Monday, November 9, 2009
Health "The Amendent Was Necessary."
Posted by Eli Sanders on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 5:52 PM
- E.S.
So said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, talking this afternoon in Seattle about the controversial abortion amendment that was added at the last minute to the House health insurance reform bill.
Which is not to say she likes that the amendment had to be added.
"I myself do not really think this issue should be part of this legislation," Pelosi said, flanked by two Washington congressmen, Jim McDermott and Jay Inslee. "But others thought differently... I voted against it, as did all of the members of the leadership and the chairs of the committees of jurisdiction."
McDermott and Inslee also voted against the amendment, which passed 240 to 194.
The amendment vote had to be allowed, Pelosi said, because Republicans were determined to force the issue one way or another, and letting them do it via the amendment process was the best way to avoid derailing the entire health insurance reform effort:
The major parts of this bill do so much to provide quality health care, and bring many more people into the loop. And, by the way, under this legislation, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition... The provision that you're talking about would have been in the bill one way or another. The Republicans would have put it as a motion to recommit—not to get too much into this—we thought it was better to have it as an amendment that could be voted up or down, rather than a provision in the motion to recommit, which would take down the whole bill.
That's a pretty technical answer, but again, what Pelosi was saying is that the amendment process was the least bad way she could think of to contain this explosive issue.
Will the Senate be able to strip about the amendment and its limits on abortion funding, now that the bill is in its hands?
Pelosi dodged that question.
Here's the video:
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1
Outrageous! If anyone needs to be aborted it's future trailer trash, gangbangers and chollos. Bring back federal funding for the poor! I demand free abortion clinics in EVERY poor community. The less fuck-ups they can squirt out the better.
2
Twenty House Democrats voted AGAINST the Stupak-Pitts anti-choice amendment and voted FOR health care reform despite representing districts which lean Republican or are otherwise difficult. They're worthy of your support to show that when they stand up and do the right thing, progressives will have their backs.
They're ranked on this page from the most Republican district down towards the middle. Each of them deserves some support today -- $5 each, $10, whatever you can do:
http://www.actblue.com/page/wevegotyourb…
3
"Will the Senate be able to strip about the amendment and its limits on abortion funding, now that the bill is in its hands?"
The issue in the Senate is are they going to pass ANY health care reform at all -- not "is the Senate going to be more liberal than the House?"
The issue in the Senate is are they going to pass ANY health care reform at all -- not "is the Senate going to be more liberal than the House?"
4
Pelosi's right about that. They got the best bill they could reasonably be expected to have gotten through through by the slimmest of margins. She deserves kudos just for getting it through.
The question now is will Reid have the balls to hit the Lieberbag with the ultomato: vote for cloture and let the bill come to a vote or get thrown out of the D-caucus? Or will he successfully court the Snowe Queen to break ranks and get something real through so the bills can be reconciled? It's a big if. Reid hasn't been displaying much in the balls department.
The question now is will Reid have the balls to hit the Lieberbag with the ultomato: vote for cloture and let the bill come to a vote or get thrown out of the D-caucus? Or will he successfully court the Snowe Queen to break ranks and get something real through so the bills can be reconciled? It's a big if. Reid hasn't been displaying much in the balls department.
6
It's Hero-or-Goat time now.
Sadly, my money's on both Reid and Lieberman for goatiness. I hope I'm wrong.
Sadly, my money's on both Reid and Lieberman for goatiness. I hope I'm wrong.
7
Hey, Nancy, ya know what else is necessary? A third party to compete with the Democrats and the Republicans since neither is representing the voters.
9
Agreed. Pelosi has to Gosi. Her leadership during Bush's reign was non-existent, so no surprise she can't rally Dem's now.
10
The whole vote count thing is a sham.
They claim that they needed to add the amendment because even with it it passed with "the slimmest of margins", but as soon as they lock in 218 votes they let other do whatever they want.
They couldn't have passed it without the votes from the progressive caucus either, yet instead of using that as a reason to pass it WITHOUT the amendment, they say they need the blue dogs and add it.
It's all bullshit.
They claim that they needed to add the amendment because even with it it passed with "the slimmest of margins", but as soon as they lock in 218 votes they let other do whatever they want.
They couldn't have passed it without the votes from the progressive caucus either, yet instead of using that as a reason to pass it WITHOUT the amendment, they say they need the blue dogs and add it.
It's all bullshit.
11
There isn't a civil right or liberty that the Democratic Party won't sell out for a good ham sandwich.
12
If nothing else, this bill finally puts to rest the idea that we have a two-party system. We've developed into one of those multi-party countries like Israel in which the center parties need to appease the fringes in order to get anything done. It won't work here any better than it does there - reasonable members of parliament see that it's hogwash, and by definition the extremists can't be satisfied. Now that they've successfully bullied Congress into accepting this crazy demand, the next one (and the next and the next and the next...) is just around the corner.
13
@7, @9, @10
You three are not understanding how our republic works. Here's how a bill becomes a law, boys and girls: Pelosi had two options before the final vote on the bill could take place. She could a) take a vote on the Stupak amendment, see if it wins, then proceed to final passage or b) refuse the vote on the Stupak amendment, allow Republicans to offer a Motion to Recommit and vote on the amendment (and more toxic garbage) anyway.
What's the difference between the two? The language on a motion to recommit is out of Pelosi and the Democrats' hands, thereby posing more risk. The Republicans could say they want a motion to recommit to "study the effects of health care legislation on government-funded abortions" and send the whole bill right back to the committees, which would effectively kill healthcare legislation cold. That motion to recommit, if it was offered by the Republicans, may have won. And instead of talking about how much you hate Nancy Pelosi, you would be talking about how you will never, ever get healthcare reform in this country.
Next time, educate yourselves before you all go off and shoot your mouths.
http://rules.house.gov/Archives/recommit…
Pelosi knows how to count to 218 and score a victory for Obama and the Democratic Party.
You three are not understanding how our republic works. Here's how a bill becomes a law, boys and girls: Pelosi had two options before the final vote on the bill could take place. She could a) take a vote on the Stupak amendment, see if it wins, then proceed to final passage or b) refuse the vote on the Stupak amendment, allow Republicans to offer a Motion to Recommit and vote on the amendment (and more toxic garbage) anyway.
What's the difference between the two? The language on a motion to recommit is out of Pelosi and the Democrats' hands, thereby posing more risk. The Republicans could say they want a motion to recommit to "study the effects of health care legislation on government-funded abortions" and send the whole bill right back to the committees, which would effectively kill healthcare legislation cold. That motion to recommit, if it was offered by the Republicans, may have won. And instead of talking about how much you hate Nancy Pelosi, you would be talking about how you will never, ever get healthcare reform in this country.
Next time, educate yourselves before you all go off and shoot your mouths.
http://rules.house.gov/Archives/recommit…
Pelosi knows how to count to 218 and score a victory for Obama and the Democratic Party.
14
Sorry - I find it hard to celebrate any type of victory when my uterus is being used as a bargaining chip.
15
13: Give up. These wankers will whine about it regardless. They live in a world of assumptions and speculation.
And 14, Obama has voiced his concerns about the abortion amendment and has asked Congress to reconsider it before sending a final bill to him. So maybe you should just fucking relax until you see what the final bill looks like.
And 14, Obama has voiced his concerns about the abortion amendment and has asked Congress to reconsider it before sending a final bill to him. So maybe you should just fucking relax until you see what the final bill looks like.
16
The outraged masses have to flap their mouths about how angry they are at all times, lest their brains start working.
17
That's the great thing about private insurance.
If you can afford it, you can get one with abortion services.
So, are you Lefties still in love with the masses?
That's the great thing about private insurance.
If you can afford it, you can get one with abortion services.
So, are you Lefties still in love with the masses?
19
does anybody currently have insurance that covers abortion? i've had to pay for all my own, ha! seriously though- are they usually covered?
20
As the President would say, you "can't make the good the enemy of the perfect." Funny to see liberals get the reality check about the state of women's rights in the US though.
( 8
( 8
21
Well, the last time we had a dem in office we gay people got shit on. Looks like this time it'll be women. I promise you Obama and the senate dems don't have spine enough to stop the roll back of rights. We all know this.
22
Throw basic women's healthcare under the bus. I mean especially poor women. They may as well not exist. Thanks, Democrats! You leave me with a ton of options. Oh, and for all of you out there saying it needed to be done in order to get the healthcare passed and blah blah blah? Call yourself a Democrat, not a Progressive, please. And fuck you.
23
If you rip it out, you rip it out just before the 3rd and final passage, when it's a straight up/down majority vote.
But I'm not joining the plan so long as it doesn't include abortion and reproductive services.
But I'm not joining the plan so long as it doesn't include abortion and reproductive services.
25
21: I'll repeat what I said earlier because obviously you don't know how to read and don't actually follow the news, Obama doesn't support the House's action\ on abortion. I think you slog-fuckers spend too much time reading the Strager and not enough time actually reading real news. You're always at least three days behind what's actally happening.
If you're going to bitch, whine and moan all day, pick the right fucking topics.
If you're going to bitch, whine and moan all day, pick the right fucking topics.
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