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 Career colleges and the paper of record face off.
 Crises can force even the most dysfunctional governments to changeand Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou aims to prove it.
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November 18, 2009
THE 'CENTRISTS' BLOCKING THE DOOR.... Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will, in about an hour, unveil his health care plan to the Democratic caucus. Soon after, Reid is expected to talk about his proposal with reporters. But a select few received a sneak preview this afternoon.
In case you're thinking that this list of center-right Dems is missing someone, keep in mind that Joe Lieberman has already said he'll vote for the motion to proceed -- putting Nelson, Landrieu, and Lincoln to the right of Lieberman. And just to clarify further, Reid is wooing these three, not to vote for the bill, and not to cut off a Republican filibuster of the bill, but just to get their support to send the legislation to the floor for consideration. To that extent, this is almost ridiculous -- three Senate Democrats are seriously thinking about joining Republicans in blocking a debate on health care reform. Forget an up-or-down vote, Nelson, Landrieu, and Lincoln have to be pleaded with just to allow the Senate to talk about health care reform on the floor. If it seems hard to imagine an actual Democratic senator going so far as to strangle health care reform in the crib, note that CNN's report added that Landrieu said "she is leaning toward a 'no' vote on the motion to proceed." —Steve Benen 3:40 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (18)Comments
If just one of them returned to his office on a stretcher I'd be so happy. Posted by: John Emerson on November 18, 2009 at 3:45 PM | PERMALINKObamacare is going to die in the Senate one way or the other, so why not "strangle it in the crib" as Benen so delicately puts it, and get it over with? That way Congress can move on to more important issues like national security. Posted by: Al on November 18, 2009 at 3:48 PM | PERMALINKGod, Al, I can't even muster up a smile at that. Timing, my man, timing. Posted by: shortstop on November 18, 2009 at 3:52 PM | PERMALINKWhat game is being played here? What goodies are these 3 holding out for? Why, oh why, are we having to hold out for senators who in total represent 2.9% of the country's population????
Blanche Lincoln is trying to edge out Mary Landrieu as the stupidest member of the Senate! Okay, Blanche, you need to get a very close debriefing of the Creigh Deeds fiasco in Virginia, which to summarize, goes like this: Democrats in the South might not win statewide office if they support health reform, but they will DEFINITELY LOSE if they don't support health reform. It is a bad electoral strategy even to draw attention to yourself in this way. Posted by: Enough! on November 18, 2009 at 4:06 PM | PERMALINKIf they allow debate on the bill, they might have to make cogent arguments as to why they're opposed to it. Too much effort (assuming, that is, that they're even capable of it) Posted by: exlibra on November 18, 2009 at 4:13 PM | PERMALINKThe Centrists don't want a debate on the floor because it will make them look BAD if they end up voting against the bill. Easier just to keep it off the floor. Posted by: Lance on November 18, 2009 at 4:14 PM | PERMALINKHonestly, there should be some sort of punishment the party can dole out. Posted by: SaintZak on November 18, 2009 at 4:18 PM | PERMALINKLet me get this straight. You can filibuster a motion to proceed??? But, I thought the only legitimate purpose of filibuster was as a device to permit further debate. Surely it ought not be allowed to preclude debate altogether. But that would make too much sense. Posted by: David in Ny on November 18, 2009 at 4:24 PM | PERMALINKWow! Ignorant right-wing hacks like our buddy Al are one thing, but these "centrist" Dems just leave me shaking my head. If any of these clowns actually help block the debate and/or support a GOP filibuster, I will have no choice but to send money to any challenger they have. I don't care if it is a D in a primary or an R in the general. There should be a heavy price to pay for this BS! Posted by: GiggsisGod on November 18, 2009 at 4:25 PM | PERMALINKIf they do manage to kill it on the vine, then expel them from the Party. this is no working majority. Amputate them. Posted by: SaintZak on November 18, 2009 at 4:29 PM | PERMALINKIt's times like this that call for The Rock Obama... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqyWbqZu7sk -Z Posted by: Zorro on November 18, 2009 at 4:32 PM | PERMALINKAre the grassroots willing to run a Green against Lincoln in the general election? Make it clear Lincoln is not coming back as a U.S. Senator under any circumstances. Then negotiate with the others. Posted by: Carl Nyberg on November 18, 2009 at 4:41 PM | PERMALINKIf Reid had any cajones (he doesn't), he'de open the back door and let each of them take a long, hard look at the political wilderness. Then he'de give them a choice: (i) their comfy warm office with all the perks and committee assignments, or (ii) a compass, matches and canteen. Posted by: bdop4 on November 18, 2009 at 5:20 PM | PERMALINK[...] or (ii) a compass, matches and canteen. -- bdop4, @17:20 I suspect that even Blanche can find her way to K Street without a compass. Not sure she'd know what to do with matches, though. Posted by: exlibra on November 18, 2009 at 5:25 PM | PERMALINKif harry says this bill is the best he has seen will protect medicare cut costs and is good for america- then i know we are really SCREWED.i never thought in my lifetime i would see a whitehouse adm. worse then the carter adm.-but each day this goes on they prove me wrong Posted by: charles on November 18, 2009 at 9:34 PM | PERMALINKI don't see what the big hold up is they should have already passed the damn Health Care Bill these people are out of control and need to get a life lesson of how other people are depending on having some type of hope for a better health care system America is so jacked up I swear. Posted by: Mike Bates on November 19, 2009 at 12:49 PM | PERMALINKI don't see what the big hold up is they should have already passed the damn Health Care Bill these people are out of control and need to get a life lesson of how other people are depending on having some type of hope for a better health care system America is so jacked up I swear. Posted by: Judy Smith on November 19, 2009 at 12:54 PM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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