Health care bill is not dead if Dems lose Massachussettes Senate seat

[CreekDog]

However the end product will be 100% Senate Bill.

This explains the rush in negotiations --that and momentum, Robert Byrd's health, etc.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. We're not planning to lose the seat.

[graywarrior]

2. Ain't that the truth!

I'll be at the rally tomorrow and on the phones all weekend. That alone constitutes a win.

[gateley]

4. Excellent! I heard Tweety say someone "who's well connected" says they

think we may lose the seat. Don't let that happen! If there's a call list, I can make some calls from out here. Let me know.

[graywarrior]

6. Will do!

[Clio the Leo]

7. Phone banking info....

http://www.marthacoakley.com/volunteer

The people who are well-connected that Tweety was referring to are named Obama, Kerry, Reid, Kennedy and Kirk. (or they may as well be) The Dem powers that be have been scrambling all week and (thankfully) are seeing a little bit of an uptick in the polling because of it .... but the teabaggers have raised one million dollars per day for Brown.

Trust me, thinks will NOT be pretty next Wed if we dont win.

[gateley]

11. Thanks for the link - I'll head on over now. And since I posted, I see a poll

on the front page showing Coakley has moved ahead. Thanks again -- I'm on it!

[Clio the Leo]

14. There are other polls that show the race closer than that...

.... internal Dem polling is showing her ahead by four or five.

We cant rest until Tuesday night.

[Clio the Leo]

3. And the powers that be have said they wouldn't seat the winner...

... "for several weeks."

Obama and the rest of the party have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. Sleeves that the GOP should be pissed about .... Considering how long they delayed the HCR bill, I have no sympathy for them. One dirty trick deserves another.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. .....unless it's Coakley

[Clio the Leo]

8. Unless they want to give Kirk the honor of voting for the bill...

.... but I have nothing other than my own gut theory to base that on. Obviously there would be political reasons to vote for the bill too. (so she could brag about it later)

[Blaukraut]

9. Unfortunately a Brown win will go beyond healthcare

A lot of people don't seem to understand the ramifications this would carry with it. *Any* meaningful legislation in the senate would be stalled infinitely because we would be left with 59 votes. Democratic officeholders all over the US would be nervous about this result and surely veer right, like they always do when things look dicey.
Worst of all, we in Massachusetts will unwittingly create a monster in Brown with national recognition and credentials.

[depakid]

10. "Democratic officeholders all over the US would be nervous about this result and surely veer right"

And they would surely lose- having failed to learn any of the lessons of the past two decades.

[Blaukraut]

12. and then what? Will we be better off with repubs in office?

What is that going to get us except that good feeling that we taught the Dems a lesson?

[RBInMaine]

18. PISS ON THE RIGHT WING ASSHATS !

[Clio the Leo]

15. Exactly. NT

It was worth the money I've donated just to not hear the media spin it like they did the gubenatorial elections last fall. .... Add to it the fact that the spin would be happening on the one year anniversary of of the Inauguration.

uggg ..... get sick just thinking about it.

[DrToast]

13. No that's not true either

They'll just have to revote in the Senate before he gets sworn in.

[Clio the Leo]

17. If the House adopts the Senate bill as is....

... and doesn't make any changes, then there's no need for the Senate to vote.

What I'm confused on is if "as is" means the bill as it was passed on Christmas eve or if it means as it will be written in these final days of negotiating. Because, with the change to the excise tax today, it's already different than it was when it passed the Senate three weeks ago.

[RBInMaine]

20. It's gonna pass. They have tweaked it. Sorry about the diverse Dem caucus, but I would rather have

a broader party with room for moderates as opposed to narrow, entirely unwinnable joke parties like the Greens or the TeaBaggers.

[Clio the Leo]

22. lets hope so....

... and no need to apologize for the big tent notion .... *I* am all for it. Wish we could convince some more GOP moderates in Congress to swap sides.

[RBInMaine]

24. Ok. Sorry. Thanks. We agree entirely. A narrow party is a party that can not win nationally.

[RBInMaine]

16. That right wing asshole WILL NOT win Mass. And Coakley is a GOOD candidate!

I agree she waited too long to attack the asshole, but she is damn smart, well qualified, right on the issues (especially compared to the asshole TeaPartier Brown), and will be a fine US Senator.

[Clio the Leo]

19. That right wing ass hole....

... has raised one million dollars a day this week alone.

[RBInMaine]

23. Because he is a TeaBagger scumwad, and Coakley should have ads up with him engulfed in TeaBaggers.

[RBInMaine]

26. And Coakley has raised a hell of a lot too.

[Clio the Leo]

29. but not that much. NT

[rox63]

21. No friggin' way we're losing that seat!!!

[doc03]

25. If we lose the Massachusetts senate more than the

health care bill will be dead. I would say kiss your majority in Congress goodbye in November.

[RBInMaine]

27. Won't happen. And enough of the STUPID doom and gloom already. Sheesh.

[jefferson_dem]

28. Even if, heaven forbid, Coakley loses...health care will pass.

MA will not swear in and seat the new Senator until mid February, especially if it's close. It will all be moot by then. Coakley and the Dems will tie this shit up in the courts for months. Remember Norm Coleman's bullshit?