Delay, delay, delay. And no, I'm not referring the literal and figurative ass on Dancing with the Stars. No, this time it's the President Senator Snowe-enabled Republican tactics to stall the Finance Committee and ultimately kill reform.
In the debate on that Bunning amendment which potentially would have delayed the bill for weeks, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts made this incredible argument:
But the thing that I’m trying to point out is we would have at least 72 hours for the people that the providers have hired to keep up with all of the legislation that we pass around here, and the regulations that we pass around here, to say “hey, wait a minute. Have you considered this?” And that’s all I’m asking for — is not only cost, but also the content of a bill. And that 72 hours, I think, is highly, highly important.
Yes, the lobbyists need their 72 hours to read the bill, and Snowe is going to help them get it. Think Progress notes:
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Roberts has received over $172,000 in political contribution from insurance companies over the last five years. Unsurprisingly, Roberts opposes a public option because, he claims, “it won’t work.” Presumably, that’s because that’s what health insurance lobbyists have told him.
The only thing any of the Republicans, including Snowe, on Finance are negotiating on in good faith is protecting the insurance industry.