“Pelosi: Not Enough Votes to Pass Senate Health Bill in House”
“WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she does not have the votes to pass the Senate’s version of a health insurance bill that is now in severe jeopardy of being scrapped.
Just days ago, that was the most viable option for keeping alive President Obama’s top domestic priority, but with the election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, the fragile coalition of Democrats has broken apart as lawmakers bicker over which portions of the $900 billion, 10-year Senate bill they will and won’t accept.
Emerging from a closed-door meeting with her caucus, the House speaker vented frustration with the massive version of the legislation.
“In its present form without any changes I don’t think it’s possible to pass the Senate bill in the House,” said Pelosi, D-Calif. “I don’t see the votes for it at this time.”
Among the issues that House lawmakers are unwilling to accept is the 40 percent excise tax on high-value insurance plans that unions earned an exemption from until 2018 after major backlash toward the Democratic-led Congress.”
We are poised for success in November 2010. By success, I do not mean dominance by either party, a Republican or Democrat platform or agenda. I mean a fundamental change in party politics and the way that Congress and the American people interact. We will no longer allow the jackasses in Congress and the White House to ignore the American people and try to implement an agenda that is unconstitutional, un American and un popular.
Republican Scott Brown has defeated Democrat Martha Coakley to win the MA senate seat held for many years by Ted Kennedy. With 87% of the vote in, Brown leads Coakley 52 to 47%. Even before the election results, it was clear that Scott Brown was doing many things right in his campaign.
From Fox News, January 19, 2010.
“Brown Campaign Could Provide Blueprint for Future GOP Success”
“For GOP candidate Scott Brown to surge in Massachusetts, a state that hasn’t sent a Republican to the Senate since 1972 and is represented entirely by Democrats in Congress, he must have done something right.
And the Republican Party should be taking notes, analysts say, to try to replicate his strategy in races across the country in a year when GOP candidates are thought to be starting out with the upper hand.
Win or lose, the Massachusetts state senator proved that a Republican can be competitive in the bluest of states or districts.
“Every Republican long shot in America — for House seats, Senate seats, gubernatorial contests, is going to shout in unison – Remember Scott Brown,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.”
“But Brown practiced a certain practical conservatism in his campaign which appealed to voters, not unlike Chris Christie in the race for New Jersey governor and Bob McDonnell in the race for Virginia governor.
By concentrating on fiscal issues and focusing his criticism on the national Obama administration agenda, Republicans said, Brown brought himself to the verge of an upset.
“The lesson I take away from Massachusetts, win or lose, and New Jersey and Virginia prior to that, is there is no penalty to be paid for opposing the Obama agenda,” said GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli. “All three of these elections were nationalized.”
He said GOP candidates have to stand for something and they can’t just present themselves as the anti-Obama candidate. But he said Brown achieved this balance — noting that Brown, an Army reservist and seasoned state legislator, hardly came out of nowhere.”
“He said Brown did well by not presenting himself as a Washington Republican. Driving around the state in his pickup truck, Brown referred to himself as a “Scott Brown Republican” in what appeared to be an appeal to independents. Instead of dragging out the party brass to support him, Brown enlisted figures like former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and actor John Ratzenberger.
“People don’t want lockstep,” Feehery said. “They want independent thought and somebody who’s going to be an independent check on Obama.””
“GOP Hopeful Riding Voter Anger in Kennedy Seat Bid”
“BOSTON — Republican Scott Brown is surfing a wave of voter frustration with President Barack Obama that has helped propel the once low-profile Massachusetts state senator from long shot to contender in the race to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Edward Kennedy’s death.
Brown’s meteoric rise caught nearly everyone off-guard, particularly Democratic Party leaders who assumed their candidate, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, would have a cakewalk to the U.S. Capitol after winning a four-way primary in November.
They hadn’t counted on voters like Luis Rodriguez.
The 46-year-old plastics factory supervisor, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1988 from Uruguay and became a citizen last year, said he’s fed up with what he calls the lies told by Washington. It’s enough for him that Coakley supports Obama, who Rodriguez says has failed to make good on his pledge for openness.
“We don’t buy what we can’t afford. We don’t spend what we don’t have,” said Rodriguez, echoing the anger expressed by other voters who say Democrats are too eager to bail out bankers and people who bought homes they couldn’t afford. “These people, what they’re doing now, they’re spending money they don’t have so they can get elected again.”
Despite the Bay State’s liberal reputation, some Massachusetts voters are also chafing at the idea that just because the Senate seat had been held by Kennedy for 47 years, it should automatically go to a Democratic successor.”
“”It’s socialism. It starts with health care. It starts with the government bailouts,” said Johnson, 43, who’s retired from the military. “I work for a living and I see more and more of my money going to people who sit home and don’t do it. I’m all for helping people out, but I like keeping what I earn.”
In addition to showing a dead heat between Brown and Coakley, a Suffolk University poll last week of 500 likely voters also revealed unhappiness with Massachusetts’ landmark health care law, which has been used in part as the blueprint for the national health care overhaul. Close to two-thirds of those polled said the state cannot afford the health care system.”
This article will be updated during the day today.
The final debate of the MA Senate race will take place tonight, January 18, 2010 .
From Fox News.
“Turnout Critical in Tight Massachusetts Senate Race”
“Both sides say turnout will be key in a race that could decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Obama campaigned Sunday for Democrat Martha Coakley.”
“BOSTON – Democrats and Republicans ramped up election eve get-out-the-vote efforts in their close battle for a Massachusetts Senate seat that could decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and the rest of his agenda at the opening of the 2010 midterm campaign season.
Obama needs newly embattled Martha Coakley to win Tuesday’s special election for the late Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat and deny Republicans the ability to block his initiatives with a 41st filibuster-sustaining GOP vote.
The president campaigned here Sunday with Coakley, who has seen the double-digit lead she had two weeks ago evaporate under a strong challenge by Republican state Sen. Scott Brown.
Voter turnout is normally low in special elections, but even in staunchly Democratic Massachusetts, apprehension about Obama’s health care overhaul is fueling a huge wave of populist support for Brown.
Polls show that independents, who make up 51 percent of the state’s electorate, have responded enthusiastically to Brown. His campaign is targeting them as well Republicans, who are outnumbered by Democrats 3-to-1 in the Bay State.”
MA Senate debate, Monday, January 18, 2010, Scott Brown, Martha Coakley, Joseph L. Kennedy
**** Update January 18, 2010, 1:50 PM ****
From Fox News
“Voter Enthusiasm a Problem for Coakley, Polls Suggest”
“A new poll out of Public Policy Polling on Monday underscored the depth of Coakley’s challenge.
The poll showed Brown leading 51-46 overall, 64-32 among independents and winning 20 percent of the vote from those who backed Obama in 2008. On the flip side, the survey showed Coakley pulling just 4 percent of the vote from those who backed John McCain, in the 2008 presidential race.
And the poll reflected the enthusiasm gap from which Coakley suffers. Eighty percent of Brown supporters said they were “very excited” about Tuesday’s election, while only 60 percent of Coakley supporters felt the same way.”
“White House Predicts Martha Coakley Will Lose Tuesday’s Election”
**** Update January 18, 2010, 4:45 PM ****
**** Update January 18, 2010, 6:20 PM ****
From CNN Political Ticker
“Poll: Brown makes gains in Mass. Senate Race”
” A new poll released Monday afternoon indicates that Republican Scott Brown has a 7-point edge over Democrat Martha Coakley in Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat.
According to an American Research Group survey, 52 percent of likely voters back Brown, a state senator, with 45 percent supporting Coakley, the state’s attorney general. Meanwhile, 2 percent back Joseph Kennedy, a third party candidate who is not related to the late senator. The 7-point advantage for Brown is just within the poll’s sampling error.”
“A new InsiderAdvantage poll conducted exclusively for POLITICO shows Republican Scott Brown surging to a 9-point advantage over Martha Coakley a day before Massachusetts voters trek to the ballot box to choose a new senator.
According to the survey conducted Sunday evening, Brown leads the Democratic attorney general 52 percent to 43 percent.
“I actually think the bottom is falling out,” said InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery, referring to Coakley’s fall in the polls over the last ten days. “I think that this candidate is in freefall. Clearly this race is imploding for her.””
Read more:
“Scott Brown campaigns in Middleboro on Saturday night
More than 500 supporters attend event”
“MIDDLEBORO — Scott Brown pulled into Everett Square on Saturday night and spoke from the back of a pickup truck to more than 500 supporters.
The crowd filled the Flat Iron Cafe and even spilled out into the square, filling the parking lot of the Rockland Trust Bank.
Brown spoke briefly to the crowd and was greeted with cheers and chants as he outlined his platform and said.
“You deserve better. … When I go to Washington, I will do my very best to stop backroom deals. We’ve lost our way,” he told the crowd.
Brown spent more time on the ground shaking hands with the crowd, which was a cross section of steel workers, farmers, doctors and the unemployed.
Many, like David Ng of Pembroke, had already voted by absentee ballot. Ng said his vote was against “everything the Democrats try to ram down our throats.””
“Brown’s stand on taxes and creating jobs was a high priority for Voneow. Bill is out of work, and the couple is trying to make ends meet on one paycheck.
“He stands for working like a true Republican instead of feeding special interests. He’s the guy I think can help us,” said Bill.”
“Her husband, Norman, 88, a former member of the Planning Board had already voted for Brown by absentee ballot. Their son, Douglas, said he supports Brown because “he’ll take the reigns of government back from socialist concerns.”
Many in the crowd said the election has national ramifications, calling it a vote that will be heard around the world.”
While Obama was campaigning for Martha Coakley in Boston this afternoon, January 17, 2010, Scott Brown was campaigning in Worcester, MA.
From the Boston Herald.
“Energized Brown mocks desperate Dems”
“GOP upstart state Sen. Scott Brown took aim at Democratic opponent Attorney General Martha Coakley’s presidential bailout this afternoon, telling a packed hall of rowdy supporters he would stay connected to them and not embrace Washington, D.C. insiders.
“They put in a distress call to Washington, and the next thing you know, Air Force One is landing at Logan,” Brown said of President Obama’s Boston visit today. “The party bosses gave the president some bad information. This Senate seat belongs to no one person and no one political party, it belongs to the people of Massachusetts.”
Brown, bolstered by a last-minute campaign surge in the polls, reminded the crowd of over 2,000 people that he is their candidate.
“I’m Scott Brown, I’m from Wrentham, I drive a truck and I’m asking for your vote,” he said. Then he referenced Obama’s come-from-behind presidential campaign. “After all, who ever heard of a guy from Wrentham getting elected to the U.S. Senate? But as the president might remember, upsets like that have been known to happen.”
Brown was serenaded by his daughter, former “American Idol” semi-finalist Ayla Brown, backslapped by Red Sox [team stats] ace pitcher Curt Schilling [stats], and pumped up by former “Cheers” know-it-all John Ratzenberger during the electric rally.”
Scott Brown and Martha Coakley campaigning Saturday, January 16, 2010
From Fox News Boston.
“Coakley counts on union muscle to win Senate race”
“Democrat Martha Coakley is counting on union muscle to help her win Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.
She kicked off the final weekend of campaigning Saturday with a stop at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Boston to encourage a group of canvassers.”
“Brown Leads Coakley 58-42 in Absentee Ballots– Coakley Losing 1 in 5 Dems to Brown …BIG UPDATE: BROWN PRESS CONFERENCE- PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST DEM PARTY”
“One in five democrats in Massachusetts is going with Scott Brown.
And, there’s more bad news for democrat Martha Coakley…
Scott Brown is leading in the absentee voting 58-42. 9% of registered voters said they have already cast a ballot.
Real Clear Politics reported:
Coakley loses one-in-five Democrats to Brown, while the Republican state senator has 94 percent of Republicans behind him. Brown has a commanding 58-37 advantage among “unenrolled” voters, mainly independents and those who prefer not to register affiliation with the major parties.”
“Dan Winslow, counsel for the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate campaign, will hold a media availability to announce the filing of a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democratic Party regarding a recent mailing paid for and sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Winslow will make a statement and take reporters’ questions at MassGOP Headquarters in Boston TODAY at 4:00 PM.”
The MA Republican Party has a new video out accusing Martha Coakley of taking money from health insurance lobbyists.
“Martha Coakley says she holds health insurers accountable, then one day later, takes money from the very same health insurance lobbyists at a Washington fundraiser.”
Was this a fair portrayal of Coakley’s ties to lobbyists and drug companies?
You decide.
From the Washington Examiner, January 8, 2010.
“Coakley in trouble? Pharma and HMO lobbyists to the rescue”
“With Democrat Martha Coakley in trouble in the Massachusetts special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat, Democrats could lose vote No. 60 for President Obama’s health-care bill. In response, an army of lobbyists for drug companies, health insurance companies, and hospitals has teamed up to throw a high-dollar Capitol Hill fundraiser for Coakley next Tuesday night. The invitation is here.
Of the 22 names on the host committee–meaning they raised $10,000 or more for Coakley–17 are federally registered lobbyists, 15 of whom have health-care clients. Of the other five hosts, one is married to a lobbyist, one was a lobbyist in Pennsylvania, another is a lawyer at a lobbying firm, and another is a corporate CEO. Oh, and of course, there’s also the political action commitee for Boston Scientific Corporation.
All the leading drug companies have lobbyists on Coakley’s host committee: Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Astra-Zeneca, and more. On the insurance side of things, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, HealthSouth, and United Health all are represented on the host committee.”
“Here are some of Coakley fundraiser hosts with some of their current health care clients:
Thomas Boggs, Patton Boggs: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies: Amgen, BIO, Merck, PhRMA
Susan Brophy, Glover Park Group: Blue Cross, Pfizer
Steven Champlin, Duberstein Group: AHIP, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis
Licy Do Canto, Raben Group: Amgen
Gerald Cassidy, Cassidy & Associates: U. Mass Memorial Health Care
David Castagnetti, Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti: Abbot Labs, AHIP, Astra-Zenaca, General Electric, Humana, Merck, PhRMA.
Steven Elmendorf, Elmendorf Strategies: Medicines Company, PhRMA, United Health
Shannon Finley, Capitol Counsel: Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, Blue Cross, GE, PhRMA, Sanofi-Aventis.
Heather Podesta, Heather Podesta & Partners: Cigna, Eli Lilly, HealthSouth
Tony Podesta, Podesta Group: Amgen, GE, Merck, Novartis.
Robert Raben, Raben Group: Amgen, GE. ”
“Fox News Reports On Martha Coakley’s “Controversial” DC Fundraiser With Health Care Lobbyists”
“It won’t be the first time but Martha Coakley smeared Scott Brown tonight outside of her big Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser.
Martha Coakley is a smear merchant.
She already tried to tie Republican Scott Brown to Rush Limbaugh even though the two have never met.
Now tonight Martha Coakley tried to tie Scott Brown to “extreme right groups” who she says are pouring money into Massachusetts. She says this despite the fact that Brown raised over $1.3 million, mostly in small donations, in an online money bomb yesterday. And, she had the gall to say this outside of her Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser where 22 big-time lobbyists from drug, health care and insurance companies met tonight to help bail her campaign out.
Brian Maloney has more on Coakley’s big money fundraiser tonight.
As if Martha Coakleys support from the corrupt establishment wasnt already clear enough, now comes word that a coalition of sleazebag industry lobbyists have teamed up with Bay State Democrats for an eleventh-hour bailout of her faltering campaign.
Many of those involved in this hastily-organized rescue attempt have no Bay State ties, their only allegiance is to piggish K Street – Beltway lobbying firms.”
Citizen WElls 