Health Care, Christmas Eve and Rodney King
EmailABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Early this morning Senate Democrats once again got the 60 votes they need to move the health care bill along. There are still two votes to go and another 60 hours of debate, but it now seems that Republicans are willing to recognize a lost cause. They may allow a final vote to happen before Christmas Eve (probably tomorrow). Stay tuned. Sitting in the Senate chamber this morning during the vote, I heard loud laughter, echoing up from the floor. It was Al Franken, leaning back in a Republican desk chatting up Lamar Alexander and Pat Roberts. Later he walked over to Coburn and Lieberman, again laughing continuously and loudly. Laughter aside, it is worth noting just how brutally negative this debate has been. We’ve seen Senators cutting each other off, praying that colleagues not be able to vote, and exchanging charges of corruption and extremism. This has been a most unfriendly place. “I would hope that everyone would go back to their gentlemanly ways,” Harry Reid said this morning. ”Let's just all try to get along,” he added, invoking the words of Rodney King during the ’92 LA riots. The nastiness has come from both sides. Consider this from a Democratic Senator on the floor Sunday: “Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action?” asked Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.. “They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of president Barack Obama — the birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militias and aryan support group. It is unbearable to them that president Barack Obama should exist.” And more substantively, we are witnessing something we have never seen before in the modern era: a party-line vote on a landmark piece of legislation. Medicare, Social Security, Civil Rights and the various war resolutions over the years have all had support from both parties. Not this one. There are 217 Republicans in Congress (40 Senate, 177 House). When this is all done, 216 of them will have voted no health care. And the sole Republican “yes” vote was cast by Rep. Joseph Cao of New Orleans. He has suggested he’d vote “no” if the House’s abortion restrictions are watered down, which they almost certainly will be.
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The Republicans are only shooting themselves in the foot by continuing their desecration of the Christmas holiday with nonstop political vitriol. They can’t stop this bill.
Posted by: matt | December 22, 2009, 10:01 am 10:01 am
“Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action?” asked Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.. “They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of president Barack Obama” …
For a minute there I thought I was reading an old comment of how George W was treated by Congress and the media.
Posted by: oonogil | December 22, 2009, 10:46 am 10:46 am
Everyone forgoten how they treated Bush If this healthcare is so good why not cover all elected officals and the Pres??
Posted by: Daniel | December 22, 2009, 11:51 am 11:51 am
I have no issue with the fact that the President is an African American, although the media would have you believe that is my overwhelming concern. My issue is the fact that he is systematically attacking everything I believe in. But if I open my mouth to say so, I am deemed a racist. What I really am is one of those crazy right-wing extremists called an evangelical Christian. God help us.
Posted by: Tracey | December 22, 2009, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
DC has become NJ. Pass major legislation when every one is to busy to pay attention. Typical democrat BS.
Posted by: Joe Eckhardt | December 22, 2009, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm
How dare these arrogant lawmakers presume to know why I have a problem with this administration and congress also. I am not a right wing nut, an aryan militant or anything else. I am just an American who loves this country and is angry that it is being systematically dismantled and will soon be a 3rd world country with wealthy haves and majority have nots.
Posted by: mj | December 22, 2009, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
The Progressive/Marxist/Communist Party is leading this free Republic to to a country that is completely controlled by government. Step back and open your eyes to the evidence. Hope and change is turning into hoax and chains and most of our news sources that are supposed to protect us from tyranny, is only a propaganda machine for the dictatorship. Who knew Freedom and Liberty was so despised? I did not. Now, after years of apathy, I feel a great guilt because I wonder what kind of un-stable country awaits my Daughter and her future family. I do not think all hope is lost. I believe Americans still have time to push back these anti-American tyrants, disguised as having compassion for their fellow man. No more apathy fellow Americans. If you want Freedom and Liberty you must stand up to these people who are all about taking it away and controlling you. Control is the top agenda. Hope-hoax, we were duped. Change-chains, they have alot of chains.
Posted by: teesee | December 22, 2009, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
We are Democrats..we are Borg..RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Americans are now equal with the automobile. NO CHOICE; YOU MUST COMPLY!
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Posted by: Arturo Jabra'il Sancho | December 22, 2009, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
Why, Why???can’t we all try to understand that this health bill is for all of us and not for the few (48 million uninsured) if you people have children and God forbit something happened to them, what do you do if they are not insured, cause they can’t lets say. Do you shoot them?
I am shocked to hear relegious people taking aim against the hart and soll of Americans who cannot afford insurance.
People, we live in times where the whole world is watching and laughing at our stupitidy, while they have solved at least this issue of healthcare and darn good i may say.
Europe, Canada, Asia, Rusia,South America, Australia. they have it and they control it pretty well. I pay 460 dollars for plavix here, in Europe 60 dollars. Had an ear infection in Ireland last year A visit and 5 euros and i was in and out and well.
Lets try to use our common sense and help each other on this one it will eventually help us all.
Thank you from a christian and disabled viet vet,
Posted by: george | December 22, 2009, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
People are paying outrageous premiums now for insurance that hardly pays anything and all this crock of balogna is going to do is cause the health insurance carriers to raise3 their premiums even higher because it will be mandatory that EVERYONE carry insurance no matter how high it is. What about those who are only making minimum wage and the premiums are half of their salary or more, what are they to do. They can’t afford to work and pay these premiums so there will be more people out there on assistance than before. It will be just like when some states made it mandatory for people to have auto insurance, the money hungry mongrels raised the cost of auto insurance sky high just because it was mandated. In this world that we live in today all these insurance carriers want is higher premiums for very little coverage. This is just wrong. God help us all if this bill passes because we can’t pay for these high costs. Wish Obama would go back to Hawaii where everything else is sky high and STAY THERE.
Posted by: Linda | December 22, 2009, 8:06 pm 8:06 pm
I wonder if the writer of this article accepts most law abiding citizens aren’t the least bit interested in gun restrictions? Chicago has 500 murders a year. Those are criminals. And they should be penalized for their violence. Most of the killings are with handguns.
But, handguns are NOT legal in Chicago.
And, I fully support any law or ammendment that restricts the govt from searching my home for weapons or intruding on my rights.
Don’t penalize me because you don’t like guns. Penalize the criminals.
That’s the difference between a conservative and a liberal.
A conservative that doesn’t like guns won’t buy one.
A liberal will demand that no one buys a gun.
Posted by: Acquisto Cialis | December 23, 2009, 7:17 am 7:17 am
we need health care reform, but not something this big pushed down our throat, with out even getting a chance to read it, or debate it. why not get some tort reform. let insurance bid in all states? why should a guy who pays cash, pay more then one on some insurance plan? it´s insane, only at the hosp is cash a poor step child. ask some amish guy who loses his farm. rx companys fight genericks tooth and nail
Posted by: alhall | December 23, 2009, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
If what we have to say is not as inportant as being silent. Then don’t speak at all.
Posted by: ERAD | December 28, 2009, 10:23 am 10:23 am