What world does Olympia Snowe live in?

A very rich, very monochromatic one.

doubtful beat me to it. "mainstream" = what my corporate masters say it is.

Typical he said/she said reporting from Politico -- among the best transcribers in the business.

The world of Excellent Universal Health Insurance at a Reasonable Cost. Unfortunately, the only ones populating this world are members of Congress.

Come out into our world Olympia. The small business I work for just got our premiums raised 28% for crappy coverage. Our people don't make a lot, but it IS too much to qualify for Medicaid, and they're too young for Medicare. We're scrambling like crazy looking for a better option, but it looks like it will end up being even crappier coverage for not quite as big an increase. Meanwhile, we're competing against businesses that make no attempt to provide any coverage for their employees and getting squeezed there too.

In short, socialized medicine with true universal mandates can't come too soon for me! I only hope we're still in business by the time it gets here. Thanks to YOU Olympia Snowe!

But ... but ... but ... Senator Snowe was talking to her lobbyist friends just this morning, and this is what they told her to say about it! Who needs to actually read the bill when she already knows her position?

The Honorable Senator Olympia Snowe, along with many of her colleagues of the conservative stripe, lives in a world of fear and loathing!

She and her ilk fear helping their fellow Americans who need it, while at the same time loathing Americans who aren't just like them! -Kevo

Why is there never anyone present to confront her when she makes such obviously misinformed comments?

Excuse me Ms Snowe but what tax increases are you talking about and how are small businesses suffering from a bill that brings their expenses down considerably while providing affordable coverage to their employees?

Do you even listen to your own constituents anymore or just your corporate handlers and their lobbyist armies? Did you even read the bill?

Just part of the misinformation circus making a big showing in their desperate attempt to protect the ins profiteers.

Open Secrets lists Olympia Snowe as the 10th richest senator with an average net worth of $28.5 million. So, she's just folks, your typical resident of Maine ...

What world does Olympia Snowe live in?

A world where Democrats shower her nekkid butt with kisses all the livelong day.

Perhaps Snowe went into more substantive detail -- explaining, for example, what she considers "mainstream"

She did, Steve.

...the average person, the average business owner...

See, for Republicans, if you're not an entrepreneur, you just don't count.

Even more to the point, the Republicans CLAIM that they just love entrepreneurs ... but what they really love is CEOs of large corporations. Even better if that corporation is an investment bank or defense contractor. As George W. Bush once famously said on film to those guys, "You are my base!"

SNOWE: "But all I know is it is totally detached from the average person, the average business owner who is struggling to keep their doors open and to have that level of taxation is breathtaking in its dimensions."

HUH ?

The "level of taxation" only applies to the very wealthiest taxpayers and would not effect more than 98% of small businesses.

Exactly what is her definition of "average" ?

Every health care reform skeptic seems to think that the whole idea is to jack up taxes on hardworking people and use them to dole out generous services to the undeserving, lazy, or illegally-here. It started out that way, and it's holding fast. Rarely is the question asked, is our Senators learning?

Senator Snowe must have the worst staff in DC to keep lying to her like that. Maybe she should take a crack at skimming this (or any other) bill for herself.

Senator Snowe must have the worst staff in DC to keep lying to her like that. Maybe she should take a crack at skimming this (or any other) bill for herself.

Maybe she knows exactly what's in the bill and is a stone liar.

You quote: The House bill also offers a lot more assistance to Medicare recipients by reducing the cost of their prescriptions.

This can't be right. Everyone knows that the bill will cut Medicare and kill grandma.

Oh, I get it. The bill will reduce the cost of her prescription for arsenic.

Not sure why the good people of Maine would have elected Olympia Snowe in the first place (sexism perhaps?), but if she ever had Mainer's interests at heart, it's clear that she's now out-of-touch. I suspect there are a lot of idiot-progressives in Maine that have leant her candidicies over the years some depth and legitimacy that they didn't deserve. Lesbians and the like in New England have no sense when it comes to politics, but they vote.

None of this is going to matter because I am just going to filibuster the bill anyway.

Maybe you people should leave the echo chamber and read a different take on the bill before you go accusing people who oppose a bill with massive new taxes increases and Medicare cuts as being out of the mainstream. And it is hard for Snowe to be out of the mainstream when a majority oppose ObamaCare.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703399204574505423751140690.html

Evidently, the mainstream has been redefined:
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/healthplan.php

I wish we as citizens had the power to cut all benefits off for these people. Let them try to navigate the REAL world and try to find decent, affordable health insurance.
Because as a professional with my own business, and a very tiny "Group" of two people, my insurance premiums amount to literally more than half of the net income I have taken home this year after taxes. And I'm locked in there b/c I have the dreaded existence of pre existing conditions and cannot get other coverage. For my family it's either pay 24K a year or not be covered at all. And that's pretax. Imagine if I had to go on the individual market without my "group" plan and pay that 24K with my after tax dollars.

I would LOVE to go on her plan. I'm sure that it's a lot better and cheaper than mine. Maybe I should run for office just for the health coverage.

Smart business people want these costs to go down and there would be a lot more movement in our economy overall if people did not feel locked in dead end jobs. Entrepreneurial spirit would increase if people had some sense of security, not decrease due to minimal tax increases. I would gladly pay more in taxes and have better options and be assured that others do as well.

I don't think that snowe is a liar; the republican legislators learned from their constituency that nobody can call you a liar when you're completely ignorant.

Once and for all, stop pandering to Snowe. She has morphed into a Palinesque (only not as stupid) attention junkie who adores the spotlight, and will continue with the, "well, maybe.......whoops, no I won't" for as long as people will pay attention. Forget about elusive bipartisanship, and concentrate on getting some good, serious legislation passed. What are you afraid of - that health care reform will pass, and a majority will decide they don't like it? Quit hoping for dream scenarios, and deal with the world the way it is; can't you do that?

What world does Olympia Snowe live in?

Why, RepublicanWhackadoodleWorld, with the rest of them. We now know that "reasonable Republican" is an oxymoron. Thank you, Senator Snowe-job.

No, not oxymoron, just moron.