote for, Sen. Graham needs to put up a bill that has several Republican votes or shut up.
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I vote for “shut up” because he’ll never put up. If he had any interest, why hasn’t he tried to do anything before? He’s only had the last ten years of getting whatever a Republican wanted to get.
Here is a really interesting book on thyroidism and the problems with erroneous detection methods followups and general heath problems as a result.
This looks like something to address here, and maybe for the Book Salon.
http://www.21centurymed.com/?page_id=12
If he is right, much of the cost of medical care might decrease substantially, neatly sidestepping all the nonsense on heath care reform. Reforms start with diagnostics and treatment, not screwing with insurance provisions.
ON what basis do you say he didn’t try for something bipartisan the first time around?
I remember many ideas and amendments Graham and others proposed.
As we all know, the health care bill first emerged from the House on about the same basis that the stimulus bill did–Democrats worked on it by themselves and then revealed an essentially finished product when done. Take it or leave.
As an alternative example, when LBJ was putting together the Civil Rights bill, he wrote it in Everett Dirkson’s (Republican) office. With Dirkson involved all the way. THAT is bipartisan.
And, when you talk of passing something over GOP opposition, Civil Rights was not one of them. The bill had way more than 60 votes. Yeah, the South was opposed, but lots of Senators from both parties supported it.
LBJ understood that you need broad support across the spectrum to make such a major change and have it stick.
Today’s Dems do not understand it. It was always, “Do it our way,” only. They didn’t think they needed anyone else. They knew they had the votes, so no compromise was needed or offered. The dog and pony summit showed the GOP had lots of ideas and willingness to work together on a less monstrous bill.
And, since Obama said he would give 6 weeks to try to work something out, and then changed to two weeks, ram it through, the summnit was more of the “Do it our way” scenario.
Anyone who would like should join BT’s regularly scheduled post already in progress: Israeli Prime Minister Embraces Same Radical American Cleric That John McCain Denounced
Reviving the talk of The Gang of Fourteen is simply Lindsay’s way of advancing the GOP narrative that “Reconciliation = Nuclear Option.” And the media continues to fall for it.
Democrats need to be front and center with one clear, simple message: reconciliation is regular Senate order. It’s a Senate rule, used 21 times since 1980, 16 of those times under GOP control.
yep. My daughter has hashimoto’s disease. It is an autoimmune thyroid problem that is undetected by the thyroid function study. It took her a long time to find the right doctor to treat her.
Oh yes, the bipart-Republicans of 1964 are so like the “bipart” Republicans of today. Really, I don’t know why this simple solution has not been proposed.
Because Rahmbo could have written the bill in Miss McConnell’s office. Oh, that’s right. He did.
You have an interesting set of facts. Don’t tip the bong over.
The point is LBJ went to Dirkson. Dirksen didn’t go to LBJ and say, “Let’s write this in my office.”
Here’s another interesting set of facts. Reconciliaton is a regular bit of order used 21 times and mostly by Republicans.
In nearly every case the GOP used it, the bill passed with over 70 votes. It was never used to jam something through because the votes weren’t there to pass 60.
The great thing is that this will free the GOP up to use recon for anything they want in the future. After this, there will be nothing the Dems can complain about the GOP using recon on.
“He claims that a bipartisan group in the Senate could agree to a new smaller health care bill if Democrats gave up on reconciliation even though Graham seemed to show zero desire to work on health care reform the first time around.”
Graham is just an intermediary for Rahm. It’s been Rahm who has been telling all the papers how the President didn’t listen to him about this – and also Graham is working with Rahm on KSM/Gitmo.
You’re glad about what now? I thought you guys were all against this bill. Or is it, that you are until it comes to the Republicans being against it, and then it’s not okay anymore? Kill this bill and allow another 50,000 people to die this year because they have no insurance, just because it isn’t enough like Canada’s? I am a single payer believer to, but the reality in DC is a president who cares more about a word (bipartisanship) than he does about anything else in the world… therefore, we have this mess. After an entire year. And I don’t think it’s funny. Why do you want the Rs to draft (another)bill? Their ideas suck. If this thing is such a gift to the ins companies, why are they against it can you answer that? Because if it passes Obama will succeed yadda yadda… bullshit.
I don’t want anything from the Republicans on healthcare. They’ve damaged this nation quite enough with their ideas, their ‘trickle down’ their libertarianism, their refusal to aid people during a natural disaster because of ideology… always with the ideology first and the people later (or never). I didn’t elect them. Me and the majority elected the Democrats to get HCR done. We got a lousy bill. But there are people still fighting for what’s right, like Grayson’s proposed amendment today. The system isn’t broken and never was. It’s the idiots in the system that are broken. Anybody can blame ‘The System’ when they are a failure, it’s a benign faceless thing that can’t fight back. It’s an excuse to be a spineless weasel. Despite what you say about him, I think Lindsay Graham is one of the best Republicans we have out there. He is the only Republican supporting some of the presidents policies. I don’t have the facts in front of me to support this opi just now, but I firmly believe that he’s a good guy so let him be.
By the way, if HCR fails, then the country (not just the president) fails. (More)People die. We most likely lose the democratic leadership. And take a look around the corner for what’s coming. If you think people like Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, and even nutcases like Bech and Limbaugh are terrifying- well that’s where we’re headed if you don’t support our president. I’m not sorry for this belief. Fear does work in politics. I’m affraid of what happens if these dangerous people take over again. Therefore I support the guy I elected. My country right or wrong. But all the better if not in the hands of the radical right.
See “The Great Corporate Health Care Tax” – We NEED a public option
http://www.retiredinidaho.com/opinion.htm#gchct