Sen. Harkin Does NOT Want GOP at the table when Senate merges healthcare bills

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/61245-harkin-no-gop-at-the-table-when-senate-merges-healthcare-bills


Harkin: No GOP at the table when Senate merges healthcare bills
By Tony Romm - 10/01/09 05:53 PM ET


The chairman of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was adamant on Thursday that only Democrats take part in the chamber's effort to merge its two distinct healthcare proposals.

That final product, added Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), would include a strong public option -- a provision that's part of the HELP committee's plan, but is otherwise absent from the Senate Finance Committee's forthcoming bill.

“No, this will be a proposal by the Democrats to bring a bill on the floor," Harkin told reporters during Thursday's teleconference. "And that’s what I have said before, that the people of this country — I keep saying — the people of this country pretty overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama last fall and to make changes."

“We will have a bill on the president’s desk before Christmas, a health-reform bill," he added. "It will have a lot of good stuff in it. It will have a lot of prevention and wellness programs in there that I’ve been fighting for."

Harkin's unequivocal remarks arrive at a tense moment during the Senate's healthcare negotiations. While the HELP committee chairman is working diligently to shore up support for the beleaguered public option, his counterpart on the Finance Committee is struggling to complete the markup process without losing almost every Republican vote -- an outcome that has seemed increasingly more likely by the day.

It is unclear whether Baucus supports Harkin's stated refusal to invite Republicans to the merging table, an effort that likely will not take place for at least another two weeks. However, the mere suggestion of the party's exclusion is sure to anger the Senate's most vocal Republicans, who have recently ramped up their criticism of the Democrats' healthcare reform strategy.

"We won't have a bipartisan bill because the White House stepped in here two weeks ago and demanded that {Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)} break off his talks with the Republicans," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee's ranking member, told reporters earlier on Thursday. "I don't think Senator Baucus wanted to do that. And there was still some very key differences between the two sides."

[aquart]

1. Go to Hell, Senator Grassley. You have friends there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. We will see if it has a strong PO

I hope it does... but I can't live on hope alone.

Enough of the theatrics and give us SOME of that change we voted for.

[Avalux]

3. Kennedy would be proud of Harkin. He's getting it done.

And I don't care about the stories of compromise; Kennedy wouldn't have compromised on this.

Republicans have had ample opportunities to contribute to real health insurance reform and have offered NOTHING. They've made it clear they won't vote for a bill no matter what's in it, so there's no reason for them to be at the table.

Dems are starting to cook with gas now! :fistbump:

[spanone]

neither do i...obstructionists....i guess that only applies to democratic congresses

[redqueen]

4. " losing almost every Republican vote " PLEASE!

Like they were going to vote for it anyway!

[KansDem]

5. Why bring dining-room tables to the negotiating table?

Not enough room...

edited for spelling

[valerief]

6. Sen. Harkin, dare I hope?

:kick:

[tularetom]

7. Who cares what Baucus wants

He wasted all summer kissing the ass of the insurance industry and wound up with a godawful piece of crap for a bill.

He is irrelevant to the final outcome and should not be included in the negotiations.

[Pab Sungenis]

8. There shouldn't be a need to merge. We must have them kill Baucus bill in committee.

If your Senator is one of the ones on the committee, call them immediately and tell them to vote NO on the final bill and kill it in committee, so that the HELP bill can go to the floor unscathed.

[LostInAnomie]

9. There is no reason to include them, and I wish more of our leadership would recognize that.

They are wasting their time trying to make the bill bi-partisan. No republicans are going to vote for it, none at all. They are only there to try to weaken whatever bill gets the final vote as much as possible just in case Dems are actually able to pass it.

We never should have even given them consultation. They were set to vote against it from the beginning. We should have made it as strong and good as we could and passed it against their wishes.

[Hepburn]

10. Geeeeeeez, Grassley....

...less useful than tits on a bull.