Top House Democrats Struggling on Health Care Bill

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/28/us/politics/AP-US-Health-Care-Overhaul.html

Top House Democrats sought to minimize the impact of a near-certain missed deadline for health care legislation on Tuesday as the leadership struggled to ease the concerns of rank-and-file critics.

''I'm disappointed of course because I really hoped that we could have gotten a bill out of here by the end of this month,'' said Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and chairman of one of the three committees at work on the measure.

''The issue is critical. Whether we do it at the end of July or not, I don't think that's critical except the perception in terms that the Congress didn't respond to the request of the president.''

(snip)
In the Senate, officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private negotiations said any legislation that emerges from the talks is expected to provide for a nonprofit cooperative to sell insurance in competition with private industry, rather than giving the federal government a role in the marketplace.

Fer crissakes, we tweak and overhaul systems and programs all the time. That's (hopefully) what makes them better or more efficient. Get something up and working, see how it performs, then start messing with it. We the People elected large majorities of Democrats and installed a Democrat in the White House because we wanted them to govern. Republicans are in a minority because they couldn't or wouldn't govern. Their input is neither needed nor desired. Their assent to any bill is superfluous. They are in the minority for a reason. Ignore them.

Get cracking on this. We don't want insurance companies running the country, we want our elected representatives and senators to run the country. And if they fail us, we can replace them, too, at the next election opportunity.

Blue Dog Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Committee

Zack Space (OH-18) (202) 225-6265 Staffer will pass it on.
Mike Ross (AR-04) (202) 225-3772 Mailbox full. Can't leave a message.
Charlie Melancon (LA-03) (202) 225-4031 Staffer will pass it on.
James Matheson (UT-02) (202) 225-3011 Phone hangs up on answering. This is how he serves?
Jane Harman (CA-36) (202) 225-8220 Staffer says congresswoman is committed to a public option "so she is right there with you".
Baron Hill (IN-09) (202) 225-5315 Staffer will pass it on.
Bart Gordon (TN-06) (202) 225-4231 Staffer will pass it on.
John Barrow (GA-12) (202) 225-2823

When I called Charles Melancon's office a staffer gave me some double talk right out of the republican hand book. When I asked him directly he said the Senator would not vote for a public option.

How can we make sure he is never re elected?

It's very bad indeed.

on a bill. The last one out will get the most attention. The House and Senate are so far apart that reconciliation between the two bills will be a nightmare.

No bill probably means a Republican majority in Congress in 2010. Max Baucus and his friends need to understand that. That is the missing piece in their puzzle. Does Max Baucus want to remain as committee chair or not? That's a question only he can answer. If he sends a bill out without a public option, Democrats cannot keep a majority in the Senate. It will make Obama and the Democratic leadership look like idiots.