Liberals press Senate Dems to move without Grassley

babylonsister

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Tue Aug-18-09 11:04 AM
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Liberals press Senate Dems to move without Grassley

Liberals press Senate Dems to move without Grassley
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 08/18/09 08:51 AM

Leading liberal activists are pressing Senate Democrats to forget about Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and move ahead with their own plans for healthcare reform.

Comprehensive healthcare reform legislation stalled in the Senate last month as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) spent weeks cooped up in his office with Grassley trying to hash out a healthcare deal.

Despite frequent assurances from Baucus that he was making good progress, the Senate left town for its monthlong August recess without any deal, breaking the deadline set by President Barack Obama for passing legislation through the upper chamber.

Baucus and other Democratic members of the Finance Committee plan to resume negotiations with Grassley when they return in September, but leaders among the party’s liberal wing say that path leads to a “dead end.”

“We need to push the Senate to move and pass a bill at a time when Sen. Grassley will probably not support any bill the Finance Committee has formulated,” said Roger Hickey, co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future.

“We are encouraging Finance Committee members and Senate Democrats to do their own bill and not compromise with a bunch of Republicans who are not going to vote with them anyway.”

more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/liberals-press-senate-dems-to-move-without-grassley-2009-08-18.html

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Wapsie B

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Tue Aug-18-09 11:08 AM
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1. repugs are not going to go with Obama anyway.

Even if the President gave the gop boys everything they want they'd still vote against it. Time to let this outmoded idea of bipartisanship behind.

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Selatius

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Tue Aug-18-09 11:12 AM
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2. Max Baucus has beem compromised on this issue.

Edited on Tue Aug-18-09 11:13 AM by Selatius

The number three industry contributor to Baucus is the insurance industry.

Behind them, at four, is pharmaceutical/health products industry.

At number five, health professionals rounds out the top five contributors by industry.

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00004643&cycle=2010

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seafan

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Tue Aug-18-09 11:27 AM
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3. Kent Conrad: “We will be ready when we are ready. We will not be bound by any deadline.”

High Noon.

Liberals press Senate Dems to move without Grassley

August 18, 2009

Leading liberal activists are pressing Senate Democrats to forget about Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and move ahead with their own plans for healthcare reform.

Comprehensive healthcare reform legislation stalled in the Senate last month as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) spent weeks cooped up in his office with Grassley trying to hash out a healthcare deal.

.....

“We’re making it really clear to Democrats in the Senate that this is a dead end and they need to move forward on legislation themselves with the goals that the president supports,” Kirsch said.

Senate Democratic leaders have floated a Sept. 15 deadline for Finance Committee negotiations, but leading Democrats on the panel have pushed back.

“We will be ready when we are ready,” Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who is negotiating with Baucus and Grassley, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We will not be bound by any deadline.”

Kent Conrad

Other than the Sept. 15 deadline, which Democratic aides have floated in the press, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has given little indication of how he will handle Baucus and Grassley next month.

.....

Here's the way to deal with Conrad (Budget) and Baucus (Finance). Strip both of them of their Committee Chairmanships.

These two turncoats are laying waste to the Democratic Party's principles of fighting for the good of the people.

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