New Sen. Brown bashes Obama's 'bitter' health push

[Top Cat]

Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous.

"An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message.

"Somehow, the greater the public opposition to the health care bill, the more determined they seem to force it on us anyway."

Brown himself can claim responsibility for the Democrats' failure to pass health overhaul legislation to date. They were on the verge of doing so before Brown claimed the late Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat in a special election upset in January, depriving Democrats of their filibuster-proof supermajority and throwing the health care effort into limbo.

It has been gradually revived, and Democrats are now pushing for final passage before Easter under complex Senate rules that would allow them to sidestep a Republican filibuster. Republicans in the House and Senate are unanimously opposed to the sweeping legislation, which would extend coverage to some 30 million uninsured Americans with a new mandate for nearly everyone to carry insurance.

The House minority leader, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in an interview for broadcast Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that if House Democrats had the votes to pass the health care bill they would have acted by now.

"They don't have the votes," Boehner said.

Brown, as a state senator in Massachusetts, voted in favor of the universal-coverage law in that state. The bill he supported in Massachusetts has a number of features in common with the Democrats' legislation, including a mandate for nearly everyone to be covered.

But he campaigned on a promise to be the Republicans' crucial 41st vote against Obama's health plan, and said Saturday that his victory amounted to a message from voters that Washington should "get its priorities right."

"We need to drop this whole scheme of federally controlled health care, start over, and work together on real reforms at the state level that will contain costs and won't leave America trillions of dollars deeper in debt," Brown said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100313/ap_on_bi_ge/us_republicans_health_care/print

Edit--- Brown will be a 1 term senator for sure

[karynnj]

1. If Jobs were his real issue, he needs to explain his vote against the Jobs bill

He also voted against the amendment by Murray and Kerry that would have funded 100,000 jobs for low income people and summers jobs for teens. (Here's a link to explain the TANF program that creates jobs for low income people - http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=597789750

I agree, with a minor tweek - 1/2 term Senator for sure

[JI7]

2. now i'm glad he was able to get in the Senate earlier

so he is on record as voting against it. i can easily see him claiming he would have voted for it if he was in the SEnate .

[Top Cat]

3. LOL... You maybe right...

[Jennicut]

5. He is in way over his head. He has no idea how to handle being from a more liberal state while

trying to please the Rethug leadership. He will be done in two years, Mass will have had enough of this airhead.

[Cha]

8. He thinks he's still back in his District spouting

of gop talking points.

[GoCubsGo]

13. A little more tweaking...

He only has 2 years on a 6-year term. That will make him a 1/3-term Senator. :-)

[karynnj]

14. Feb 2010 through January 2013 is closer to 3, so I rounded up

Not that I wanted to give him more time.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. He yapped like a perfect little puppet this morning.

30 days in and he's the heart and soul of the right wing kooks.

[HughMoran]

6. Guess the idea that reform will still pass even after his win is scaring Republicans

You know when they start giving Democrats 'advice' that they're getting desperate.

[Cha]

7. There goes scotty brown..projecting the worst traits of the gops

on to his perceived enemies and Whining like the obedient little puppet he is.

[Arkana]

9. YAWN.

Bashing something the majority of your state wants, Scott--I'm not sure that'll win you points with voters in 2012.

I look forward to throwing your centerfold ass out on the street anyway.

[BlueIdaho]

10. Hotpants Brown is yesterday's news...

Now as relevant as day old bread.

[TomCADem]

11. A Tea Party Candidate Complaining About Being Bitter? Irony Is Strong With This One

[karynnj]

15. The word "bitter" is weird in this context

I don't believe Senator Brown actually wrote this - and I wonder if the GOP thinks they can revive the controversy over the "bitter" comment from the primaries. The President pushing for his own agenda can hardly becalled "bitter", unless Brown imagines Obama is bitter over Brown's win - which shows Brown's ego is growing at incredible speed.

[tanyev]

12. Eff him and the pink leather shorts he rode in on.