Hot damn! CNN reports that Kennedy, Kerry to filibuster Medicare drug bill

[flpoljunkie]

on Monday morning! It's about time the Democrats stood up to the Rethugs and did what it right for the American people!

We must flood the Senate Democrats with phone calls of support!

[ibegurpard]

1. Props to Kerry

Not only is this the right thing to do, it might just help revive his flagging campaign. And as for Kennedy, what can I say? The man is a rock.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

40. Kerry's a rock

some of us have noted that fact.

[tjdee]

2. Did they mention Edwards? Bet not.

He's filibustering as well.

[flpoljunkie]

6. No, it was just a short item during the news break on Capital Gang...

at the bottom of the hour. I fully expect Edwards to filibuster the vote. I understand Lieberman has not yet made up his mind on whether he will vote for the bill.

[La_Serpiente]

3. you can either send Kennedy an e-mail

here

http://kennedy.senate.gov/index_high.html

or call Kennedy

Washington

202/224-4543

Boston

617/565-3170

[Kanary]

7. I called Kennedy toll-free 1-800-648-3516

Got right through.

[oasis]

9. Thanks for the link and opportunity.

:thumbsup:

[economic justice]

4. This is GREAT news

I didn't think they would do it. This takes guts going into an election year with the threat of "They kept you from getting a drug benefit!" hanging over them. Truth must prevail over the greed of Big Pharma. YES!

[Nlighten1]

5. This is sure to boost his campaign

WTG Kerry!

[Kahuna]

8. This is a good move for Kerry.

I wish him the best of luck.

[sventvkg]

10. Kudos to Kerry and of course Teddy...

Haven't seen much from Kerry but I have to admit he is starting to impress me. Gephardt will have to participate in this as well I would think along with Edwards?...All of the Dem candidates should be in on this I would think.

[Myra]

20. How can Gephardt participate in a Senate filibuster?

He's in the House.

[flpoljunkie]

11. Recently posted on John Kerry website regarding filibuster...

http://blog.johnkerry.com/blog/archives/000766.html

Berlin, NH—While campaigning in New Hampshire today, John Kerry announced that he will return to Washington this evening to join his colleagues in filibustering a Medicare bill that is little more than a boondoggle for the big pharmaceutical companies that have resisted a real prescription drug benefit for so long.

“As I have traveled around the country, I have heard from countless seniors about their health care needs. They need more affordable prescription drugs and they need a quality Medicare plan that allows seniors to choose their own doctors and their own hospital. It’s clear that seniors across America know that they don’t want the bill before Congress today.

“Republicans are holding a prescription drug benefit hostage to a scheme to privatize Medicare. That may help pharmaceutical companies and their special interest friends but will do more harm than good for America’s seniors and that’s wrong. While George Bush’s drug company friends will receive billions of dollars from this bill, more than two million seniors will lose their drug coverage and many more will be forced into HMOs. It keeps drug prices high – because it actually prevents Medicare from negotiating better drug prices and prevents access to lower-cost drugs available in other countries – allowing drug companies profits to skyrocket at the expense of seniors.

“That is not a good deal for the men and women across America who have worked hard and played by the rules all their lives, knowing that Medicare would be there for them when they needed it.

“These seniors need someone to fight for them – someone to make sure their voice is heard above the special interests and big lobbyists in Washington DC. That is why I am going to return to Washington DC and stand up and fight for America’s seniors.

“This vote barely survived the Republican House and only managed to do so when the Republican leadership used all their power to switch votes. Now as it comes to the Senate, and it is essential that we fight with everything we have to stop it.

“That is why I am going to join Senator Ted Kennedy to lead the filibuster of this legislation in the Senate. Unfortunately that means I will miss the debate in Iowa. But I think the people of Iowa will understand that potential harm of this bill is worth the effort.

"This legislation is a boondoggle for the pharmaceutical industry and a raw deal for America’s seniors and that’s why we have to fight it”

[woofless]

16. Thanks for the link to the blog.

We had a fine (if small) meetup for Kerry in Bellingham,WA and this is a good place to keep in touch.


Woof

[sandnsea]

24. Oh, Kerry and Kennedy are leading the fillibuster

I didn't realize that. He's really taking it right to Bush and the Republicans, personally.

[MoonRiver]

12. I predict huge numbers of moderate Repub voters will cross over

and vote a straight Dem ticket if Senate Dems keep this up. It's becoming clear as day who really wants the best for the American people.

:kick: :bounce: :kick:

[gristy]

13. This is great friggin news.

Am I smelling a sea change here? This is seeming like the FCC bruhaha, but squeezed into a tiny fraction of the time. A stop in the Senate would be HUGE!

[pasadenaboy]

14. maybe daschle will kick Kennedy out of the party for this

NM

[oasis]

15. Milquetoast Tommy had better start with Zell Q. Miller.

[flpoljunkie]

17. Actually, Daschle has said that he was voting against Medicare drug bill

but he would not filibuster it. Evidently, the Democratic caucus was able to round up enough votes to attempt a filibuster.

The GOP needs 60 votes to invoke cloture which would end debate and bring this turkey up for a vote. If they win the cloture vote, it's over.

We must encourage them to make a stand for what is right for America's seniors--a real drug benefit that controls the price of drugs, allows for reimportation, and does not seek to privatize Medicare--a bill for seniors, not a giveaway for drug manufacturers and managed care companies, Bush's corporate cronies.

[Hippo_Tron]

37. Cloture died with 3 votes short, as I recall...

[MessiahRp]

18. Man does this make Daschle look like a pile

What a fucking lapdog. Everyone else knows that this filibuster is the right thing to do and there's Daschle a supposed leader of the party being a bitch to his friends on the right. It's people like him that make it impossible for swing voters to understand that most Dems have a unified message and thus why they vote for Repubs in elections when they all say the same thing and stay true to Bush's message.

Rp

[Myra]

21. MessiahRp please, address Daschle by his proper title:

That's *Senator* Huge Steaming Pile to you.

He's worked hard to earn that tltle, by doing
nothing, and damn well deserves it.

[pasadenaboy]

26. actually

his official title is "Senator Ethanol Subsidy"

[snoochie]

29. Hear hear

Can that poor excuse for a Dem do anything right?

[MessiahRp]

35. LOL

Yet I still don't call people by their official titles because some don't deserve them, like Saxby Chambliss, George W. Bush, and Zell Miller. So Daschle is falling into the same trap.

Rp

[papau]

19. The closure vote looks close - but with Dems losing. 3 days of

debate before Mondays vote - then - if closure passes - limited debate for a few more days.

[UTUSN]

22. ARA Commercials Against the Bill Are Airing on CNN

******QUOTE*****

http://www.retiredamericans.org
Call Your Senators 800-511-3802
www.retiredamericans.org
New TV Spots Airing Nationally—The Alliance has launched a new television campaign to educate seniors on the Medicare bill. The ad explains why seniors should urge lawmakers to vote no. Sixty-four percent of seniors oppose the bill because it would increase payments to keep their choice of doctors and hospitals or be forced to switch to an HMO, does nothing to bring down the cost of drugs and leaves seniors with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.

----------President Bush Addresses Empty Seats—Phoenix, AZ On November 13, about 30 Alliance activists showed up and outnumbered supporters at a sparsely attended event sponsored by Senior Voices for Medicare Choices, a group fronted by insurance companies. The event broadcast President Bush's November 13 remarks from Orlando urging Congress to push through a bill that would privatize Medicare.

*****UNQUOTE****

[Ksec]

23. [e-mail]

[Myra]

25. Can some smart person say if a filibuster is symbolic or a true weapon?

At this point.
I truly want to know.

I'm *very* grateful to hear this even if it's just symbolic.
(Hell, I'm forever grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus
for challanging the bogus stolen florida electoral votes.)

And I'll call/email Kennedy and Kerry and thank them and
support them and call/email my (shitty) senators and urge
them to join them, and so on.

But from a strictly strategic standpoint, is it possible
for a Senate filibuster to block this hideous bill?

[pasadenaboy]

27. as long as you can get

41 senators not to vote to close debate, the legislation is dead. A fillibuster is a very powerful weapon proved you can keep 41 senators united.

[flpoljunkie]

28. Yes, it is. It takes 60 votes to invoke cloture to stop debate.

If the vote falls shorts of 60, debate can continue indefinitely--this is a filibuster. Usually, debate does not continue. The matter is instead set aside and this may mean it is dead for the duration of the Congressional session.

If cloture is not invoked in this case, the Rethugs will keep bringing this turkey back up for a vote. They want to be able to say they gave seniors a Medicare drug benefit--even though it does not take effect until 2006 and profits drug and managed care companies, and makes NO effort to control the costs of drugs.

I think Kennedy and Kerry must think they have a good chance of a filibuster or they would not be making it known they will be attempting to block the vote.

[Myra]

32. Thank you pasadenaboy and flpoljunkie

I'll call and email both Kerry and Kennedy;
they are being truly heroic on this.

And my own senators Cantwell and Murray (not that
I'm eager to claim them). Trying to decide if
there's *any* point contacting that Pug lite Dash-hole.

[flpoljunkie]

39. Daschle said on MTP he not only will support filibuster, Dems will try

whatever parliamentary maneuvers or procedural moves available to kill this giveaway to the drug and managed care companies.

Good for Daschle!

[oasis]

30. A kick for two great Democrats

[Kathy in Cambridge]

31. I love my Senators!

I'm jumping on the phone Monday morning to thank them!

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Can't say the same about mine in this instance...

Landrieu and Breaux are both voting for it.

[tlb]

33. Republicans are happy either way.

No filabuster and the bill goes through, with Bush getting credit for an AARP approved perscription drug plan for seniors.

Filabuster and you'll see a year of commercials in every senatorial campaign how Kennedy and company left seniors uninsured rather then let Bush take credit in an election year.

A no win scenerio. Given their druthers, I think the republican would prefer to have the campaign cmmercials charging democrat obstructionists are putting ideology above the needs of old people. Are you sure you want to cheer Kennedy on when it seems likely to damage what is already an uphill batle for the senate ?

And before anyone jumps on me with " But we've got to FIGHT BACK", shooting yourself in the foot doesn't do much to fight anyone.

[demgrrrll]

36. I disagree, if the calls on c-span are running 5 to one against and

a poll shows that 65% of AARP members are against the bill then the folks who go down fighting get the points. AARP conducted their own biased poll, I think Atrios might have some info on that poll on his little blogspot.

[creativelcro]

41. KICK

[Yupster]

42. Bush maybe happier if it's fillibustered

Then he can say

"Democrats said they were for prescription drugs for seniors for 8 years, but never did anything about it.

When I got in, I kept my promise and thanks to some 5 am phone calls, barely got the bill past the House, just so the Democrats could kill it again, this time with a senate fillibuster."

[tlb]

43. Feinstein and Jeffords seem to agree with me.

Reports are that 9 democratic senators oppose the filabuster. That's enough to pass a cloture vote against any filabuster.

I think they don't want to face those republican commercials I predicted and I can't blame them.

[loyalsister]

44. AARP has like an 80% voter turnout rate

It's the voting public that determines elections, and it is quite clear that the members have seen through it. These are people who also have family members who they talk to about these things. Their kids are baby boomers and their grandchildren are Gen Xers. It's going to backfire in a big way.

[RapidCreek]

45. Yea no doubt...shooting oneself in the foot..

That is really hilarious. If you were thirsting to death....I had water and the only way I'd give you a drink is if you let me bend you over and pump a dose of HIV into your rectum....you'd go for it eh? Guess so....wouldn't want to shoot yourself in the foot, right?

RC

[mitchum]

34. kick for great news