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by: FDL Action
 Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Monday, December 14.
1. Jon Walker declares that "There is no longer a Democratic party in the United States Senate" and that "All the senators who were formally members of the Democratic party have switched to the Liebocratic Party." Yes, today was a frustrating day, to put it mildly.
2. Jon Walker reports that "health insurance stocks are up dramatically today after Joe Lieberman's threat to filibuster health care reform." Well, doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3. Michael Whitney asks everyone to sign the petition "asking Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) to call on Susan G. Komen for the Cure (@KomenfortheCURE) to dump Hadassah Lieberman as a compensated 'Global Ambassador.'"
4. Jon Walker believes that "[t]he White House's reaction to Joe Lieberman's repeated betrayals is to grant him completely and total power." Walker concludes, "This is a very dark day."
5. Jon Walker writes about "sausage-making at its most ugly," namely "Democrats filibustering their own [health care reform] bill to stop Republicans from voting for an amendment" on drug reimportation "that would blow up Obama's deal with PhRMA, possibly scuttling the whole bill." Is your head spinning yet?
6. David Dayen asks "When Will Democrats Embrace Reconciliation As The Only Path To A Health Care Bill?" Dayen adds, "Democrats in the leadership seem to be content to explore every alternative available before turning to reconciliation, but it looks to many like every avenue has already been traveled." Message to Democrats: if Republicans were in charge, they'd have gone to reconciliation or even "gone nuclear" a long time ago. And guess what? That's right, they would have passed their legislation. What a concept.
7. Gregg Levine wonders if the Senate health care bill has gotten so bad that it might not even be worth passing anymore. It will be very interesting to see how House Democrats react to what's happening in the Senate, whether there's a conference committee or not, and what happens in conference if there is one.
8. Finally, Jon Walker says that "With Joe Lieberman flip-flopping on his support of the early Medicare buy-in and [CBO director Doug] Elmendorf's decision to single-handedly sink the new MLR standard, almost every part of Reid's grand compromise is gone." Other than that, things are looking great right now! Or not. :( |
