Of course, Baucus tried to sugar-coat the fact that his job is to give away massive new Corporate Welfare on the backs of working Americans with his junk bill:
"My job is to put together a bill that gets to 60 votes" in the full Senate, Baucus said shortly before he joined a majority on the committee in defeating efforts to rewrite a key portion of his draft legislation. "No one shows me how to get to 60 votes with a public option," he said, using the term used to describe a new government role in health care. It would take 60 votes in the 100-member Senate to overcome any filibuster Republicans might attempt.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...
Of course he failed to mention that were it not for bought and paid for cowards such as himself in our party we would have the sixty votes we needed. He also failed to mention that with some guts and reconciliation we only need fifty-one votes. Of course, Baucus cannot give up his millions from the healthcare sector so he will not fight for real Americans.
Even more sickening, Baucus felt right at home working with his true masters while stabbing the rest of us in the back:
A combination of Baucus, moderate Democratic allies and all committee Republicans combined to defeat both amendments.
Jay Rockefeller, who has spearheaded the fight for the public option in the Finance Committee had some words of wisdom to share with the Committee and made a frank, but all too true assessment:
Inside the Senate Finance Committee, the first effort to remake a key portion of the bill came from Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who said his proposal was far from the government takeover that critics portray. "It's not. It's optional," he said, adding it was designed to offer competition and a lower-priced, reliable choice for consumers shopping for coverage.
Rockefeller, whose measure was rejected, 15-8, assailed the insurance industry in withering terms. "I hate to use the word 'rapacious,'" he said - but quickly added it was warranted. He said omission of a government option from the measure was a virtual invitation to insurance companies to continue placing profits over people, and he predicted they would raise their premiums substantially once the legislation went into effect.
And of course Baucus, being the corporate shill he is could not refute any of Rockefeller's claims:
While Baucus voted against the proposal, he was at pains to counter Rockefeller's charge that the legislation increased subsidies that would go to insurance companies without dictating changes in past practices.
The other names Progressives need to remember and refuse to give money to or support in any manner whatsoever are here:
Also opposed were Baucus and fellow Democrats Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Bill Nelson of Florida and Tom Carper of Delaware.
In fact, what is really needed is a Lieberman-type effort to dispel all these corporate shills from our party. Not only are they cowards, but they are Republicans in Democrats clothing. They deserve not one penney or ounce of support from anyone that believes in progress for our country. In fact, we should all write the DSCC and let them know if one penney of our money goes to any of these Senators that voted against a public option we will not be sending them one penney. Folks like this have poisoned our party and made us look like weak, waffling cowards to the American electorate because they must support their corporate enablers at all costs. Write the DSCC and tell them not one penney for any Senator who opposes a public option:
info@dscc.org
Furthermore, even though some say I am crazy I believe we should remember these names of Democrats that stabbed us in the back and if we cannot recruit primary challenges to them, we should donate to their Republican opponents. As much as it curdles my blood to suggest it, these cowardly, corporate whore Democrats who have poisoned our party and stabbed us in the back over and over curdle my blood even more. I would much rather get stabbed in the front by an enemy than in the back by a "friend".
In the end we got out of a committee led by Democrats a bill that, as Howard Dean put it last night would make George W. Bush proud:
If Americans would have wanted a George W. Bush bill they would have voted for John McCain.
Which brings us to the next order of business. Mandates without a public option are electoral suicide for our party and if our party insists on doling out corporate welfare we must oppose at all costs any bill that mandates coverage without a robust public option. We know Baucus and his kindred spirit Corporate Democrats care little about this, because the money will be coming in to them no matter who controls Congress, but Americans need real reform and will punish us greatly for becoming nothing but a bunch of Republicans with D's behind their names.
For the sake of our country, our party, and the future of our children and grandchildren we must oppose any bill that mandates corporate welfare on the backs of the working American yet again. Have we not seen what that has done to our country in the last few decades?? Maybe our leaders need a lesson in what their corruption and cowardice has done to our party when Americans desperately need a real alternative to the last few decades of destroying the working class for Corporate interests. I cringe to think what will happen if we cannot defeat these cowardly, dispicable people within our own party.
NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO CORPORATE WELFARE MANDATE!!! |
