Procedural Votes

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Wednesday November 18, 2009 · 3:28 AM PST

2009/11/18 · 03:28

Is Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, going to allow 4 democratic Senators to obstruct health care? The question in my mind is "Where is the arm twisting?"

Given what is riding on the vote, party leaders have been busy talking to holdouts, negotiating deals in an effort to get them on board as wavering lawmakers exert their leverage at a critical moment. In response to demands from Mr. Nelson, for instance, the leaders appear willing to drop plans to use the bill to strip health insurance companies of their antitrust exemption.

3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate

I long for days when a majority leader could twist arms. Senators, Ben Nelson, Mary L. Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, and Joe Lieberman are screwing up health care on procedural issues. Instead of appeasement as the above quote suggests the time is for arm twisting. President Obama, Governor and DNC Chair Tim Kaine, and Senator Harry Reid need to be perfectly clear to these four senators that the senators will lose chair positions, senority, and support from the party unless the senators vote with the party on procedural issues. Further, if these senators do not support the party, then the party will search for primary challengers the next time they run for office.

Democrats should not tolerate this bull shit. The US is as close to comprehensive health care as the country has been since FDR became president. LBJ did get medicare through with large democratic majorities and incredible arm twisting by the master of arm twisting. The time is now to twist and if necessary break a few arms.

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