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24 Dec 2009 10:33

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Politics: Harry Reid’s mistake “no” vote leads to this clever recovery

  • I spent a very restless night last night trying to figure out how I could show some bipartisanship. And I think I was able to accomplish that for a few minutes today.
  • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid • On voting no for a bill that he spent weeks pushing the rest of his members to support. A funny little aside that in the end didn’t mean anything, as ultimately, he voted yes, and we all just laughed at the guy and said “aw, shucks, Harry.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2009 09:54

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U.S.: Ben Nelson’s on board: Health Care’s close to 60 votes, guys.

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  • He must have had a change of heart after being snowed in with Harry Reid. D.C. has a huge snowstorm on its hands right now, but if everyone could leave their homes and go out and stuff, this would be the huge story. Reid worked hard to make the bill something Nelson could support, so now he’s on board. Next up: Working on Olympia Snowe. Hopefully she’s in D.C., ’cause she’ll feel right at home right now. (Update: No, she’s not on board. Did they really rest their hopes on Lieberman?) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Nov 2009 20:20

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Politics: Expect a long, drawn-out process to a Senate health care vote, guys

  • We’re talking about one-sixth of the economy. This should be a very deliberative process. And it should take more than a month and a half.
  • Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah • Discussing Republicans’ desire to stretch out the process of voting on the health care beyond the end-of-year deadline Obama wants. Hatch also says it’s unlikey any Republican senator will support it, which means that Harry Reid needs to get his boys on point if he wants 60 votes. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Oct 2009 10:16

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U.S.: The House adds a key public option compromise on health care

  • Most of you all thought the public option was dead. Rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated.
  • House Education and Labor Committee chairman Rep. George Miller (D-California) • Talking about the health care bill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced today. The bill includes a key compromise to make the public option work – instead of dictating rates, the U.S. will work with providers to negotiate rates, just like insurers do. All this sounds good, but it doesn’t stop the fact that the Senate is short of the 60 votes it needs to go through. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have a tough time getting a bill through before Thanksgiving. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Oct 2009 22:32

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Politics: Harry Reid wants to dance with somebody who loves him

  • We think Harry Reid grew up a lonely, sad, single high-schooler. The Senate Majority Leader says the real problem with Republicans on health care is that they’re doing everything in their power to do anything but dance. By this standard, Joe Lieberman is a gender-bending tranny who came to the dance dressed as a guy and left wearing mascara.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2009 23:10

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U.S.: The Senate bill has a public option! The Senate bill has a public option!

  • Harry Reid said so. The Senate Majority Leader said that a deal had been agreed upon after days of closed-door talks. source
  • The latest Senate bill would create a public-run health care service, but will make it optional for states that don’t want it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Oct 2009 22:45

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U.S.: Democrats shot off some major health-insurer antitrust salvo today

  • We can open up our health insurance markets to real competition and make an important contribution to the health reform efforts under way in both houses of Congress.
  • Democratic Congressman John Conyers • On the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to strip health insurers of their antitrust exemption. This is a BIG DEAL, because it means that big insurers can’t collude or price fix or do willy-nilly like they’ve been doing in the past. It means that the insurers will be subject to state AND federal regulation. They’ve had their antitrust exemption since 1945, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calls “antiquated” and “an accident of American history.” The legislation will be included as part of the broader health-care legislation.  • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Oct 2009 20:03

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U.S.: So, what’s next on the health-care roadmap? More meetings

  • The Finance Committee’s bill will be combined with a bill passed in July by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. source
  • After that, the Congressional Budget Office and Senate Democrats will do vetting of the combined bill to make sure it passes muster. source
  • Finally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promises, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate by the end of the month. Then the House gets it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 May 2009 10:51

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U.S.: Specter goes from senior Republican to junior Democrat

  • His defection came at the cost of committee rankings. Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, whose switch to the Democratic party sent shockwaves through D.C. last week, did so at the cost of hard-fought-for seniority. The senate passed a resolution last night making him the junior Democrat on all the committees he serves. A rep for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he could gain his seniority back after the 2010 elections. But still … it’s like, welcome to the party, jerk. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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