Feinstein may back drug bill for seniors

[Freddie Stubbs]

Moderate Dems could give Bush a major victory

Washington -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is among a handful of moderate Democrats who are poised to vote for the Medicare prescription drug bill, potentially handing President Bush an enormous domestic policy victory heading into next year's elections.

Health care lobbyists predicted Wednesday that the highly controversial reform measure -- which would constitute the biggest expansion of Medicare since it was created in 1965 -- will pass the House and Senate by the end of this week with the aid of moderate Democrats in both chambers.

Feinstein is often a bellwether in the Senate on significant bills that aim for bipartisan support. When she said she was "inclined" to vote for the measure, most vote counters put her in the unofficial "yes" column.

"There are still a number of serious issues that need to be examined, but I am inclined to vote for it depending on how the scoring comes out," Feinstein said Wednesday. "The California medical community has lined up in favor of the measure, and for lower income people who have nothing now, it's a good bill."

more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/11/20/MNGDO368UK1.DTL

[E_Zapata]

1. That's just wonderful.....just wonderful

How excellent that DEMS are helping to thwart republican opposition to such a bill. Bush has a lot of friends......

[Born Free]

16. throw out the bums

It's time to clean house, the democrats need leaders, the bums in now that line up like ducks in a row to help the right wing destroy America are not worth reelecting.

[La_Serpiente]

2. Oh my GAWDD!!!

EVEN SNOWE AND COLLINS HAVE COME OUT AGAINST THE BILL!!! That's it, it is time to eject our Democrats from Washington NOW!!! Enough of their BS already.

[BayCityProgressive]

3. wake up people

Feinstein is one of our biggest DINO's. Lieberman is a communist in comparison. She also backs TORTE reform, Bush's Tax cuts, the war, and deregulation. How the hell did she ever make it past the Cali primaries?

[madrchsod]

9. and add to that list

of bullshit she`s backing-felony convictions for filesharing..

[cspiguy]

10. See Schwartzeneggar 2003 for further reference

ibid

[candy331]

7. Is there no end to the Democrats

and their cowardice? I suppose this is another one of those "imminent" problems that has to be dealt with at this very moment right? What is the rush? Surely they will be in session next year or can we say this is rush for 2004 election? I beleive if the Dems who have stood firm for social issues such as medicare and social security cave in they will pay a heavy price from the voters.

[NewJerseyDem]

19. When did Collins come out against it?

She hasn't released a press release against it. I haven't heard that anywhere. Are you sure she will vote no? Do you have a link?

All I have heard is that she is opposing the energy bill.

[NewJerseyDem]

24. Collins supports it!!!!

http://www.senate.gov/~collins/high/record.cfm?id=215413

She was one of the key republicans we needed to vote no. Hopefully, it will be defeated in the House tonight.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. If it is defeated, it be due to opposition by conservative Republicans

Soem of them are opposing it because they contend that it will cost too much money.

[NewJerseyDem]

26. Mostly in the House

It seems like the battle tonight at like 2AM will be the real fight. I think the Senate will pass it unless there is a filibuster which may or may not succeed. I don't think democrats will risk that politically though.

[demdave]

4. I called this yesterday, sadly I was right

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=229251


Just like the strategy in California, where no Dem. was supposed to run against Davis, failed after Huffington entered the race.

Polititions are all about greed and power. AARP is already running the TV ads. They will soon be mass mailing to their members, all those voting elderly. This is too big a temptation. Some Dem. will cave and support the bill, leading to a stampede of support for fear of being on the wrong side of the issue in the eyes of the elderly.

It wouldn't even surprise me to see some Dems calling others obstructionists because of their lack of support.


Call me cynical, but I saw absolutely no unity in California. The unified front there lasted what....2,5 days?

[alchemilla]

5. something we can do?

I've been using truemajority.com to send free faxes to senators on issues like this. I just sent the following out to friends in California to help step up the heat.

Energy and Health Bills to Be Voted on Immediately
Now's the Time to Tell Your Senators to Represent You

The clichés about dysfunctional government are converging as President Bush tries to force Congress to pass flawed Energy and Medicare legislation: back-room deal-making, secret meetings with industry chiefs, exclusion of the opposition and payoffs for special interests. And all of this has gone under-reported during the end-of-the-congressional-session chaos.

Some of our friends in the Senate are working to do the right thing and protect good policy by filibustering both the Energy and Medicare bills. This would spare Americans from paying billions of our tax dollars to support the oil, gas, and nuclear industries. It would also stop the pharmaceutical industry-backed Medicare bill, which is a first step toward eliminating any possibility for universal health coverage for the elderly, while offering paltry prescription drug benefits to seniors. And, as with the Energy bill, the Medicare bill dedicates big tax breaks and unreasonable profits to the special interests which coordinated the bill.

We need to send a message to the Senate quickly, because both bills hang in the balance as you read this. The quickest way to do this is by e-mail, which allows us to deliver your message to your Senators immediately after you click reply and send.

To send a message (text below) to your Senators urging them to filibuster the Energy and Medicare bills, just reply to this email by clicking "Reply" and then "Send" in your email program. If you are not currently registered with TrueMajority or would like to customize your message, click here:

http://action.truemajority.com/index.asp?action=10102&ms=enmed1&ref=<[User_ID>]

For more information on the Medicare bill, click here:

www.ourfuture.org

For more information on the Energy bill, click here:

www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/electricity/energybill/2003/

To find out what states could do with the subsidies that would go to giant energy companies under the proposed Energy Bill, click here:

www.nationalpriorities.org/Issues/Energy/EnergyTaxBreaks.html

[brook]

18. Thanks for the impetus...

I emailed Senator Feinstein & reminded her what a great fan of hers I once was - and how deeply she has disappointed me. Who knows? It may help.

and thanks for those links. I work with seniors. There are days when I think they are *Senior Ostriches*. I left some print outs on the *community* table today and no one really gave them a glance.. but, ever the optimist, I downloaded quite a bit from your links and will lay them out tomorrow. Or maybe I should just mince them into the gravy? :)

[Ctuser]

6. surprize,surprize,surprize,

Is this the same Dianne who was backing gun control as she and her hubby applied for and got (next to impossible in Calif) permits to carry concealed weapons. One set of rules for you and one for me. makes me proud to be an american. To quote Mr Orwell "The pigs were a little more equal then the rest."

[newyawker99]

11. Hi Ctuser!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Dr Satan]

8. Kucinich was right

where is the compass?

[Khephra]

12. She's a major Kleptocrat

Nuff said.

[thebeaglehaslanded]

13. Feinstein is not so much pro-Republican as anti-Democrat.

Remember, she voted to investigate Clinton for impeachment. She's a party traitor with personal, not public agendas. This is one California Democrat who will never vote for this turncoat.

[0007]

14. I'm losing faith fast with the demorats -

Maybe Nader was right, when he said there is no difference between the two parties.

Everytime I begin to think the dems are making progress I hear shit like this. Tom Daschle gonna vote for the energy bill and now Dianne.

[peterh]

15. Yes, it does appear to be one grand party in DC…

May be time to bite the bullet and re-tool…..with the exception of blocking a couple of faaaar right judges, this group of DINOs have been rather disappointing for the last 5 years. I dropped my Demo membership 2 years ago….I know there are a lot of people that I can identify with out there…..I just don’t have a party to identify with anymore…

[savistocate]

17. &yet I listened to her this AM

--she was fiercly attacking ADM & theindustry contamination of ground water. Contaminated sites in CA a huge number and nationally an unconscionable 153,000. How can she present this impassioned
plea against passage backed by mounds of info --bill gives complete waiver on liability , &retro, while as early as 1987 document proves they knew the MTBE poisoning was happening--then vote to pass?. They're admitted price fixers she tells us. Written for 100+% corp benefit, on top of all that gives $2BILLION to producers.

She went into global warming listing names of glaciers around the globe disappearing..monstrous, Glacier Park had 150 glaciers NOW __35__left. Nightmarish..assuring scientists
have provided strongest evidence. Yet this contemptible bill
is silent SILENT on it. Not even conservation incentives.

A NJ Dem posting above sounding accepting--Sen Lautenberg spoke condemning the bill absolutely. This might have been acceptable at start of 20th C..
certainly not beginning of 21st...he finished with.

But Medicare Rx bill drug and mgd care industry written, and benefitting totally; if she follows AARP without critical judgement--I am sick--sicker.

I'll be using your link True Majority--thanks.

[NewJerseyDem]

20. Blanche Lincoln is supporting it as well

http://www.senate.gov/~lincoln/releases/03/11/2003B20A59.html

Not a suprise considering her reelection campaign next year. But she has actually come out for it. Feinstein is just speculation so I don't think we should judge her quite yet.

Baucus, Breaux, Landrieu and Lincoln have all come out supporting it so far. I assume Ben Nelson and Zell Miller will support it also. That is already 6, 7 if Feinstein votes yes, that have joined with the republicans. Fortunately 3 or 4 republicans have come out in opposition.

[tabasco]

21. A rotten, ROTTEN bill !

Written for the benefit of HMOs and drug companies. INEXCUSABLE!

[dusty64]

22. You know this is

going beyond ridiculous. Can anyone convince me that an opposition party still exists in this Country?

[tinanator]

23. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you

It only takes a few "Dems" to sell out a country and people.
Anybody but Bush? I wonder how much someone was paid for that one?