Two centrist senators Tuesday threw up a roadblock to salvaging President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, as Democrats agonized over whether to push forward or shift to idle until political resistance subsides.
Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. – both face re-election this year in Republican-leaning states – said they would oppose the strategy Democratic leaders are considering to reconcile the House and Senate bills and put comprehensive legislation on Obama’s desk.
I believe this may be the last 2 nails in the coffin to any BMGers who have been hoping for reconciliation. Which may turn out to be a good things for Dems since reconciliation would just piss off the American middle.
johnd says
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30…
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p>Hw did I embed videos from MSNBC?
johnd says
Poor Rachel, the sky is falling for her and now Biden’s guy is going head-to-head with her. He seems to be saying there is wasteful spending in the Fed budget which they want to cut but she is adamant that spending (even wasteful) is good for th economy. If even wasteful spending is good then the gov could send a few million my way which I’ll be glad to burn to help our economy.
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p>It would be great to hear Evan Bayd, Paul Krugman, Martin Feldstein, Rachel Maddow and Martin Feldstein in a room talking about deficits and which is a better way to go. They can’t all be right!
doubleman says
We don’t need these “Democrats” to pass things through reconciliation. Also, I believe reconciliation is only on the table for amending legislation after the House passes (fingers crossed!) the Senate bill.
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p>Reconciliation for this small amending legislation won’t piss off anyone because no one will care about these small things.
joets says
since you’re the progressives. They are actual Democrats.
alexswill says
That Bayh and Lincoln are representative of the American middle. However, because of their early opposition to reconciliation, if the Dems were to go that route, they will most likely be seen as champions of the middle. Additionally, We typically don’t run to the middle when we’re pissed off at a party, we run screaming in the other direction, which means they’re sticking their necks out only to lose to a potentially pissed off electorate.
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p>On my original point, I believe that Bayh and Lincoln are simply looking for ways to regain credibility with their constituents. Swing state voters are the most guilty of hyperventilating over the party that has power, IMHO, so these Senators feel like they can calm some of that by jumping out in front.
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p>This isn’t a judge on their character, but I feel a lot of what they say is just to get reelected, I really can’t tell what they do and don’t believe.
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p>Also, if the Dems were going to go the reconciliation route, they obviously have much more serious issues if they thought they were going to get any of the Bayh, Lincoln, Nelson, Lieberman vote. Maybe one, two or three others as well, depending on their senatorial class.