House healthcare talks break down in anger-Blue Dogs howling

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-healthcare-talks-break-down-in-anger-2009-07-24.html

House healthcare talks break down in anger
By Jared Allen, Mike Soraghan and Lauren Burke
Posted: 07/24/09 03:27 PM


House healthcare negotiations dissolved in acrimony on Friday, with Blue Dog Democrats saying they were “lied” to by their Democratic leaders.

The seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee stormed out of a Friday meeting with their committee chairman, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), saying Waxman had been negotiating in bad faith over a number of provisions Blue Dogs demanded be changed in the stalled healthcare bill.

“I’ve been lied to,” Blue Dog Coalition Co-Chairman Charlie Melancon (D-La.) said on Friday. “We have not had legitimate negotiations.

“Mr. Waxman has decided to sever discussions with the Blue Dogs who are trying to make this bill work for America,” Melancon said.

Although those Blue Dogs were supposed to be headed back into another meeting of the Energy and Commerce Democrats, their anger was visible.

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the only hope for passage of the bill in the House will be to go straight to the floor, an option leaders shied away from endorsing but said was an option.

But the Blue Dogs issued dire warnings to leaders contemplating that approach.

"Waxman simply does not have votes in committee and process should not be bypassed to bring the bill straight to floor,” Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), the lead Blue Dog negotiator, said on Friday. “We are trying to save this bill and trying to save this party.”

Melancon said there would be 40-45 “solid no” votes from the 52-strong Blue Dogs, among other problems throughout the caucus.

“If they try to bring it to the floor, I think they’ll find out they have more problems with the Blue Dogs.”

A leadership aide said no decisions have been made on how to proceed.

[kenny blankenship]

1. This party is just about over

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. slinkerwink diary on Kos a couple days ago gives a good heads up on the ahole Blue Dogs on Energy

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/21/755855/-To-Hell-With-The-Blue-Dogs:-Let-Pelosi-And-Dems-Know-It!

[strategery blunder]

3. Hey Blue Dogs--FUCK YOU!

Either get with the program or get lost.

[RDANGELO]

4. That should be doable.

The Dems have 83 more seats than the Repubs.

[tritsofme]

6. Currently 39 Dem nay votes would kill a measure that faced unanimous Republican opposition.

As has been the case on important votes this Congress.

IIRC, I have read reports where more than 40 Blue Dogs have pledged opposition if their demands are not met.

[depakid]

5. Ironically, these are the same folks who arre likely to lose their seats

Should meaningful health care reform fail to pass. In some respects- one would have to say "good riddance."

[bobbolink]

22. And I hope that John Salazar, brother of Ken, CO, is one of them to lose!

So many of us supported Mike Miles for Senator, but we were shouted down by the centrists, including right here.

Now, not one single word that MAYBE they were wrong.

It was alll about $$$$$ rather than people.

Yes, fuck 'em all!

[Davis_X_Machina]

7. Melancon's high by a factor of two....

There are a lot of nominal Blue Dogs who aren't going to die in the last ditch for this. Here's the caucus membership -- I can think of a dozen anyways who aren't going to do a Captain-Ahab-and-the-whale to stop this, starting with Michaud, and Sanchez, who's on record as pro public-option.

Pelosi has a lot of detractors, but her people can whip, as we saw with Social Security 'reform'..

[Loge23]

8. The government we deserve

This is our government in action.
It really sucks being an American these days.
...and before the flame-throwers start, let me assure everyone:
If I could, I would.

[librechik]

9. Call their, bluff, Henry--tkick them to the curb! They'll never get re-elected as Dems

We'll back you up, count on it!

SEVENTY TWO PERCENT OF AMERICANS WANT THE PUBLIC OPTION

Blue dogs are on the wrong side of this.

[Kalyke]

10. Americans to the Blue Cross Democrats: Shut the eff up and

get with the program 72 percent of us want!!

[TheKentuckian]

11. Problem is they don't represent or get elected by America

but by their districts and states. The 72% may not hold up under those filters or when we discuss the tab in general. Support is much more soft than most are willing to admit.

[fascisthunter]

12. the Democratic Party Has it's Own Trolls

and the out themselves everyday a little more. We know who you work for Blue Dogs... we know what you are.

[cascadiance]

13. Blue Dorks f'ing LIE when they claim they are "Democrats"!

Either become REAL Democrats for democratic rule by the people of this country or get the F OUT OF OUR PARTY!!!

[Echo In Light]

15. There are Dems who only differ from Repubs on certain social issues, but NEVER Establishment issue

We NEEDED to go into Afghanistan ... the "war on terror" is real ... the Feds are perfectly within reasonable limit to spy on all Americans ... the police are only there to help ... there was no election theft re Bush/Gore, Bush/Kerry ... conspiracy theories are non-existent oversimplifications of delusional wing nuts ... the National $ecurity State is perfectly justifiable ... M$M is only biased based on good, healthy business sense, not ideology or intent ... people form their own views free from any external sources, hence, thought control in democratic society is just a "conspiracy theory" ... and on and on and on.

Abortion, gay marriage, religious views, those are up for debate. Everything else, opposames.

[cascadiance]

16. That's the difference between Republican "moderates" and Democratic "moderates"...

They both run towards the left on more social issues, but both run to the corporate side when it comes to issues that Korporate Amerika cares about! In other words, they always are "in the way" when Democrats vote on important issues, but "toe the line" when the Republicans have their "important" issues for Korporate Amerika which their base more actively supports. That's why Specter the Democrat really isn't much different than Specter the Republican!

[Echo In Light]

17. Yes, and the entire system is rigged as rightward views prevail in dominant social institutions

This results in many Dems who really only consider themselves so because they don't like what they perceive as that far right, anti-abortion crowd..yet on damn near everything else, there's scarcely a dime's worth of difference, yet the dominant outlets for dispensing info throughout the society are very much so on the pro-corporate side, even if they 'sell' their view as contrary to what Repubs want.

In short, there isn't much of a genuine left here, but rather a majority of slightly left of social center Dems who by and large support rightward ideals re national matters.

[cascadiance]

18. Which is why after health care we need to tackle public campaign financing NEXT!

That is the nucleus of this mess we have now!

Even though many of us feel very strongly on many social issues that those on the right have equally strong opposite views on, I think the important thing is to get those out of our system that use these issues to divide us and obfuscate their takeover of our government where it really counts in our every day lives. There could be so much unity on some of these issues if we could put the others aside and weren't being made to hate each other on those other issues so much by the M$M and the powers that be now. We still might argue heavily about them later, but we need to find a way to kick out the fascists now, before its too late!

[TheKentuckian]

14. Most of them are bought and paid for but I suspect in many cases

the states and districts make them appealing to the buyers.

[backscatter712]

19. They were off, now they're back on!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/politics/

My bet is that Mike Ross got confronted by Waxman, Pelosi, and Rahm, got told that he needed to sign on with the MedPAC compromise and stop stalling the bill.

Ross threw a hissy-fit and walked out.

Then he put his finger to the wind, and found out that Waxman and Pelosi did indeed have the will and the means to bypass the Energy & Commerce committee, and had the votes to pass the bill without his help.

Now he's slinked back into negotiations, probably trying to come up with some sort of face-saving cover to justify why his Blue Cross blockade brigade is about to cave.

Stay tuned...

[stuball111]

20. How bout bombarding them..

With emails? Let them know what WE want...They are obviously infiltraitors, why not organize and make some noise? I posted yesterday wondering if anybody here was interested in getting involved in a march, or some kind of idea exchange, and NOBODY replied. Somethimes I think we sit here and type away at each other so much, we neglect to do certain simple things like send an email to a Senator or Congressman. It's obvious that in American politics, its a game of ass-kissing rather than throat choking. Like somebody posted here a day or two ago, if Johnson, or somebody like him was running the show,he'd pull these posers aside and threaten to cut their reproductive organs off unless they toed the line. We are not powerless here... we have a voice... let's start using it.

[cascadiance]

24. How about giving them a vacation they'll hate worse than going back to work!

Everywhere they go, find a way of pestering them to the point that maybe they'd WANT to get back to Washington to get things done!

[stuball111]

25. Yep...

That would work too.

[charlie]

21. Ah, noble Blue Dogs

"...save this bill and trying to save this party"

"...trying to make this bill work for America"

So selfless, so pure. It's for America, for amber waves of grain.

They all need capes and tights, they're just that good.

[tblue37]

23. I am sick and tired of these m****r-f******g Blue Dogs in the

m****r-f*****g House!