BREAKING: Senate rejects Blunt bill

[warrior1]

Source: Twitter

-- which would limit access to contraception and other preventive heath care to 20M women -- 51-48.

Read more: https://twitter.com/#!/thinkprogress

[xxqqqzme]

1. Well that is another piece of good

news today.

[Rose Siding]

2. Way too close for comfort (but yay!)

[shcrane71]

41. Agreed. I really don't understand why people don't want single payer healthcare.

It would mean that your employer has no control over your healthcare.

[Cleita]

43. People do want it.

It's the health insurance industry who doesn't want it and they have the power to keep it away from the rest of us.

[shcrane71]

44. Agreed, but the health insurance industry has convinced enough people that they don't want it.

[Cleita]

45. Very few. Once you explain to people what it's about, they are all for it.

So it's really corporate rule of our corrupt politicians that is preventing it from happening.

[shcrane71]

47. You're more persuasive than I am, or you're talking to more courageous or smarter people.

My guess is that it's the former: you're a more persuasive speaker.

[Cleita]

48. There is no need to feel that you can't persuade if you have your

facts behind you. In order to do that, I spend a lot of time and the Physicians for a National Health Plan website.

http://www.pnhp.org

Everything you need to know to make your case is there. Good luck!

[shcrane71]

51. Thank you! I'm going to put the link to use.

[CAPHAVOC]

59. Where can I get one of those Bumper Stickers?

Medicare for all is the best plan out there. I hope the Scotus puts the Kibosh on ACA and then we can all get Medicare and get the Insurance Companies out of the mix.

[Cleita]

63. It used to be sold in the Democratic Underground store through Cafepress.

I can't seem to find it though. Sorry.

I think though that you are naive if you think putting the kibosh on the ACA is going to lead to Medicare for All. Unfortunately, we need it to eventually expand coverage of Medicare under the ACA until it takes over. The insurance companies want the ACA to be nullified because they know this could happen.

[ornotna]

66. Right here

http://www.cafepress.com/du_store

[Cleita]

67. Thank you.

I guess I missed the /du store. I wonder why there isn't a direct link anymore from the website?

[Renew Deal]

3. 51-48?

[freshwest]

58. Woe unto us if the Dems lose the Senate.

[HockeyMom]

4. Way too close

Thank goodness, for Senator Snow not resigning yet.

[Rose Siding]

5. Casey, Manchin and Nelson were Ds on the wrong side of this one

[JustAnotherGen]

6. Careful

Nelson in particular has an awful lot of apologists at DU.

[still_one]

28. casey is an ass also. Women should do everything to see casey is replaced with a progressive

[MountainLaurel]

9. Can you provide a link to the vote tally?

I'm really curious how Mary Landrieu voted.

Manchin is an ultimate DINO -- anti-choice, anti-equality, anti-environment, and in the pocket of the mine companies.

[Robbins]

13. Landrieu voted against It

This time she was with the party.manchin,Ben Neson,Bob Casey voted for It.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. From the link in #8:

Three Democrats voted with Republicans to table the amendment: Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Casey (Pa.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.). Casey and Manchin are both up for reelection in 2012.

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who announced Tuesday she would retire at the end of the Senate term, was the only Republican to vote in favor of tabling the amendment.

And one senator did not vote. Repubs have 47 senators, so, minus Snowe, and plus those 3 Dems, you'd expect 49 if all Repubs voted. Therefore, 1 Repub didn't vote, for whatever reason. And 51 Dems + Sanders + Lieberman = 53, - 3 + Snowe = 51, so all other Dems did vote for tabling it - including Landrieu.

[MountainLaurel]

16. Thank you!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

37. The Republican senator who had the brain aneurysm. Can't think of his name!!

[wryter2000]

39. Thanks for posting this

Fuck all three of them and the horses they rode in on. I mean it. A Republican had to save us from this?

[Fuddnik]

11. Which Nelson?

There's two DINO's with that name.

[Mass]

12. Ben (NE). and he does not even have the excuse of running for reelection/

I wished I had the confidence that Bob Kerrey would be better.

[shcrane71]

42. Hagel was a bigger Democrat than Nelson.

Kerry will be better.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

36. Casey should be up for reelection. Manchin and Nelson are not surprising!

[lark]

49. Which Nelson?

The one from FL or more likely, Ben Nelson is my guess.

[sonias]

15. Exactly what I was thinking.

Way too close. The Republicans are the party of crazy. And yes this was about a contraception ban. It certainly would have made it less affordable for women.

I'm also grateful that Senator Snow voted with women.

[glinda]

22. With each absurd backwards strike, they hope to pull the Dems closer to

being conservative. We need to take over by electing real Dems. Many many of them kicking out these crazy conservatives. For the sake of the Planet, environment and people.

[obxhead]

26. They do pull Dems rightward with every vote and campaign speech on social issues.

The pubs go right and the Dems follow them like the suckers they have become.

[AndyTiedye]

34. It's the Unlimited Corporate Money Pulling Ever Rightward

[Pachamama]

40. This was far more than just a contraception ban vote...it was a law that would have allowed any

....employer to reject certain coverages if they deemed it against their moral or religious beliefs. This means many things could be eliminated and the idea that so many Politicians, especially those on the Republican side who claim to wanting less government in our lives, would even vote for this, are all liars and hate women.

3 fucking votes difference between this having become law (although there is no way that Obama would have signed it, no way.....but a Pres. santorum, Gingrich or Romney would!) is way too close for my liking.

We need to start seriously taking on these people who voted for this and especially the DINOs like Casey and the likes of Ben Nelson types....Obama will be re-elected but we must all work to make sure that the Congress and Senate will not have the likes of these types in the future....on either side of the isle.....

Seriously.....we are in the fucking 21st century and a group of primarily men are trying to decide laws that would hinder women from having contraception coverage in their health care?

This is WAR!!! I for one am pissed and not going to sit still or be quiet....even if all you can afford is $5, please donate to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW and Emily's List. All of which will help make sure the message gets made loud and clear and get these basterds out of office that are assaulting womens rights and womens health....

[vaberella]

17. Exactly. n/t

[onehandle]

7. This Fall I want to see Massive Campaigns aimed at women.

Simple message: To Republicans, Women Are Second Class Citizens. Don't Vote Republican.

[Marthe48]

46. Right is right and Wrong is Republican

n/t

[dipsydoodle]

8. Another link here

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/213615-senate-rejects-blunt-amendment-to-kill-birth-control-mandate

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. they wrote this wrong, right? everybody's for tabling

The Senate voted to table the measure from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), which would have let any employers opt out of healthcare coverage mandates that violate their religious or moral beliefs.


Three Democrats voted with Republicans to table the amendment: Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Bob Casey (Pa.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.). Casey and Manchin are both up for reelection in 2012.

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who announced Tuesday she would retire at the end of this year, was the only Republican to vote in favor of tabling the amendment.

[abelenkpe]

10. Anyone think we don't need to work hard to make sure dems/liberals have

greater majority in the senate and take back the house? That we replace conservadems with progressives? That vote is waaaaaaaay too close.

[still_one]

31. It was these Democrats that prevent Medicare for all /nt

[abelenkpe]

38. Do you not understand my point about replacing conservadems

with real liberals and progressives?

[still_one]

57. Of course I understand your point. /nt

[hedgehog]

18. K&R

Important news.

[jaysunb]

19. I sure hope Scott Brown voted for it

so Ms Warren will have another arrow in her bag against him.

[Newkophile]

21. Sure did!

He co-sponsored the bill and he's a Repuke. Indeed he voted for it.

[Arkana]

23. I wanna know how that piece of shit Scott Brown voted.

[Ilsa]

25. According to Maddowblog, he voted with the Repigs. nt

[Ilsa]

24. It would possibly limit more than contraception ...

Blood transfusions, vaccinations, HIV care, mental health care, treatment of diseases secondary to "sinful" lifestyles (STDs, cervical cancer, etc) could all be at risk. Can you imagine an employer denying coverage of medication for an employee with bipolar disorder because the employeris a Scientologist?

On edit: adding in bariatric surgery, assistance smoking cessation programs, drug and alcohol addiction rehab, etc. There are so many things someone could claim a "moral" objection to.

[nobodyspecial]

33. Yep, and I'm sure treatments that cost a lot

would soon have the most "moral" objections. But, don't worry, I'm sure viagra would emerge unscathed.

[chitowngal08]

62. Viagra unscathed for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are so right!

[still_one]

27. and the "democratic" senator from Pa, voted for the blunt bill. I am sick and tired of screwed up

people, usually men, wanting to dictate their religious beliefs

[polichick]

29. Wow - I'll be calling him today!

On edit: Just called and got a recording due to "high call volume" - they probably just don't want to talk to pissed off constituents.

[The Wizard]

30. In every state

it's illegal to practice medicine without credentials. This amendment would allow employers to practice medicine without credentials. When your boss determines medical treatment options the system has failed.

[Orrex]

32. Terrific point!

And isn't that exactly what our esteemed legislators are doing--practicing medicine without credentials--when they pass sweeping laws that change or limit or deny people's healthcare?

[mvd]

35. K&R

Even after President Obama made it the insurance company in some cases that's responsible for coverage, the religious right still isn't happy. This isn't about freedom of religion - it's about women having freedom FROM religious dogma.

[derby378]

50. Anything less than 99-1 isn't good enough

This amendment was a travesty, and I'm glad it's dead.

[HoosierCowboy]

52. If this would have passed

Every CEO in the country would convert to Christian Science.

[meow2u3]

53. I like the Huffington Post headline on the Politics page (scroll down)

SENATE SMOKES BLUNT

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/politics/

[Guilded Lilly]

54. Way too close, this should never even have seen the light of day...but...

you can be assured that now every single damn state will go through their own ignorant BS routine of getting ultrasound legislation pushed through.

The despicable demeaning of women by Republicans is par for their repulsive course. For women legislators who are going down this heinous road (check out Pennsylvanias new intended TransV ultrasound bill) they are the very worst and will be professionally sorry. Their betrayal is obscene.
And Democrats who agree with any of these billious attempts should be soundly hounded out of office and replaced by genuine liberals who aren't dimwit sh*ts.

But by all means Republicans, make women mad.
They will never forget.

[asfghjtyk]

55. Spam deleted by uppityperson (MIR Team)

[asfghjtyk]

56. Spam deleted by uppityperson (MIR Team)

[AngryOldDem]

60. Glad it failed, but the margin by which it did is troubling. n/t

[malthaussen]

61. 51-48?!

What else do we need to tell us the system is broken?

-- Mal

[DallasNE]

64. When Romney Was Asked About The "Blunt-Rubio" Bill

His first response was that he was against it. Later he claimed that he thought the question was about some State law and of course he supported the "Blunt" bill.

That doesn't wash. Romney can't be so out of touch that he didn't know "Blunt-Rubio" was the same thing as the "Blunt" bill. Plus, why would he opine on a question he didn't understand "some State law". His explanation was a lose-lose at best.

[dfgrehe]

65. Spam deleted by cbayer (MIR Team)