Dec 18, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans accused Democrats of bad manners, bad timing and bad health care policy on Friday, then summoned images of fire and ice for good measure as they campaigned to block passage of sweeping legislation President Barack Obama's allies want passed by Christmas.
Unperturbed, the White House and Democrats bargained behind closed doors for hours with Sen. Ben Nelson in a search for the 60th vote needed to pass the measure. "Hopefully, we're making progress," the Nebraska Democrat said during a break in the talks.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!
Several officials said Nelson was seeking to ease the impact of a proposed insurance industry tax on nonprofit companies, as well as win more federal funds to cover Nebraska's cost of treating patients in Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor. These officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the administration and Democratic leaders had offered concessions on those points.
Nelson has spoken openly of seeking stricter abortion curbs, and a proposed compromise on that issue has won the tentative support of Catholic hospitals.
But the National Right to Life Committee objected during the day, issuing a letter that said it "in no way improves the highly objectionable provisions of the ... bill that authorize subsidies for health plans that cover elective abortion, and that authorize federal mandates for private health plans to cover elective abortion."
At his news conference, Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell taunted Democrats in terms that recalled Obama's campaign promise of "change we can believe in."
The health care bill, he said, "isn't change you can believe in; it's change that's astonishing. We all know that promises are made in political campaigns, but this is a complete reversal - there is no change. This is business as usual."
"Tomorrow, there's going to be a snowstorm, and we'll be coming in RVs and everything will be paralyzed as our nation's capital always is when there's a snowstorm."
He added, "But the fact is that there's a firestorm out there in America. That firestorm says stop this. Stop this."
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., expanded the criticism. He recalled that Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., had been turned down on Thursday when he made a routine request to speak for additional seconds on the Senate floor.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH SEN. McCAIN CONTEST AL FRANKEN!
"It was objected to by the newest member of the United States Senate in a most brusque way," McCain said, a reference to Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
"That's how the comity in this body has deteriorated. We've got to stop. We've got to stop this kind of behavior."
No comments:
Post a Comment