Crunch time in the Senate
There is no Republican voting for healthcare reform and at least one moderate Democrat said the Senate compromise on abortion is unsatisfactory, raising doubts that reform can pass by Christmas. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson is the key holdout on the health care bill. The Senate has been working round the clock trying to finalize the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion bill in time for a final vote on Christmas Eve. The problem is Nelson appears to be the only remaining obstacle to the 60 necessary votes. There are more rumblings as the gutted bill is watered down without a government-run insurance option to the ire of the liberals. The Senate is stuck as they have many wheels rolling as they work on HR 3326 for the Department of Defense and the HR 3288 appropriations bill. They are in recess until noon tomorrow so expect another long night. We are not sure when Healthcare reform will resurface but we are sure the phones and arm twisting that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson is dealing with must be intense. It is a shame when the only smart sounding democrat is Howard Dean as he thinks they should blow the bill up as it is nothing more than a bail out for insurance companies. Is President Obama and his minions so blind with naked ambition that they want to win at whatever the cost? There is only one reason to pass this so President Obama can claim major legislation in his first year of office. It is sad that as he watches all the good will he built up being sucked away by his own hubris. He said himself to Charles Gibson that lynchpins Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are going to bankrupt the nation. Are those major legislations by his Democratic heroes and who is trying to emulate for history? It is going to be hard to have a very Merry Christmas knowing the vacuum the democrats are legislate us into.