Burnination
The health care debate may be long and frustrating but it can lead to some interesting moments. For example, Tom Coburn and David Vitter thought they’d be clever and cute and add an amendment to force members of Congress into the public option should it pass. Sen. Sherrod Brown decided to take their bait.
The Hill reports that Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and David Vitter (R-LA) are preventing Democrats from co-sponsoring an amendment to the Senate health bill that would “force members of Congress into any public option health plan that becomes law.” The amendment was conceived by Republicans as a political stunt. As Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said, “If [the public option] is good enough for the American people — and they don’t think it is — then it ought to be good enough for Congress.” But Democrat Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has called them on their gimmick:
Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) said he is trying to co-sponsor the amendment — but that Coburn and Vitter won’t let him. … “They’ve not said yes to allow me to be a co-sponsor,” Brown told The Hill on Thursday. “I’ve called their office four times. I’m proud of the public option, I think it would be great and we ought to join it and show the country how good it is. I think my interest may be more genuine than theirs, but I’d like to work with them if they’ll let me. If they just want to score partisan points, I still want to work with them.”
LOL! Brown, Dodd and Mikulski added themselves as co-sponsors through anonymous consent.
If Arlen Specter keeps this up, I might begin to like him. Specter schools Collins and Lieberman on the public option:
This bill may be so good, look so good, to Senator Lieberman that he may be willing to make some accommodations.”
Lieberman and Collins both demurred.
“I do not support…a government owned, government run insurance company,” Collins
[…]“I think we have learned a lot from the Maine plan,” Specter retorted. “We know what not to do. We’re not going to adopt a Maine plan. That experience will stand us in good stead. We won’t make the same mistake.”
Specter went on: “And when Senator Lieberman talks about single payer, I think he’s putting his finger on the pulse of it. That’s what people have concluded [but] the public option isn’t single payer, and it is not going to add to the deficit, it’s going to be a level playing field. So I would like everyone to read the fine print and [for my colleagues] to re-read the fine print.”
Tags: Health Care Reform
Still, why do you object to requiring Congress to take what they are going to mandate for the rest of us?
Huh? We don’t object to Congress taking the public option, that’s the point of laughing at the stoopid of Coburn and Vitter. And you’re wrong the public option is not mandated for everyone. It’s pretty limited, only to the uninsured. Most insurance will still come through employers.
Aw, the trolls we get are just so friggin’ adorable! It’s like when little kids ask for “pisketti and meatballs”.
OK, sweet little troll, let me help you out, little guy. Fun fact! Every member of congress already gets the benefit of government-run health care already. There are no Senators or Congressmen who buy private health insurance – because private insurance companies are all overpriced and will rip you off if you actually get sick, or worse, have a child with a birth defect.
I currently receive corporate health insurance from my employer. But I would rather have the same kind of insurance our Senators get currently. In my opinion, there is no better way to insure that public option health care is top quality than to make sure we get the same care our government does and vice versa. So I am 100% in favor of this amendment as a consumer protection measure.
Furthermore, if you think public option health care will be mandated for everyone, then you need to learn what “paranoid fantasies” are and how to avoid them and people who suffer from them. You’re afraid of things that aren’t real, just like the Boogeyman and Vampires. The health care bills that have been introduced before congress protect the right of consumers to buy whichever plan they want.
Final thought: Reading is fundamental. Stay in school!
Still LOLing
xstryker — what a great explanation! Methinks you are channeling George Carlin … take a bow!
What no one saw Olberman last night. Gov. Dean took the carpetbagger Carpers head off. He called him a silly man and an obstructionist. It appears our very own bought and owned by the insurance companies, big pharma, bankers et al Tom Carper is the man behind the scenes working with Blanche Lincoln, Joe Sleiberman, Ben Nelson to destroy the public option. Here is Carper pushing his “exchanges”, and Opt in/Opt out” bullcrap in the Senate behind closed doors. When will the democrats in Delaware understand this man works against Delaware and this country at every opportunity.
Why are we not holding this carpetbagger accountable. Is Delaware the State that will be nationally known for destroying the Public Option? Are we going to let this man destroy it without a word, a protest, a call to justice? Waiting to see how you libs handle this one?
One would surmise since it was the liberal Howard Dean who called Carper “silly” and obstructionist you Delaware Dems who just love Howard Dean should be making some kinda comment dontcha think? Is the Delaware Democratic Party so controlled by Carper that none of you will even speak out about this carpetbagger? Shame, Shame, Shame!
You obviously don’t read here much justkidding. Carper comes in from a lot of criticism here. Here’s just a sample from a quick tag search of Tom Carper. There’s also a site tag “Tom Carper sucks.”
I agree with jk’s comment as it applies to everything beyond this site. I don’t listen to local talk radio nearly enough, but when i can, and the conversation has anything to do with health care, i dont hear Carper’s name mentioned. Likewise i havent seen many scathing criticisms in the News Urinal’s opinion section. Finally, all of the national attention is on the other 3 conservacRats, even by Keith, Rachel, and Ed. Tom carper’s feet could stand to be held to the fire in a much more public way…. even if it is so he can be a proud pet of the insurance companies like Leiberman
Carper does get a lot criticism in the left blogosphere. Beyond that – well they still treat us like the red-headed stepchild of political discourse. Remember how the left blogosphere told everyone about Lieberman and we were dismissed as crazy and mean? Well, we were right about that weren’t we?
Carper’s behavior on health reform is abysmal, and DelawareLiberals have been anything but silent on this.
I told Senator Carper this to his face at a closed meeting. We can’t call him out on this publicly, because he refuses to be in the public taking questions on this.