Well, the Senate cut-off debate last night, voting to invoke cloture at 1:30 a.m., EST. It looks like a final vote on the overall bill will be held on Christmas eve, and then, be sent off to conference committee. I have been disgusted watching this process play out it the Senate, and even more disgusted watching Obama do nothing to try to make this a good bill. As Jim Webb stated in his press release last night, Obqama never stepped up to the plate to state unequivically what he wanted in this bill, and that certainly created huge problems along the way.
This morning, both Senator Nelson and Senator Lieberman both indicated that they will vote against the final bill ieven if there are minor changes in the bill coming out of the conference committee. The Progressive caucus has promised to vote against any bill without a public option and we need to hold them to that to kill this bill.
This bill is nothing but a big fat paycheck for the insurance companies - no wonder all their stock prices hit a 52 week high this past Friday. And David Axelrod and President Obama must be smoking crack in the west wing -this bill DOES NOT provide health insurance for an additional 30 million American's who have no health insurance. It MANDATES them to buy it or they have to pay a huge penalty. Even with a government subsidy, most of these people will not have the funds to pay for the mandate or the penalty.
Politically, this bill will be a disaster for the Dems. Rethugs will run ads across the country blaming the Democratic Party for the huge profits the insurance companies will make as a result of this bill. By passing this bill, our party will be accused of lining the insurance industries pockets with money people could barely afford to come up with. And the Dems, especially those political whores in the Senate like Landrieu and Nelson, will lose seats in the Senate next year.
KILL THE BILL!