somebody clue me in...

[dweller]

i have been on several threads, i have read more than one person moaning the loss of the medicare bill in the senate.

as far as i can tell, there has NOT been a vote on the bill itself.
in fact, at the moment i write this, Hillary Clinton is in the senate talking about how bad the bill is and the reasons it is a bad bill. Voting may not even take place until TOMORROW.

so is DU now full of prophets of doom?
where are the results of the vote on the medicare bill?

who voted FOR and who voted AGAINST the bill?

ya can't tell me, b/c it's not even taken place.

buck up guys.

dp

[sangh0]

1. Even worse

was how some were calling for Daschle's head immediately after he successfully delayed the bill.

[theivoryqueen]

2. people here at DU want this abomination of a bill to pass?

have they not read any of it or listened to informed commentary regarding multiple deleterious provisions in it? Yikes!

[hlthe2b]

3. TIQ, I think you misunderstand...

I don't think anyone here wants it to pass. This post is pointing out that many here assume it is a done deal, given the failure on the cloture and procedural votes..

[theivoryqueen]

7. thanks, sigh of relief

For a mome I thought I was in the wrong place.

[maddezmom]

4. I'm still hopeful

ya never know what Teddy has up his sleeve. :)

[creativelcro]

5. they are all very old

a stroke is never that unlikely at that age...

[theoceansnerves]

6. it will pass

cloture passed easily. there were some that didn't want to filibuster so they voted for cloture, but then the waiver of the CBA went through 61-39. they would need a 11 vote swing from the CBA waiver to vote it down once the actual bill comes up, i don't see how that is going to happen.

[creativelcro]

8. agree..

only hope is another procedural vote on something else (the 61/39 was close...)...

[dweller]

9. there is still a chance

the discussion continues, there may be minds changed especially since the nitely news is portraying it as a done deal. There may be angry phone calls, and faxes and voices raised.

This bill will piss off many, many people who will lose any coverage they have for health care.

Gingrich keeps getting mentioned in the debate, voting for this bill is guilt by association.

i want to see this important bill snatched from the maw of the bastard *moron in the white house.

so keep a positive outlook on this.
it ain't over yet.

dp

[nostamj]

11. uh, it was 61/39 on the procedural vote

(suspending the Budget act, ie. once again repubs change any rules that get in the way of their agenda...

[dweller]

12. are you watching Dodd now?

he's been going for about 20 mins on FIRE!

dp

[creativelcro]

13. Yeah, he's mad like hell!

[nostamj]

22. yes!

i saw Dodd.

yeah! (i'm from CT)

[dweller]

10. Dodd is ripping a new one

Beware americans, when you find out the voices that are being denied.

pretty much laying out the whole manuevers of the Repugs and how the bill has gotten where it is.
the more you know of this bill, the less you will like it.

this is good!

dp

[creativelcro]

14. Dodd calls this new bill a casino...

[dweller]

15. pointed out that people would be faced with

sending a kid to college, or taking care of ailing parents.

HARKIN UP NOW!

debate continues.

dp

[creativelcro]

16. Harkin (D-Iowa) on

he has some cartoon in the background.

[karlschneider]

17. Yeah, I just switched over to C-span, Harkin still talking. But I heard

earlier that the cloture vote passed 61-39 (?)???
:wtf:

[dweller]

19. the actual bill

has not been voted on yet.
i believe there is still 30 hours of debate since the cloture vote.

Harkin is laying it out now.
the wealthy are more imp. to this administration...

dp

[maddezmom]

18. Harkin talking

who were the 2 dems that were in conference? does anyone know?

[dweller]

20. No Dems were allowed in the conferences

that wrote the bill. Repug leader of the conf. said if they were allowed in, he'd shut it down.
They were handed the bill last friday (maybe thurs), but NO DEM was allowed in the crafting of the bill.

dp

[Tatiana]

25. Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and John Breaux (D-LA)

Traitors, as usual. Those were the only Dems they would allow. Rockefeller and Daschle should have also been conferees.

[dweller]

27. Really? i clearly heard Dodd say

NO DEMS were allowed.

i guess he knew what he was saying, since traitors aren't considered real Dems.

:shrug:

dp

[dweller]

21. Harkin

this bill is a witches brew.
is faith based, free market cares about profits, not people.
will shut out people with disabilities, mental illness, those that aren't 'profitable'
the elderly are not 'profitable'

Congress broke down the barriers for those with disabilities, not the free market.


dp

[nofurylike]

23. okay, now i'm really confused.

help?

i'm listening to the debate continue, when on abc news they say this bill has now passed, and show (i think was daschle) conceding its passage, with kennedy standing behind him.

anyone else see that?

how can it be passed if i am still listening to the debate?

this whole thing has been the weirdest!

i have been saved from deepest despair many times by you all in here sharing this vigil! i still despair, but...
um, sorry - i think i just thought something like misery enjoys company. blush, but true. sigh.

thank you, all!

keep on!

peace

[creativelcro]

24. the bill has not passed yet

but it is clear that the opponents will not get 50 votes... I think they'll keep going just to illustrate all the problems with the bill for the public. Or perhaps they hope that some people will go home... Dunno...

[dweller]

26. It was carefully worded on the news

that it was 'headed' for passage.

very little of the reality of how bad it was brought up in the newscast, unless you listened carefully, which many may not, and see it as foregone conclusion.
But even that could backfire, if they knew what the bill contained, and immediately contacted senators and congress and raised hell, and with aarp, maybe they would listen and back away from this pos bill.

Daschle was conceding the cloture vote, but also pointing out the flaws.

the news did make it sound as if it's a done deal.

but the debate still continues.

dp

[nofurylike]

40. thank you for clarifying

dweller. i'm glad you saw it clearly. i see what confused me.

thanks too, creativelcro.

sorry so late.

peace all

[dweller]

28. heads up!

Ensign (R-NV) saying he will vote against the bill!
he voted yea on cloture, and earlier was slamming the Dems..

did i hear this right?
he apologized to Grassley...but will vote NO...

anyone still listening?

Nelson, D-Fla up now...

dp

[maddezmom]

29. tuned back in

wish I'd heard it. So where does that leave the bill? And can he change his vote this late on the cloture vote? I'm a novice at all this...can you tell? :)

[theoceansnerves]

31. on final passage

i believe he meant he will change his mind and vote NO on final passage. there are a few (like daschle for instance) who voted FOR cloture but will vote NO on the bill.

[dweller]

34. So you heard this too?

good if so.

i lost my cspan connection around the same time, so was hoping someone else heard more, Nelson was on next, but i was sure i heard Ensign changing his stance.

dp

[dweller]

32. not on the cloture, that's done

but against the medicare bill itself.

I was hoping someone else heard it for confirmation, i was listening half heartedly, since earlier he was spouting the 'welfare/unemployment' theme against the bill to extend UIB that Clinton had brought up, so all of a sudden i heard him saying how bad the medicare bills items were, and had to look to see if it was still Ensign, and it was. He apologized to Grassley for having to vote against the med. bill.

did anyone else hear this?

this is what the value of the debate here is about, they could change enough votes to defeat it.

so i hope at least.

dp

[madfloridian]

30. What's his stance?

:hi:

[dweller]

33. he didn't like certain items in the bill

that would come back to bite the seniors later.

i really hope i heard this correctly, he did say he'd vote against.

then Nelson came up, so that's all i heard.

dp

[creativelcro]

35. Well... I think for one of them to say he'll change his

vote at this point is a little suspicious... They need 11 extra votes to kill it... It is rather safe for a couple of them to change their vote just to look good with their constituents... The time to do that was earlier in the day...

[dweller]

37. it may be the quality of the debate

that was not allowed, a bill not read, and maybe, just maybe there are enough wise conservatives that will reconsider due to impassioned and fact filled debate that is finally happening.

Stabenow up now, and i'm unclear if she is for or against the bill. Talking about the cost explosion of prescrp. drugs.
important that we got it right, we have strengthened medicare, to bring prices down.

okay, she says the bill does NOT do this. It starts with the premise of bringing down the price, but seniors want the medicare (89%) as opposed to hmo/private ins (11%).

the bill doesn't do what it's supposed to, pushing them into private ins.

Most are saying the vote will be tomorrow. There is time to wrangle this out of the abyss.

ya gotta have hope.

dp

[dweller]

36. Cantwell up now

the debate continues.
key aspects of the bill to provide transparency, money back to seniors, are gone.
believes attorney general ought to investigate the pharmaceutical ties to the bill, collusion to rip off seniors/consumers.

key part of legislation is left out. Reigning in pharms, and the privatization does not protect seniors, does not control price, limits drugs provided.

dp

[dweller]

38. Frist the catkiller up now

calling for a vote at 9:15 Tues morn.

questions by Durbin: will we vote for UIB extension?
Frist: cannot answer without further conference.

Durbin: this bill (medicare HR 1) is an abobimination...fed will subsidize the cost of rx drugs, do nothing to bring them down. NO cost containment, does not treat Americans fairly, and was worsened by conference committee.
The bill was supposed to be about rx drug benefit, but does not do this but kills Medicare, raises the costs, privatizes medicare, covers hmos/drs, not the patient.
$12billion slush fund for hmos, leaving behind the individual.
much more said, but i'm getting tired. will stay tuned in as long as possible.

KENNEDY is coming up, and debate may end for the evening following...

thanks for all who stayed tuned for this debate and have not given up.

Durbin still going strong.

peace all.
dp

[dmr]

39. Finally Senator Kennedy

Senator Durbin was good, he spoke how if this is passed, they will be back on the floor scrambling to bring it back.

I've been glued to c-span all day. In February I'll be automatically enrolled in Medicare and am a nervous wreck over this.