Tag Archives: Senate cloture vote

Senate cloture vote, December 21, 2009, 1:00 AM ET, Harry Reid, Ben Nelson, $470 billion Medicare cuts, $548 billion in new taxes next year

Jeff Schreiber does a great job over at America’s Right. Here is a great article about the rape of America that just took place while most of us were sleeping. Thanks Jeff.

“Is This For Real?

It’s 11:15 p.m. on a Sunday night. I’m in a king-size hotel room bed in Athens, GA with a snoozing wife and a three-year-old who is still singing “he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake” despite the long, fun-filled day she had. It’s late. And, yet, on one side of my sister-in-law’s fancy MacBook Pro is a live stream from the floor of the United States Senate.

It’s 11:15 p.m. on a Sunday night. And Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is speaking, right now, on the floor about the Senate’s health care reform bill, which will be voted on in a little less than two hours from now. He’s talking about how private insurance companies will be forced to spend 85 cents out of every dollar on patient health care costs. Where, may I ask, does our federal government have the authority to mandate the capital structure of private companies? Where?

Why else would the lights even be on in the Capitol building unless our government is up to no good? This is legislation which will not even come into effect until 2014, two years after the next presidential election, and yet the Democrats feel it so essential to work through the night as the last weekend before Christmas comes to a close?

Most of America is fast asleep. Most of the people whom these senators represent, even if they wanted to pay attention, are sawing logs (probably not literally, though I’m sure there are a strange few) and catching winks in advance of a working Monday tomorrow. These people have no business whatsoever working right now. It might be different if they were burning the midnight oil in an attempt to save the nation with legislation that would have an immediate impact, but they are not — instead, they’re planning the destruction of our economy and health care system through legislation which will not take effect (other than the spending aspect of it) for another four years. If this is a great bill, if it is so necessary, and if the 60 percent or so of Americans who vigorously oppose it just don’t have their facts straight, then they should be debating it during the day, when most of America is awake and attentive.

12:06 a.m.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander made an excellent point — the reason they’re working now is because Harry Reid dropped a 400-page amendment on Friday, something that has been written and kept under the cover of darkness, and that they want to have it passed as part of the bill before Americans can figure out what’s in it.

I can count on the fingers of one hand when I’ve read 400 pages of anything in one day. One was Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, which I read in the course of one night as a kid. Another was Bernie Goldberg’s Bias, which may not be 400 pages long, but was finished in the course of a single afternoon. Reading, digesting and researching 400 pages of legislative language in one day is nearly impossible.

Other things Alexander noted:
$470 billion over the next ten years will be cut out of Medicare, and about $1 trillion in total.
$548 billion in new taxes starting next year. So much for reducing joblessness. And the taxes on medical devices will be passed along to consumers, as will the increased regulation on private insurers, which will be passed along in the form of increased premiums. So much for reducing health care costs.

The CBO said that 9 million will lose employer-based insurance. So much for insuring everyone.
Changes the bi-partisan agreement not to federally fund abortion.

A political kamikaze mission toward an unfortunate mistake. Damaging to the Democrats, but worse for our country. Nicely put.”

“12:32 a.m.

Chris Dodd is up. I can’t even look at him, nonetheless listen to him, without getting irreversibly angry. The only time I want to see Christopher Dodd at 12:32 a.m., or frankly at any time of day, is if he’s wearing handcuffs. And not in a Barney Frank kind-of-way, either — I want to see Dodd being led into prison like Bernie Madoff.

More Ted Kennedy stuff. Good grief. If Ted Kennedy were a normal, everyday American in the aftermath of this legislation, he would have been cold and dead long before he passed with the benefit of the best health care that money can buy, the same health care innovation and ingenuity that the Democrats are poised to stifle, discourage and destroy.”

“12:54 a.m.

And, as if to show evidence of nothing good happening in Washington, D.C. at all, Harry Reid is up.

Every ten minutes, he says, another American dies because they don’t have health insurance. Oh, please. We have emergency rooms ready and able to care for illegal immigrants who have no identification, nonetheless insurance. What’s going to happen is that Americans are going to die because Democrats destroyed the American health care system. What’s going to happen is that Americans are going to die while waiting for six months for a biopsy.

I will dance a jig in my new living room next November when Fox News Channel calls the Nevada election for whomever is running against Reid. And then I’ll switch over to MSNBC–just for a moment–to watch them call it. In fact, I will keep champagne on ice to enjoy during his concession speech.

And, gosh darn it, health care is NOT a fundamental right. Freedom is a fundamental right, and what they are doing right now is destroying freedom in the name of the perpetuation of power.”

“1:08 a.m.

Here goes. Cloture on Reid’s amendment, and the vote which sets up a Christmas Eve vote on the destruction of American freedom and prosperity. I mean, seriously? They need to tear these people away from their families, just so Americans from coast to coast will be too busy eating dinner and enjoying their own families to notice?

Bayh is an “aye.” Burris is an “aye.” Byrd has been dusted off and wheeled in; he’s an “aye.” Bob Casey, supposedly a pro-life Democrat, is an “aye” to a bill which federally funds abortions. Susan Collins votes “no.”

Lieberman? Aye.

Lincoln? Aye.

Landrieu? Aye.

Nelson? Aye. Unreal.

Cloture passes by a vote of 60 to 40. At 1:18 a.m. Procedural votes will come at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The vote for final passage will come at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night. That’s Christmas Eve. It seems America will be getting a lump of coal in her stocking this year, and from this year on.”

This is a must read and please pass this on:

http://www.americasright.com/2009/12/is-this-for-real.html

Citizen Wells

Next election

Lieberman voted out, Aye.

Lincoln voted out, Aye.

Landrieu voted out, Aye

Reid voted out, Aye!!!!!

Thanks CW commenters.

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Senate cloture vote, November 20, 2009, Harry Reid, ObamaCare, Government health care bill, 60 votes, Medicare cuts, Deficit increase, Republican filibuster, CBO cost estimates

From an AmeriPac email, November 20, 2009. 

“Senate ObamaCare Cloture Vote On Saturday!

Kill the BILL Today – Stop ObamaCare In The Senate!

Alert: We Have the Chance to Kill Socialized Medicine TODAY –

Reid and Senate Democrats announced they will file cloture today on the motion to proceed regarding ObamaCare. He will go to the floor for cloture on the motion to proceed to a House-passed tax bill, to begin the Senate debate on ObamaCare.

This vote will require 60 votes and will likely occur on Saturday.

Several Democrats have said they will not vote for the bill. Remember cloture is a three day process – file on day one, day two is an intervening day and the vote occurs on day three. Reid is using a House-passed tax bill as a “shell” allowing him to offer up the language he released tonight as a substitute amendment if he gets cloture on the motion to proceed.

Reid’s Senate version of ObamaCare calls for:

  • Hiding the $1.8 Trillion price tag by not accounting for actual costs.
  • Major reductions in Medicare befits to seniors.
  • Major Tax Increases on every American to pay for it all.
  • Reid called for increasing the Medicare payroll tax. “

 

“ALERT: We all know that “ObamaCare — the two thousand page Democrat healthcare bill — passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week… by THREE VOTES.

The radical leftists in the House were able to squeak their bill through…

But we have STILL have a chance to stop them in the SENATE…TODAY!

TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE
BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:”

 

“Even after a final barrage of over eighty thousand faxes from our members that POURED in to the U.S. House… a slight majority of Congressmen still voted to destroy our freedom in health care.

Those legislators will be feeling the WRATH of voters next year — but WE still have our work cut out for us NOW!

WE HAVE NOT LOST. The bill pushed by Obama, passed by leftist Democrats in the House — and rejected by all but one turncoat Republican — must now head over to the U.S. Senate…

And we CAN defeat it there!

In fact… we can stop this bill COLD TODAY. Here’s how:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) last Tuesday laid the groundwork for the Senate’s healthcare reform debate to start TODAY – Tuesday, Nov. 17th. Reid filed a motion to introduce the bill yesterday, Monday, Nov. 16. Anticipating a Republican objection, the bill would be pushed onto the Senate calendar.

BUT… Reid’s action last Tuesday sets up a critical vote this week on a motion to proceed to the bill. Such a motion would require 60 votes to succeed — and there’s a GOOD CHANCE that Reid does NOT have those 60 votes!

Reid needs a majority (51) to pass the motion to proceed so the Senate can begin debating and amending the bill.  If Republicans filibuster this motion, he will need 60 votes to invoke cloture and shut off debate.

THIS IS IT — one of our BEST chances to kill this bill, before it even gets off the ground!”

 

“Remember, this bill is the worst of all possible bills. It’s chock full of every far-left special interest socialistic dream imaginable. Here’s some of what’s in its TWO THOUSAND PAGES:

  • The CBO estimates that H.R. 3962, the health bill that the House passed, would cost $1.2 TRILLION over 10 years, including the cost to states for mandated Medicaid expansion ($34 billion), the “Doc Fix” ($245 billion), and authorized discretionary spending for grants, public programs, changes and funding for a variety of agencies that would be responsible for implementing H.R. 3962.
  • The bill protects trial lawyers. The bill gives money (authorized at “such sums”) to states that enact “certificate of merit” (a document signed by a medical professional that says there is a probability that the standard of care was violated) and / or a certificate of “early offer” (an early, confidential apology) laws, as long as the states don’t limit attorneys’ fees or impose caps on damages.
  • The current version will give billions of dollars of taxpayer healthcare benefits to ILLEGAL ALIENS in America. It would allow illegal aliens to use the new healthcare “exchange” and would not require verification to keep illegal aliens out of the other parts of the proposed federal healthcare system. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus fought back against reports that leaders would add Senate language to block illegal immigrants from participating in the insurance exchange.
  • It will create a nationwide federal government program, the “public option,” which will pay for abortion on demand — with federal funds, of course, because that is what federal agencies spend.

Liberals in the House AND the Senate ignored us when the majority said, “NO BAILOUT.” They ignored us when the majority said, “NO FAKE STIMULUS.” Now, they’re trying to ignore us when the majority demands with a clear voice, “NO GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE!””

 

“We all remember when President Obama stood in front of a joint session of Congress — and LIED. He LIED when he said they weren’t planning to set up “end-of-life panels” — his cronies have promoted the idea for a long time now. He LIED when he said his “reforms” wouldn’t insure illegal aliens — it has been clearly shown that there would be NO WAY to prevent this from happening. He LIED when he said that his “government option” health care plan would not force taxpayers to pay for abortions — the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize taxpayer subsidies for private abortion insurance.

The American people are TIRED of being lied to — which is why over ONE MILLION of us went to Washington, D.C., to bring the voice of the MAJORITY to the doorstep of Congress. You see, the “sleeping giant” in America has been awoken… and we aren’t going back to sleep… not while our own government tries to cram a socialist health care plan down our throats!

And on top of all of this… the fact remains that we can’t AFFORD this plan! In the face of an estimated $1.85 trillion federal budget deficit for FY2009 and projected trillion dollar annual deficits for the foreseeable future, how can anyone in Congress vote for this health care plan, which will cost over $1 trillion over the next ten years? Plus, Congress is facing at least $53 trillion of unfunded liabilities due to its passage of the previous entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the recent addition of prescription drug coverage for Medicare. How can anyone in Congress vote for a new entitlement program for health care when Congress has not even begun to face up to this unfunded liabilities problem?

Well, they’re trying to — but WE can stop them, with YOUR help!

TAKE ACTION: Even the Democrats are now admitting that it’s conceivable that we might not even get passage this week on the usually perfunctory motion to proceed to debate. That’s because Republicans will filibuster even that, requiring 60 votes… and there are at least two Democrats who could join that filibuster.

BUT THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM US TO BE CONVINCED!

We CANNOT let the radical liberals in Congress — and the White House — force this plan for socialized health care on the American people! That’s why we’ve set up our website to enable you to send a strong message to every single member of the U.S. Senate, OPPOSING this outrageous plan.

For about what it would cost you in time and telephone charges, you can send Blast Faxes to Democrats, Republicans, Independents — EVERYONE in the U.S. Senate, DEMANDING that they REJECT this socialized health care plan NOW”