If the Dems Had Any Backbone....

[BlueDemKev]

The House would pass the Senate bill this morning and send it to Obama. Get this health care thing behind them (for now) and start talking about jobs and the economy.

But oh now, House Democrats are all whining about the Senate bill being no good this morning. Would we rather have half the pie or NOTHING AT ALL? Is this party even capable of governing???

[still_one]

1. Not only the house, you have senators like Barney Franks who doesn't want to do that

I personally believe that HCR is dead for a long time

[BlueDemKev]

3. Barney Frank Isn't A Senator

[still_one]

23. and I am an idiot, thank-you, I appreciate the correction /nt

[ddeclue]

2. NO - I'd rather have NO bill than the crappy Senate Bill, I really don't even want the House Bill.

Until we can get single payer with NO personal mandate to buy private insurance then NO I don't want it.

[BlueDemKev]

7. You would rather keep the status quo....

...than pass a bill which prohibits discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions? And a bill which can be amended and fixed up later? Tell me this....if the Senate bill is SO bad, why are conservatives 100% opposed to it?

[bluethruandthru]

11. Conservatives would - and are - opposed to anything that comes from the Dems.

The Dems could propose world peace, prosperity and a pony to everyone with the wave of a magic wand and the Repubs would scream that it was a socialist program that would raise taxes and cost jobs! Just because they oppose something doesn't make it good!

[Bettie]

19. And there would be pony poop everywhere!

Sorry, just had to say it...kids are home from school due to an ice storm and my mental state is breaking down!

[bluethruandthru]

20. Ha! Right!

:)

[USA_1]

4. Spineless is the word

... this should have been done months ago. But, as always, the Dems believe that kiss up and compromise is the better way. That's why they keep losing.

[CanonRay]

5. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

If they've proved anything, it's that they have no backbone.

[elocs]

6. Didn't the previous bill only pass the House by 1 vote?

It wouldn't take much for them to derail any new HCR vote.

[BlueDemKev]

It was 220-215

Unfortunately, 2 of those votes are already gone. The lone GOP member who voted yes is now a "no", and Rep. Wexler (FL) has resigned. That leaves 218. So no votes can be spared.

[elocs]

12. Yeah, that's a problem--no votes to be spared. This is not a slam-dunk by any means. n/t

[ramapo]

8. Spineless, gutless bastards

The Senate bill is an insult. Obama should take a few hours off and go watch some of his campaign speeches. You know the part about allowing the reimportation of drugs from Canada, and so on and so on.

I'm sick of this lesser of two evils BS.

[BlueDemKev]

16. Lesser of two GOODS

Is what the Senate bill is. Look, what's the big difference if you pay for insurance thru your taxes or thru premiums? At least with the insurance companies competing against each other, it will put downward pressure on premiums.

Folks, the Democrats MUST show they can govern!!! Not passing a health reform bill after devoting 99% of their time to it for the past year will be catastrophic. The House MUST pass the Senate bill immediately and send it to the president to sign.

[Donnachaidh]

25. insurance companies *competing* against each other? Bwahahahahahahahah

Oh puhleeze -- the only thing they will do is get together to figure out how to GAME the Senate bill and put the squeeze further on the poor bastards who are forced to buy their POS insurance. And the IRS will be acting as their collection agency -- YEAH! And they'll all sit back and laugh at the cheerleaders who howled about how the status quo would be *worse*.

:eyes:

[BlueDemKev]

26. Well, you don't have to worry.....

...the status quo is here to stay. Sure hope you never get sick and then denied coverage for a "preexisting condition."

[sharesunited]

9. How many pages would a bill need to be to reduce the age of Medicare eligibility to zero?

[quinnox]

10. I don't see an alternative

This is the only way Health Care reform will go through now. Maybe Pelosi can do it and put the hammer down to make this happen, but its doubtful.

They better be thinking hard about this in Washington.

[KharmaTrain]

13. No Way It Passes The House...

Despite not liking what I was seeing I supported getting this bill passed...for all its flaws it does offer some relief to the millions who don't have any coverage and is better than the status quo, but it's not up to what I think.

The House won't be bummed-rushed into passing a bill that many see as flawed...on all sides of the political spectrum. The combination of Progressives who want public option or expansion of medicare along with the blue dogs who just want this whole thing to go away all but makes it certain that the current healthcare bill is on life support and fading fast.

[earthside]

14. If the Democrats had any backbone ...

... the Senate Democrats would do whatever they have to to kill the filibuster rule.

There are real majorities in the House and Senate that can pass meaningful progressive legislation.

If the Democrats continue to allow a tyranny of the minority to block votes in the Senate, then they are simply enablers of obstructionism.

It is time to restore majority rule democracy in the world's greatest deliberative body.

Really, it is that simple to turn this loss in Massachusetts around.

But sadly, I really don't think that the Democrats have the guts to do what is obvious even for their own benefit.

[Bitwit1234]

15. I think someone should give the Dems in the Senate

a copy of the Constitution. The majority has always ruled. We don't have to have the approval of the minority before we do anything. For eight years the republicans danced and pranced on Capital Hill and pushed any and all their legislation thru. Why in the devil can't the Democrats. What is it with all of a sudden the Democrats should have bipartianship when the republicans didn't give a damn if a Dem voted for a bill or not. SOMEBODY START A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN AND TELL THE DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE, I THINK THOSE IN THE HOUSE KNOW FULL WELL, THAT THEY ARE THERE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC. Not to whine and moan over what THEY and how THEIR conscience won't let THEM vote for this or that. IF they don't like what they are supposed to do QUIT QUIT QUIT.

[leeroysphitz]

17. Sorry, but I'm tired of settling and so are the majority of voters apparently.

Let's be real you can spin it any way you want but the fact is that a majority of Americans were FOR hcr when it still included a public option. Now? Not so much. That's it.

Can the senate smell what the people are cooking? Yesterday was an appetizer and dinner will be served in November.

[Odin2005]

18. If the Dems had any backbone we would have SINGLE PAYER.

[LiberalEsto]

21. Backbone? What backbones?

The only things Dem leaders possess to help them stand up are hollow carapaces created by corporate money.

[S_E_Fudd]

22. To answer your last question....

NO!

[JamesA1102]

24. The hell with that.

Ram the House/Senate compromise through before Brown is certified.