Single-payer on the Senate floor; Update: Dems end bill reading with questionable tactics
If you have cable TV, tune in to C-SPAN now. Or watch live here.
This is transparency in action.
The Senate’s chief socialist, Bernie Sanders, offered a single-payer health care amendment. It would open Medicare to all regardless of age, income, etc., and would be paid through higher income taxes. The normal procedure on the Senate floor would have been to dispense with the reading of the amendment. But “to alert taxpayers to this latest Washington scheme to take away your health care decisions,” Senator Coburn’s office writes, Sen. Coburn demanded that the full text of the 767 page Sanders amendment be read by the Senate clerk.
It’s being read now.
The clerk just read a droning bureaucratic section on government oversight of hearing aid tests and another on “dietary management” services.
(Fun fact: It took 17 minutes to read the 6 page table of contents.)
Big Nanny dreams and schemes laid bare.
***
10:55am Eastern. The clerk is now reading a section involving dental services, with specific details about “molars” and “posterior teeth.”
Ed Morrissey notes the strategy:
What does this do? It makes a hash out of Harry Reid’s plan to move the bill through the Senate by Christmas. Twelve hours of floor time for just a single amendment means that no other business can be conducted until at least Friday. Coburn apparently launched this effort in response to an attempt by Reid to shove the bill to a cloture vote without giving everyone enough time to read the bill or peruse the CBO analysis, due this week.
It’s a reminder that even with a supermajority, Reid needs to work with the minority to keep momentum. He can’t pull a Nancy Pelosi jamdown in the upper chamber, and any further attempts will mean weeks of bill reading as the legislation effectively filibusters itself.
It’s on.
***
Jim DeMint: “If Reid won’t slow down this debate, we will do it for him.”
Coburn calls out Baucus and Dems admitting they don’t have time to read or understand Reid’s plan:
***
Update: Hmmm. The Dems had Sanders pull his amendment a little before 3:00pm Eastern.
Roll Call reports:
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday afternoon withdrew his proposal to create a single-payer insurance system after Republicans compelled Senate clerks to spend hours reading his 767-page amendment to the health care bill as a way to slow down work on the legislation. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) forced clerks to begin reading the amendment in the Republicans’ first attempt at stalling the health care bill.
How Sanders was able to withdraw his amendment is unclear — under the chamber’s rules it appears that a motion to withdraw would not be in order during the reading of the bill. However, the Senate Parliamentarian — in what a GOP aide called “an incredibly bizarre decision” — ruled Sanders’ request was allowable.
Coburn, who originally forced the reading of the amendment, attempted to call for the “regular order,” which would be the reading of the amendment. However, the presiding officer recognized Sanders long enough for him to withdraw, saying it was within the Senator’s rights to do so.
More on the rules from Philip Klein at the American Spectator.
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WOW! Thank you Senator Coburn. This has got to be killing the d’s!
L
Wethal posted on this in the abortion thread.
All I can say, is Dr. Coburn, who delivers babies, not kills them, rocks.
Coburn for President in 2012.
(I faxed his Oklahoma office last month asking him to form an exploratory committee.)
Thank God one GOP Solon has guts. I just wish someone had forced a reading of the original Reid monstrosity.
BTW, there should be a law, if a bill can’t be read in one day in Congress, it shouldn’t be introduced.
We turned it on, but probably won’t watch it, as Rush is on the radio. But, Senator Coburn is a true hero. I didn’t realize it was this easy to delay a bill. Why hasn’t it been tried before this??
Unfortunately, that makes way too much sense!!
If they had to read the entire bill before it was voted on, they would not get it done before Christmas. Please, someone ask for the entire bill be read.
L
Bernie Sanders is the only Senator in Washington who actually literally dares to call himself a socialist.
However, it’s only that semantic distinction that sets him apart from the other public option and single payer socialist advocates, who are currently working so feverishly to shove our Shining City down to the bottom of the Hill.
Thank you Senator Coburn!
KILL THE BILL!
I’m not sure they can do that. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have done it before now?
This just might do it!
The whole bill is over 2000 pages. Heh….
These people are idiots.
Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this referred to Michelle Obama dishing out soup in her $500 shoes. My bad.
happyscrapper,
I have no idea if they can or can not read the entire bill. I do seem to recall someone, don’t remember who, did say they were going to ask for the entire bill be read. I guess they chickened out!
L
You dear sweet naive child. So innocent in the ways of the demon.
Page 1, paragraph 1: “I know the majority is against this, but it’s the lobbyists who will make me rich.”
Errah thank you Senator for not letting the Dems do another Colon Blow on another socialist bill.
Cheddar, you are so funny. I love your posts!!
Does that mean the Government is going to be tracking my BM’s?
KILL BILL.
YOU DA MAN, TOM. OKIES RULE!
“dietary management” services?
Does this mean the Feds have a say in what and how much I will be allowed to eat? Will they ration tree bark and grass clippings by age group?
What about flatulence services? Who writes this nonsense? The government is hip deep in terrorists posing as legislators and staffers. I would like to see a list of the groups who contributed language to enable the Socialists/Dems/Marxists, whatever, to write this.
The two Oklahoma Senators (Coburn & Inhoffe) should be President and Vice President, respectively.
Sadly, the Idiot American Electorate is nowhere near intelligent enough to comprehend such truths.
“Posterior teeth”… otherwise known as “teeth you’ll be pulling out of your posterior once the government is done chewing on your butt.”
Rogue Cheddar: “Does that mean the Government is going to be tracking my BM’s?”
Why not? The EPA will be regulating your breathing…
He didn’t chicken out, that was Coburn, same guy who’s asking this amendment to be read. He was just waiting for his chance and now he’s taking it. Definite kudos to Senator Coburn here.
Would that be “cheaper to pull them than to fill them”?
Howard Dean is right. Pull the bill. Time for a full retreat before the real carnage begins. This is like watching meat jump into the meat grinder.
Edouard,
I did not recall it was Dr. Coburn. I am very happy he is doing this now. You people here from OK should be SO proud of your Senators! I sure am.
L
Hmmm…. Not sure I want the government filling anything in my posterior.
That’s a lot of trees right there in that bill!
I wonder if this is making Nancy Pelosi blink faster.
Sorry, that’s been happening since the Dems got Congress.
According to Redstate, Coburn also wanted unanimous consent that everyone had read and understood the bill. Baucus objected:
More good news! Rubio has overtaken Crist in FL!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
That’s my Senator…you go, Coburn.
Love it.
Crap and tax. This is a case where “I see BM’s” won’t require a rocket scientist.
Awesome!
I.e. ‘slim’ and ‘none’.
Talk about greenhouse gases…
andrea mitchell chooses michael steele on why repubs asked to read a bill that everyone knows is doa and the reading is just a delaying tactic. steele didn’t ask the followup of why sanders offered the amendment when it is doa and just a delaying tactic.
Oh, I have long been a proponent that if a bill cannot be read and understood by an 8th grader from some shining examples of liberal governance (Milwaukee Public Schools, Detroit), then it shouldn’t be a bill.
Seeing as MPS and DPS are two of the lowest scoring districts in the nation (despite, in Milwaukee, throwing millions of dollars at the district), it should be interesting to see what bills looked like.
No more than 20 pages, written in plain English. If you do more than that, it’s not about effective legislation, it’s about statist control.
Rogue Cheddar: In the UK, they monitor your garbage so why not the more intimate aspects of you bodily functions.
the drudge headline says “this close”, but i remember the GET SMART line of “missed by that much.”
It is unfortunate that the UK never really learned the lessons of 1776.
The US may also have to revisit them.
About time some Republicans grew a pair and used them!
I will say I give credit to Bernie Sanders for actually offering an amendment that truly tells the public what the ultimate goal is of the liberals. I may not agree with single payor helath care, but at least he was honest about what he wants.
In support of Senator Coburn, everyone should call his office to express their immense gratitude for his courage in using his Senatorial legislative power to stop a government takeover of our healthcare system, and moving this nation toward socialism.
Senator Coburn’s Offices:
Washington D.C.:
172 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-5754
Fax: 202-224-6008
Tulsa:
1800 South Baltimore
Suite 800
Tulsa, OK 74119
Main: 918-581-7651
Fax: 918-581-7195
Oklahoma City:
100 North Broadway
Suite 1820
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Main: 405-231-4941
Fax: 405-231-5051
Senator Coburn, please demand the reading of every single piece of legislation that is submitted from now on. If they want to submit 2000+ page bills, fine. Let’s hear it.
Olympia Snowe: I don’t like this ride, Harry.
Harry Reid: Faster!
Max BAUCUS : Harry, do me a favor? Tell those people to stop
paddling back there.
Harry Reid : Faster!
Susan Collins : We’re going too fast!
Harry Reid : Faster! Faster!
Olympia Snowe : We’re gonna sink, I know it!
Susan Collins : Why doesn’t he stop the boat?
Harry Reid : Faster!
Max BAUCUS : Hang on, Olympia! Just close your eyes and hang
on tight!
Chucky Shumer: What’s happening?
HARRY REID: Faster!
OLYMPIA SNOWE: What is this, a freak-out?
Max BAUCUS: Hey, this isn’t funny, Harry !!
Roland Burris: You can’t possibly see where you’re going, Harry
HARRY REID: You’re right. I can’t.
Chucky Shumer: Boy, what a great series this would make.
Roland Burris: Harry …..!! .
BOB BYRD: This is kind of strange . . .
Joe Lieberman: Yeah, strange, Bob, but it’s fun! Ha ha!
HARRY REID: This is terrific!
Claire McKaskill: Ugghhhhhh . . .
Roland Burris : How much to get off the boat, Harry?
Claire McKaskill: Ugghhh . . . I think I’m gonna be sick.
Roland Burris: I can take a joke, but this has gone too far.
Max BAUCUS: Tell that little guy to turn us around,
Harry!
Claire McKaskill: Aaaaaaa! Now I am gonna be sick!
OLYMPIA SNOWE: Save me, Max….!
BOB BYRD: (reacting when Obamas face appears on the
wall) Joe!!!!!
Joe Lieberman: It couldn’t be.
(A few screams . . .)
HARRY REID:
THERE’S NO EARTHLY WAY OF KNOWING
Roland Burris: Heh, heh . . . he’s singing . . .
HARRY REID:
WHICH DIRECTION WE ARE GOING
THERE’S NO KNOWING WHERE WE’RE ROWING
Roland Burris:
(echoing) ROWING . . .
HARRY REID:
OR WHICH WAY THE RIVER’S FLOWING
IS IT RAINING
IS IT SNOWING
IS A HURRICANE A-BLOWING
Bleh!
Not a speck of light is showing
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes! The danger must be growing
For the rowers keep on rowing
And they’re certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing!
(Harry Reid screams. Chaos in Congress)
What phrase does not belong?
a. Senator
b. Conscience
c. Mental Capacities
Baucus is a real jackass isn’t he.
Someone with a name like Baucus should be wearing leather sandals and a toga.
I wonder how many mpg his chariot gets?
That is good news. I guess it is time for the Crist campaign to find another Hitler video produced by Rubio! After the first go around, I am convinced Crist is a Democrap. He thinks his opponent is the enemy – a Dem tactic.
I imagine our founding fathers are shaking their heads (and fists).
Looking at it from another perspective, it’s too bad the amendment wasn’t 70,000 pages, taking three monthd to read. If the Senate can’t conduct business, it can’t do more harm.
Baucus probably travels by litter, and has 8 Nubians carry it.
Of course, the Nubians vote Democrat.
Don’t they have to keep someone in the room while it is being read? So the republicans need to take turns having someone in the room. I assume they will work that out!! They shouldn’t let one or two people do all the work!
I thought the exact same thing. That was a no-brainer, yet he didn’t say it. He is trying, but misses a lot of chances to get a point across!
The pres doesn’t care what kind of bill it is. He just wants a bill. Any bill. What a bozo. Even Howard Dean said that the people in Congress are passing junk, just to get something passed! Just listening to this amendment is like trying to read Chinese. What a bunch of gibberish. Is this what the entire bill is like? Can anyone speak English in Congress??
I’m sorry sir, it seems that my intelligence circuits have melted.
THey should have had ‘Master Thespian’ William Shatner read it, with his beatnik band providing appropriate riffs.
Rush just said that a reporter said, “The GOP is using delay tactics by having a clerk read the entire amendment. This could take until midnight. That hardly seems fair to the clerk.” That is the mentality of the MSM news reporters. Like they are going to use the same clerk the whole time. And, isn’t liberty worth the effort? If I had to read a bill for three days solid to save my country, I would do it.
Yeah, and I bet Sarah Palin would even volunteer to take a shift!
One Ted Kennedy’s DYING LAST WISHES was his proxy committee vote in the affirmative for Tom Coburn’s amendment to require all in Congress to enroll in public option coverage if that is included in the bill.
Though Ted won’t be coming down for breakfast, it was my understanding that there are two reasons to vote for an amendment – because you really like it – or – you really hate it and voting for it allows you to bring it up for reconsideration on the floor to kill it.
We’ll never know which was the reason that Ted voted to require all in Congress to enroll in a public option but – it WAS one of his very last wishes in the Senate. Why aren’t liberals mentioning Ted’s last wishes and .. does anyone know what happened to that amendment? Did it already get axed?
Prescription for the Goose
thank you Sen. Coburn!
i agree that they should read and understand these bills. if they can’t or won’t they should be removed from office. they act like this is an imposition. congress and the president need to be reminded daily that they RAN for office- they didn’t inherit it!
unfortunately my embarrassment of a Senator thinks it’s ok to call flight attendants B—-. While the other one sits silently next to him.
It still stuns me every time I think about it…that the people who we elected to represent us and watch out for our interests are willing to vote for a massive bill that will negatively impact every man, woman and child in this country, without even reading what is in it!! This is the biggest travesty in the history of our republic. Treason is too mild a word.
It just occurred to me that on the very day after former Vermont governor Howard Dean (who last week declared that the debate over capitalism vs socialism is settled in favor of socialism) calls for the Obamacare bill to be pulled, the only declared socialiest in the Senate and fellow Vermonter Sanders introduces an amendment that will accomplish exactly what Dean asked for. Coincidence? Maybe.
Whether what is happening today was what they expected, surely Samders knew he was throwing a monkey wrench into the machinery.
Senator Coburn,
You are doing exactly what a majority of U.S. Citizens want you to do, and we thank you for doing it!
Never forget:
Regardless of what happens in this debate, or the next, or the next after that, these people’s goal will always be single payer.
I just wish more people would argue on Constitutional grounds, as it’s a far more powerful argument against this garbage – more powerful even than its demonstrable ineffectiveness. The supreme law of the land must be reestablished in this country or we’re all screwed.
Kiss your freedoms goodbye now while you still have them.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
How in this great country of mine can a socialist get elected to a Senate seat? Please, someone answer me that. I’ve dedicated my life to fighting communists, among other enemies of this country, and here my own countrymen are voting them into office? Good grief…
He’s talking now. Keep it up, buddy. You’re only wasting more of your own time, much like the villain going into a monologue before being thwarted by the good guys.
Picture of Barack Obama endorsing Socialist Bernie Sanders.
(From: http://obamaism.blogspot.com/ )
We Okies are proud of Coburn.
I’d love to see him run for president in 2012. I’ll promise on thing – he is a true conservative and problably so much so, than it would scare a lot of people in the center from voting for him. I’d love to see it happen though. You want a true conservative – you’re looking at one in Coburn.
The C-Span website says that Sanders has pulled his amendment.
Have you ever been to Vermont? Ben & Jerry’s? The state is crawling with card-carrying communists.
I say demand the whole bill be read to them. This way no Senator can claim they don’t know what is in it without fear of being told that they must not have paid attention to the reading. Not to mention this would tie up the Senate for so long that our country would be safe for awhile. Seems like a win win situation to me.
Errah I see the update on dental services. MM please let us know when they get to posterior services and discuss provisions for Reid’s sphincter necktieotomy.
Anyone else hear about the threat Rahm Emanual made to Senator Nelson from Nebraska if he refuses to vote for this bill?
So I guess I shouldn’t visit the place while wearing my uniform or Reagan tshirt, right?
Is there funding to cover addadicktomy operations? You know, for cross-dressing Republicans like Lindsey Graham.
At least not your US uniform. They threatened to secede from the union over the Iraq war a couple of years ago. They probably wouldn’t recognize the Reagan t-shirt. That’s a long time ago for weed toters.
Errah where’s my Senator; the luscious and honorable Barbara Mikulski??!! Was there a sale at the Carpet Barn or is she at her beautician Earl Scheibb?
This is brilliant strategerizing. Maybe the next logical step would be to force Congress to read every stinking page of every stinking bill they try to move on. That way, I figure they’ll end up passing almost nothing and causing as little damage as possible on the rest of us.
The Offut AFB closing threat.
Nice to know the Marxist in Chief would cheerfuly increase the risk of nuclear attack on the United States in his goal of destroying capitalism and our constitutional Republic.
2010. Last chance to win one side of Congress back, and block the Traitor in Chief, with the ability not to bring spending legislation to the floor, and hold oversite hearings to try to curb ACORN, Holder’s corrupt and politicized DoJ, shenanigans with the census, amnesty, etc.
If the American voters are stupid enough to return a Demonratic majority to the House, or, more likely, enough votes are stolen or manufactured fraudulently (like Governor Gregoire or Senator Franken), to keep an all Demonrat Congress, our Constitutional Republic, our representative democracy, and our free market economy (or some real semblance of one), will either disappear for ever or there will be a violent revolt to restore the Constitution.
Two more years of unchecked Demonrat control, massive voter fraud, like Holder’s war on states trying to enforce ID verification to register or vote, and amnesty, will guarantee a corrupt one party state with sham elections. Best case, Mexico under the PRI for over 70 years. Best case.
In my humble opinion.
Yes Ed, that’s the one I’m talking about.
I was watching White Christmas the other day. There’s a scene where Judy is talking to Phil about finding someone to pretend to be engaged to in the hopes it’ll nudge her sister in the same direction. She includes in her litany of qualifications “it’ll have to be a man” and Phil says “that’s an absolute must”. And I thought “my, how times have changed”.
Errah
Unfortunately that’s the least of his maladies. He suffers from a fatal case of human Möbius strip …
Go Dr. Coburn Go! Being from OK I am glad he is my Senator and actually speaks up for all Americans not just his home State!
Coburn 2012…hmmm…not a bad idea…put him together with Michelle Bachmann?
On December 16th, 2009 at 3:15 pm, Ed Mahmoud abu al-Kahoul said:
Have you seen this?
human Möbius strip … I had to look that up. I learned something today.
Here’s a link to the reporter who broke this story blog: Source: Dems Threaten Nelson In Pursuit of 60
So now we have Sen. Dick Durbin talking about supporting the troops. Sure, the same guy who compared me and my brothers-in-arms to Pol Pot’s goons and Gulag guards. Thanks… Richard.
I heard Bernie the Commie will withdraw his amendment.
Now, lather, rinse and repeat. Make them read every sylabble on every last amendment and appendix.
Flashback:
So, will PBS praise Sen. Coburn as even more “tough-minded” and “successful”, seeing as there are only 40 Republicans in the current Senate?
No, of course they won’t.
I goofed. Here’s the proper link for that last quote:
It wasn’t a “bizarre decision.” It was a brazen move that is tantamount to open tyranny if it is not procedurally allowed and the GOP needs to call them on it ASAP.
From Michelle’s update above:
Wow.
Always remember that for the left, the “rules” are whatever is most helpful to advancing the lefts agenda.
There’s a memorable scene in Animal Farm in which the rules the animals have agreed to live under are being rewritten on the fly by the pigs.
The Senate parliamentarian is from the majority party. Further, the presiding officer of the Senate (I’d assume it is Reid today), while advised by the parliamentarian, is not required to follow the advice of the parliamentarian, and is the ultimate arbiter of what is permitted in the Senate.
I looked this up a while ago. Reid can make up rules as he goes along, essentially.
He can, of course. He can even change the rules so that only 55 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster rather than 60.
It’s still changing the rules to suit the Dems though.
On December 16th, 2009 at 2:29 pm,
Let Barry Hussein read it. He reads real good.
Who is the parliamentarian?
Murtha is writing the rules.
I consider Universal Health Care to be an HMO on steroids. Being a dentist, I have dealt with HMO’s; I can tell you that in dentistry they always pay the most for procedures that provide the most economical care. From the HMO’s perspective, the most economical dental care is full mouth extractions and a set of dentures. The HMO’s pay out would be a fraction of what they would payout for regular cleanings, fillings, as well as root canals and crowns that a person might need during their lifetime to maintain and save their teeth.
The HMO’s most economical care in medicine is supervised neglect then death. We are in trouble if Universal Health Care is ever allowed to pass. “Obama lied and Granny died, but not before she had a chance to gum her food.”