You May As Well Try And Read It, Your Congresscritters Probably Won’t Bother

UPDATE:

Ruh roh, chicanery time, they really are desperate to jam this through without anyone getting to read it.

The Democrats’ 2,309-page reconciliation bill was released for public viewing Sunday and will begin the mark-up process in the Budget Committee Monday at 3pm. Contrary to the Democratic pledge to post the reconciliation measure 72 hours before consideration, the bill posted is a dummy — or a “shell” as Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.) put it — an early version of the House bill that cleared key committees in 2009, thus making it eligible for the reconciliation process under budget rules. Once that bill clears the the committee it will be gutted and replaced with the closed-door “fixes” agreed upon by Congressional Democrats, and appended with an unrelated student loan bill.

*****

House Democrats release bill for Budget markup Monday

House Democrats on Sunday night set into motion what they hope will be the final steps on healthcare reform.

The House Budget Committee on Sunday evening released text that will serve as the base legislation for the changes the House will seek to the Senate bill this week.

Specifically, the Budget committee released a 2,309-page effort that had been previously recommended to the Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee last year.

The measure posted online does not include the substantive changes to the Senate healthcare bill that House Democrats will seek. Those changes will be offered during the markups in the Budget and Rules committees, which the budget panel hopes to begin on Monday afternoon.

The House is expected to approve the Senate’s healthcare bill along with the package of changes. The Senate would then be expected to approve the package of changes under budget reconciliation rules.

Because the bill will be considered under budget reconciliation rules in the Senate, GOP senators will not be able to filibuster the package and Democrats will not need 60 votes to move the legislation through the Seante.

A BILL
To provide for reconciliation pursuant to section 202 of
the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010.

Oh, sure, it’s 2300+ pages, but to make any real sense of it, you’re also going to need to refer to the United States Code a lot.

Oh yeah, you’re going to need to reference the 2400+ page Senate bill too.

Have fun! Pack a lunch.

See also:
Next Steps: How The Health Bill Could Move Forward
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Health Care This Week
Democrats look for consensus on final health overhaul package
A Big Week for Health Care Reform: What Could Happen Next?
Nancy Pelosi’s strategy for passing health-care reform
The House Health-Care Vote and the Constitution
John Campbell: ‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over’ on health care

Remember, it’s still not too late to make your voice heard.

/Take Action!

A Convergence Of Miracles?

Connect the dots.

Coakley Now Trailing in Internal Polls: 47-44

According to Steve Kornacki:

I’ve been told reliably that Martha Coakley’s internal poll for Thursday night showed her trailing Scott Brown by three points — 47 to 44 percent.

As I wrote yesterday, her internal poll on Wednesday night had her barely ahead, 46 to 44 percent. The appearance of continued Brown momentum meshes with the Suffolk University/WHDH poll released earlier today, which put Brown ahead 50-46 percent.

Scott Brown Win Could Kill Healthcare–Obama Must Go to Massachusetts

President Obama should hit the campaign trail for Martha Coakley this weekend. He dipped a toe in the Massachusetts special election Thursday when he cut an online ad supporting her. He went in a bit more Friday when he recorded a robocall (“I rarely make these calls and I truly apologize for intruding on your day…”) exhorting Coakley’s election. The stakes, he said in the call, include healthcare reform, because the Massachusetts seat will be the difference between Democrats having a 60 seat majority and Republicans being able to sustain filibusters.

Obama will campaign personally for Coakley as Massachusetts Senate race tightens

President Obama will travel to Massachusetts on Sunday to campaign on behalf of state Attorney General Martha Coakley, the White House said Friday — an indication of the difficulty she faces in a U.S. Senate election next week after long being considered a shoo-in.

Republican state Sen. Scott Brown is running neck-and-neck with Coakley in recent polls of the Bay State as both vie for the Senate seat long held by Edward M. Kennedy (D). The winner of Tuesday’s special election will become the first person not closely affiliated with the Kennedy family to hold the seat since 1952.

The White House had been saying for days that the president had “no plans” to go to Massachusetts, but the loss of the Senate seat would greatly complicate, if not doom, the fate of health-care reform legislation moving through Congress.

Obama’s health care run faces new obstacle: Massachusetts

Today’s White House health care bill negotiations have wrapped up — no meetings are scheduled for this holiday weekend, as lawmakers prepare to submit a revamped package to the Congressional Budget Office for new cost estimates.

“We’ve worked through the gamut of issues in great depth, but there are no final agreements and no overall package,” said a White House statement. “The next step in the process is to evaluate the costs and savings associated with the various proposals for each tenet of the legislation.”

See also:
Coakley underestimated Scott Brown in Mass. Senate race
To the wire: Brown’s surging Senate candidacy poised to deny anticipated win for Coakley
Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race
Republican Taps Into Voter Unease
New Poll Shows Brown Leading Coakley In Massachusetts Senate Race
Obama personally joins Massachusetts quake relief
New Poll Has Brown Up; Obama Will Campaign For Coakley
President Obama to stump for Coakley in Mass.
Obama Massachusetts Campaign Swing Could Backfire, Help Brown

So, let’s recap: Barack Obama has to panic travel to Massachusetts to try and save Teddy’s seat from the evil Republican, Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Scott Brown. If Brown wins, Obamacare is dead in the water, barring shenanigans. There’s no more secret, behind closed White House doors, Democrat health care reform bill negotiations scheduled before next Tuesday’s special Senate election in Massachusetts.

Can Obama protect and deliver Coakley, the 60th Senate vote? I think not and any attempt to delay Brown’s Senate seating will be greatly frowned upon by the general American electorate. Like Democrats aren’t polling low enough already.

/pass the popcorn

One Step Closer To Socialized Medicine

Health Care Bill Moves Forward

Sweeping health care legislation has cleared its first hurdle in the full Senate on a party-line vote.

The 60-39 vote clears the way for a historic debate after Thanksgiving on the legislation. The measure is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who lack it and crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.

The White House released a statement saying, “The President is gratified that the Senate has acted to begin consideration of health insurance reform legislation. Tonight’s historic vote brings us one step closer to ending insurance company abuses, reining in spiraling health care costs, providing stability and security to those with health insurance, and extending quality health coverage to those who lack it. The President looks forward to a thorough and productive debate.”

The rare Saturday session amounted to a first round in the fight to pass the bill in the full Senate, with the remaining Democratic holdouts announcing they would support at least the measure to open debate on the bill, avoiding an early knockout by Republicans.

Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana waited until Saturday to say they would vote yes for a floor debate. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced Friday his support for moving the bill forward.

All three cautioned that their votes to start debate should not be construed a support for the bill in its current form.

“It is a vote to move forward to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is under way,” Landrieu said on the Senate floor. “I’ve decided that there’s enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward but more work needs to be done.”

Lincoln said she still would support a filibuster if the so-called “public option,” a government-run insurance plan, remains in the health care bill.

“I along with others expect to have legitimate opportunities to influence the health care reform legislation that is voted on by the Senate later this year or early next year,” she said.

While the vote is only a procedural one, Republicans haven’t backed down.

“This is a vote about whether or not you want to fundamentally change the way health care is delivered in this country in a way which massively expands the size of government, the role of government and significantly increases the tax burden, especially for small businesses and cuts Medicare by a dramatic amount of money,” Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., told Fox News before Saturday’s session began.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the bill “monstrous” and, citing the Congressional Budget Office, said it would not bring down costs.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, now Harry Reid’s passing out taxpayer funded bribes to jam this health care travesty through.

Sen. Landrieu flaunts purchased vote: “It’s not $100 million; it’s $300 million!”

Facing fallout from an apparent sale of her health care vote to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the Democratic Caucus, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) took a shocking approach in response to the payoff allegations: she flaunted it!

To help secure her vote, Reid included a provision in the bill sought by Landrieu to provide increased Medicaid funds for states recovering from major disasters such as 2005’s Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. When the bill is closely examined, however, the provision provides immense financial support for only one state: Landrieu’s Louisiana.

Landrieu defended the inclusion of the provision and said Republican critics who accuse her of selling her vote for $100 million are wrong and that she has the support of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Then, in a statement sure to be repeated by Republicans endlessly over the coming weeks of Senate health care debate, the senator flaunted the inclusion of the provision. “I will correct something. It’s not $100 million, it’s $300 million, and I’m proud of it and will keep fighting for it,” Landrieu told reporters after her floor speech. “But that is not why I started this health care debate; I started this health care debate for all the reasons I just mentioned in my statement” on the floor.

The apparent purchase of the senator’s vote is already garnering significant response from Republicans as well as taxpayers footing the bill for this provision. The nickname for the provision? “The Louisiana Purchase.”

Unreal, this is just out of control. Never in U.S. legislative history have so many been screwed by so few, at such a high cost.

See also:
Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
Senate Health Care Reform Bill Vote, 60-39 Brings Reform Bill to the Floor
Healthcare bill advances in Senate, in 60-39 vote; it got ‘failing grade’ from healthcare experts
Biden says Senate handed Obama a big victory
Senator Corker Reacts to Senate Health Care Vote
Senate moves health care bill forward for debate
FACTBOX: Details of Senate healthcare reform bill
Landrieu votes in favor of health care debate
GOP hits Landrieu for $100 million ‘new Louisiana Purchase’
Thanks to100 million dollar bribe, Healthcare reform cloture passes Senate!

/trillions of taxpayer dollars, added to the national debt, so we can all pay more, to wait longer, for less health care, whee!