How Harry Reid shepherded healthcare reform through the Senate

[stevedeshazer]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-health-ticktock24-2009dec24,0,2438755.story

The Democratic leader's unusual grasp of the institution and of colleagues' individual needs enabled him to bargain and smooth the path to victory.

Reporting from Washington - Rahm Emanuel was agitated. With only seven weeks until Christmas, the opportunity to pass healthcare legislation seemed to be fading. The White House chief of staff feared that if the Senate left for the holiday without passing a bill, President Obama's top domestic priority would wither as lawmakers turned to other concerns next year.

Democratic senators and administration officials gathered in a conference room outside Majority Leader Harry Reid's Capitol office. Emanuel wanted to know: Was there a chance the chamber could still act in time?

As one colleague placed a calming hand on Emanuel's sleeve, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told him there was one chance: The White House would have to put its trust in Reid.

The quirky, taciturn majority leader had no background in health policy and a less-than-commanding public image. Yet today Reid delivered as the Senate moved to take its final vote on the most sweeping healthcare legislation to make its way through the chamber in nearly half a century.

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My goodness, I'm toweling myself off so I can read more Demoporn at the link.

:yoiks:

[Horse with no Name]

1. yeah cause we all know that passing "something" is much more

important to agendas than passing something WORTHWHILE.

[GreenArrow]

2. "Give Lieberman what he wants"

Thanks Harry!

[Kalun D]

3. Big Insurance and Big Pharma

"The Democratic leader's unusual grasp of the institution and of colleagues' individual needs enabled him to bargain and smooth the path to victory."

the (corp)Democrapic leader's usual grasp of big insurance/big pharma lobbyists dollars ensured that the bill is what they want and not what the people want.

Listening to progressive talk the last week, every progressive host is against it. Heard one segment where they talked about what's in the bill and what's not, it's a huge giveaway to the corps with only token ineffectual crap for the worker. The real telling evidence is big insurance and big pharma were not lobbying against it in the end. One of the CEO's sent a message to the press. "we won". Oh and Rahm Emanuel wants it to pass, there you go DNC corpadem, FUBAR for the workers.

[depakid]

4. Trust in Reid... and just in Reid

[lamp_shade]

5. Hats off to Harry. He's a hero IMO.