Obama's healthcare lacks votes: Senator Feinstein

[babylonsister]

Don't count on her voting for anything resembling decent health care reform; she's going to be a thorn in our side.


Obama's healthcare lacks votes: Senator
Posted June 21, 2009 4:30 PM
The Swamp

by Mark Silva

Storm warnings on the healthcare reform front:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said today that President Barack Obama may lack the votes in the Senate necessary to push the healthcare reform he wants this summer.

"Well to be candid with you, I don't know that he has the votes right now,'' the senator said in an appearance on CNN's State of the Union today. "I think there's a lot of concern in the Democratic caucus.''

With Republicans such as Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Richard Lugar of Indiana warning about the costs of everything the federal government already has done this year, Democrats may be reticent to vote for another trillion-dollar plan.

"Sen. Lugar's point about the economy, the trillions of dollars that have gone into buttressing the economy, now we're going to be dealing with regulation of the financial sector.,'' Feinstein told CNN's John King. "What all of the impact of this is not yet known.

"You have enormous problems in my state,'' Feinstein added. "California's bigger than the populations of 21 states and the District of Columbia put together.

"We have an enormous health care industry, 350 hospitals. University of California alone has 34,000 health care workers, has health care worth $4 billion a year. So it's complicated. Additionally, the state is in a state of financial catastrophe. I think that's clear. So, if you change the Medicaid rate, for example, it has an impact on California between $1 billion and $5 billion a year. Now, how could I support that? Because it would take down the state.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/06/obamas_healthcare_lacks_votes.html#more

[blueclown]

1. Go to hell, Feinstein, you Repuke. n/t

[DesertFlower]

2. this worries me. nt

[avaistheone1]

22. She worries me.

[lindisfarne]

3. This is a duplicate of another thread in this same forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8487356

[Cleita]

4. And Peter Orzag says all they need is 50 votes with Biden being the tie

breaker even though the Repukes might filibuster. Who cares. I don't know who to believe any more.

[SharonRB]

5. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy

If the Dems would all vote for it, we wouldn't have a problem. She's part of the problem.

[Dr Fate]

6. It's a game of "good cop/bad cop."

Except it's getting harder and harder to tell who the good cops are, or who is covering for who.

[asjr]

7. I wonder how many insurance companies

she has on her political payroll?

[Raine1967]

8. How can she say that when

Their has been no plan presented by the Senate? NOTHING Has been presented yet.

There a ton of different ideas out there right now and nothing is sorted out. I find this completely disingenuous of her to say that. Time to call her office in the morning... This is getting ridiculous.

[droidamus2]

9. CYA?

This is the kind of statement that is used by politicians to cover their own ass when they want to kill a particular piece of legislation without really having to vote against it. They just claim that the votes aren't there and then refuse to bring the legislation up for a vote. The Democrats could learn something from the ideologues on the conservative side in this case. Sometimes you have to bring things to a vote even though you know your going to lose so you can get your opposition (or the opposition in your own party) to actually vote against something that the people really want. Why is it that when the Republicans are in control they have no problem running roughshod over everybody to get what they want (not that I totally support that kind of action but if you believe in your cause enough sometimes it is a legitmate method to get legislation passed) but when the Democrats get power they start fighting each other and resort to whining about not having enough votes? If you can pass the regular way then do it, if you have to resort to using reconciliation so all you need is 50 + Biden then do it. As far as filibustering Republicans I have two words in relation to that 'Nuclear Option' and no threat just do it.

[OHdem10]

10. Doing Reform means cutting Medicaid and Medicare. The Dems

have been horrific. We hear about the cuts and not one
person has explained what the people on Medicare are supposed
to do while we wait 10 years for the Health Program to take
effect completely.

When you reform you had better be informing the people continuously.

All the states are in financial difficulty. What are the people
on Medicaid, Medicare suppose to do????
Feinstien is only looking out for her state.

[andym]

11. She's supposed to look out for her state

But, apparently, she's not considering the benefits that insuring the 6.3 million uninsured Californians will bring back at least 1-2 billion (if not quite a bit more) to the state's economy which should balance out any potential loss.

[shireen]

12. they want to fund healthcare?

raise taxes on the rich, you morons!

i'm so sick of hearing about cost or health. but you have enough money to bail out banks?

Goddamn crooks! I'm so sick of you!

[TomCADem]

13. Nancy Pelosi AND Senator Barbara Boxer Support A Public Option

So, there is absolutely no reason why a public option cannot be implemented in a manner that is fair to Calfornia, since so many prominent members of Congress from California support such an option. Senator Feinstein's opposition is B.S. Also, California's labor issues, which translate into financial issues, are due in large part to healthcare costs.

[babylonsister]

15. I didn't know where Sen. Boxer stood, though I'm not surprised. Her

support makes Feinstein look even more disingenuous.

[avaistheone1]

23. Boxer clearly stands for the public option.

[AtomicKitten]

14. The Dems in Congress better come to terms with the 72% that want a public option.

Or voters will abandon what has essentially become in Congress a one-party system for a third party that actually listens to the will of the people.

[democracy1st]

16. never understood trying to get repubs on board when you have so many

sorry ass dems

[AtomicKitten]

17. ain't that the truth? they are sorry ass indeed

[avaistheone1]

24. I think so too.

[MadBadger]

18. Case and point while single-payer has zero chance of happening.

[The Wizard]

19. Flood the DSCC mailbox with this message:

Health care without the public option will put you back in the minority.
Not one more dime until health care with the public option is passed.
This bribe taking shit has to stop.

[avaistheone1]

25. I have no problem saying something along those lines.

[Joe Bacon]

20. Diane, SHUT UP AND GET THE VOTES!

For once in your life be a Democrat, Diane. Get the votes.

[zulchzulu]

21. Fuck you Di Fi.... again...

She is without question one of the worst people in the Senate. At least the Repig Senators are consistent in being Republicans. Di Fi acts like a Democrat until it gets "difficult".

From being a warmonger to being a corporate sell-out, she is consistently not on our side.

Her response on the healthcare worker numbers and the plan somehow bringing down California, she knows she's lying. Her pockets are full of Pharma and Insurance money... and she has no conscience to even admit it.

[Forkboy]

26. I wish she didn't have the votes.

She's been a smeghead forever.