Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) appeared on the Charlie Rose Show last night to discuss his criticisms of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) bill. He announced he will introduce at least 17 amendments to the Baucus proposal. “This is my chance, having not be a part of the Gang of Six,” to improve the legislation, he said. When asked if he was “thrilled” about the so-called “Gang of Six,” Rockefeller responded that he doesn’t think legislation should be done that way:
ROSE: You’re not thrilled by the Gang of Six, are you?
ROCKEFELLER: No I’m not. No I’m not. But that’s — I just don’t think you do legislation that way, and particularly if you end up not getting any of the three Republicans, and hopefully we will get Olympia Snowe.
Watch it:
Rockefeller said earlier this week that there is “no way” he can vote for the Baucus plan that emerged from the “Gang of Six” as it currently is written. “I want to get it right,” he said last night. “I want it to be a real improvement in health care.”
I agree with Rockefeller!
September 18th, 2009 at 10:48 amOMG! Orly friggin Taitz is on MSNBC! WTF! This woman is nuts! She sounds like a immigrant. Does she have a birth certificate? Papers? Is she a ‘Legitimate’ American?
September 18th, 2009 at 10:50 amI’m watching that PD, she is getting torn apart by the host
great entertainment
oily taint is a great example of the intellect and integrity of a right winger
September 18th, 2009 at 10:52 amThe Democrats have a clear majority in the Senate. Requiring any health care bill to first pass a committee made exactly of 50% D’s and 50% R’s is thus nonsensical.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:52 amJay made a trip out to the woodshed with Obama earlier this week. Looks like Obama didn’t quite make his point–or else he’s still playing 11-dimensional chess.
Jay’s still swinging. I like that. Every single bit counts.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amShe called Dillion a Liar! What a skank! MSNBC News should NEVER invite her on again! The woman is an embarassment! All she does is talk. And if you disagree with her? You’re the liar. Maybe MSM should keep inviting her on. Everytime she opens her mouth, more Americans cringe. She is a perfect advertisment for the GOP.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amIf the majority of Dems voice the same sentiments as those of Rockefeller, then the
Dems will keep the progressives and an electoral majority.
We need the public option, or a single-payer system of health care, in addition to the private market.
Baucus has his head up his keester if he presumes that any repiggies will ever cooperate with the Dems on health care reform.
It just won’t happen. Even the public is roaring with laughter whenever Baucus’
September 18th, 2009 at 10:55 amplan is mentioned.
Ranting@3, The woman is totally detached from reality. Maybe she should take Dillion’s advice and spend some time on the beach. Lord knows, nobody will miss her.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:56 amThis is going to be one long tough fight to get our health reform package done.
Many thanks to Senator Rockefeller for his efforts.
Ultimately it PROBABLY will come down to a RECONCILLIATION vote where we need to garner 51 Senatorial votes. If any of you have seen a breakdown on which way the Senator’s are leaning, please pass it on.
We can do our part by reminding the wrong way leaning ones what they need to do.
Thanks
September 18th, 2009 at 10:56 amWho cares about Oily Tits? She’s a lunatic, and the current face of the repiggie party.
Moroni is baloney, and Beck is dreck.
Screw the repiggies, and screw the teabagger trash.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:57 amP.D., she could call EVERYONE who interviews her on MSNBC a liar, and they’d invite her back again and again.
Ratings. The only thing that matters. It’s exactly what’s keeping her in the spotlight. And nothing grabs attention like a loudmouth crazy person, except a bloody wreck.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:59 amI agree with Rockefeller on this particular subject.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:01 amP.D. says:
“Maybe she should take Dillion’s advice and spend some time on the beach. Lord knows, nobody will miss her.”
May I suggest that she wade in about twenty feat past the breakers and lie down?
September 18th, 2009 at 11:01 amevan@10, Hey, I agree with you. But MSM is trying their best to make these people main-stream and not the pathetic fringe they are. The 912 ‘Movement’ was a bust, the ‘Tea-Baggers’ were a joke. But MSM hangs on their every word. Depressing, no?
September 18th, 2009 at 11:01 amfeat s/b FEET…jeez
September 18th, 2009 at 11:01 amI’m confident that Max Baucus’s payoff to the insurance cos. for their $3.6 million investment will trickle down to me. I have no desire for shared governance.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:02 amThis does raise an interesting question: What happens when the Baucus bill fails in Committee? The GOP will run with it and claim healthcare reform has failed. Baucus will probably say “We (I) tried and we should start over”, all the while pocketing a few thousand a day from the insurance lobby. Those actually interested in reform will have to use their full force to push forward the HELP bill.
Anything can happen.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:03 amevangenital says:
Who cares about Oily Tits? She’s a lunatic, and the current face of the repiggie party.
As if ‘Orly Taitz’ wasn’t f ucking hilarious in its own right without you liberals doing a spin-off.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:04 amIf it fails it will be because the people were against subsidizing the greed not because the gNOpers and the Sixers killed it, I think.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:06 amWhen Baucus finally reveled his ‘Bill’ I thought ,”What a di*k!” He is willing to throw Americans under a bus, so he can retain power and his campiagn cash. Thousands die every year, and this SOB could give a sh*t. I consider him just as bad as the Repugs.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:06 amP.D., isn’t it pathetic how the MSM treats folks like Oily Tits as legitimate?
Glenn Beck is so busy peddling all that Mormon racialist crap ad nauseam on FoxNews. He is freaking out that one of the “mud” people is President.
Holy Rollers and Mormons are so busy shoving their crazy crap down the throats of the country, and I am way past fed up.
Moroni is baloney, and Beck is dreck.
Screw the repiggies, and screw the teabagger trash.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amLeave Whirly Tizzy aloooonnneee!!
September 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amThe HELP bill is the most sensible piece of legislation to turn out of government in a LONG time. You feel HUMAN reading the damn thing. Which is why we can’t have that. Government is supposed to be dehumanizing, secretive. The process to get good things through is 5-stages of hell, a bottleneck journey. If the HELP bill is realized I’m afraid the republican party will be aired out for its bullshit and the stock value of my vote will be worthless, as if you libs didn’t already do enough damage.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:09 amMaximus Buttkiss
Somewhere there are lobbyists with very damp boxers…
September 18th, 2009 at 11:09 amevan@21, Yeah, and don’t forget the fluff piece ‘Time’ magazine did. Already ‘Time’ is getting slammed because they apparently didn’t do any fact checking. Why should we be suprised? After all ,’Time’ reporter Judith Miller pushed the whole ‘Yellow Cake’ argument didn’t she?
September 18th, 2009 at 11:10 amDont make Spinn Blech wail
September 18th, 2009 at 11:10 amBaucus knows that his bill write up was a complete disaster, but he soldiers on as if everything is going swimmingly. The sad thing is that he has wasted so much time and momentum because he was unwilling to let a competent negotiator take over.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:12 amAll the MSM have lost their legitimacy, and are now simply tools to further the corporate agenda of separating you from any bit of wealth and wherewithal that you might still have.
Thank God for the internet.
The 24/7 news channels have been totally corrupted, and print journalism is a pale shadow of its former self. The major reason is that the high salaries have made the “news” crowd part of the corporate elite in this country, and they no longer have any interest in the betterment of the lives of the ordinary citizens.
Moroni is baloney, and Beck is dreck.
Screw the repiggies, and screw the teabagger trash.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:15 am#
EnnuiDivine says:
This does raise an interesting question: What happens when the Baucus bill fails in Committee?…
But, but, but Harold Ford said that the Baucus Bill has “momentum”.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:15 amflet@27, I think the whole Baucus thing was a scam to give the Insurance Industry more time to put out lies and falsehoods to confuse Americans and force Congress to kill the Bill. Why did it take so long? Baucus KNEW the Repugs wouldn’t vote for it, then why act in a bipartisian way? Maybe I’m just paraniod. 8 years of Bush will do that to you.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:16 amWhat life form has 12 legs, 6 heads, 6 stomachs, no spine and no brain?
The Gang of Six
September 18th, 2009 at 11:17 amThey’re called the Gang of Six of crimoney’s sake. We make no secret that we’re beholden to our master’s, and even act like being basted by the insurance companies is something to smile about.
Look at smile you can’t wipe off Baucus’s face. That guy is stubborn under criticism and doesn’t know how stupid he looks when he throws a proposal – er, imposal (is that even a word?) to reform health insurance for all Americans standing at the podium ALONE. 1 guy from 1 cattle state, 1 huge bill, affecting 300,000,000 Americans. He looks like a real goofy idiot standing in the people’s chamber presenting his lobbyist payoff, expecting no one to care or see the significance.
Add to that, he predicts it will “pass with all the major parts intact.”
September 18th, 2009 at 11:17 amOff-Topic… 40,000 grand to have dinner with Palin?? I wouldn’t pay the woman to do my laundry!
September 18th, 2009 at 11:18 amMore than a month ago I emailed this crackpot Taitz and asked those exact questions. So far no reply. I wonder why? LOL
September 18th, 2009 at 11:19 amfletc3her says:
Baucus knows that his bill write up was a complete disaster,…
Harold Ford would disagree.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:19 amJust pitch the damn bill in the bin. It’s garbage.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:24 amP.D. says:
I think the whole Baucus thing was a scam to give the Insurance Industry more time to put out lies and falsehoods to confuse Americans and force Congress to kill the Bill. Why did it take so long? Baucus KNEW the Repugs wouldn’t vote for it, then why act in a bipartisian way? Maybe I’m just paraniod. 8 years of Bush will do that to you.
Actually, I think you nailed it.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:26 amExit@37, So it’s not just me. Baucus KNEW the Repugs wouldn’t vote for it in anyway. Baucus stalled and stalled for weeks after all the other Bills were completed. This was a SCAM. I hope Baucus is happy with his 3 million pay-out from the Industry. He basically sold his soul for it.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:30 amBut is was important politically for a moderate effort to fail before more robust reform could be attempted. Public support is already turning towards the president thanks to the GOP’s rebuff of even a decidedly conservative bill.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
September 18th, 2009 at 11:32 amGood for you Jay Rockefeller . Between Mr. rockefellers threat to kill the baucus bill in committee without major changes and Burris defection there is no way any bill without a public option can pass . According to Dean there are now enough votes in both houses to pass the public option .
September 18th, 2009 at 11:36 amQuestion is what kind of public option are we talking about here ?
O/T
September 18th, 2009 at 11:41 amYesterday Feingold and a group of other senators revealed proposed legislation to strip immunity from the telecoms .This was always our best chance of demanding accountability from the bush administration and goes a long way toward reviving progressive support for the administration .
Support the strongest bill in the house for reform H.R.676 .Any bill coming out of the house will be watered down before passage through the senate .
September 18th, 2009 at 11:45 amSIgn the petition .
http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition/
September 18th, 2009 at 11:47 amAfter this health care disaster, I don’t think other legislation is going to be done the same way from a procedural matter. Baucus has PO’d enough Dems that it will not be used again for any substantive matter. I would hope that the Gang of Six get beat over the head so bad with their insurance lobby campaign contributions that they have to run and hide from the press.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:48 amWait a minute freeman, you said dems were the same as republicans. What are you trying to say?
September 18th, 2009 at 11:52 amAlso ,in the same vein ,the 9th circuit court of appeal held recently that a Al-Kidd , an American citizen born in kasnas ,can sue Ashcroft for abuses as a detainee .
September 18th, 2009 at 12:01 pmAnd all democrats are the same right Fred ? Try thinking …. it’s not illegal yet .
September 18th, 2009 at 12:05 pmhttp://www.thenation.com/doc/20091005/cole
September 18th, 2009 at 12:07 pmalso, orly taze was told by the judge in the case of the soldier who didn’t want to deploy under Obama that if she ever brought such a case before the bench again that she would face serious consequense.
The beat goes on freeman. Where were you when we were working?
September 18th, 2009 at 12:07 pmSeems that is exactly the point many have been trying to make with you for a long time now.
you must be a right winger at heart because you just don’t get irony.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:09 pmGood point, Senator – this process only produces meager, watered-down bills. Reform is best when it represents a clear and strong ideal, whether it be conservative or progressive it should be strong.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:09 pmIf you would like to offer your support to Senator Rockefeller you can email here:
http://tom.house.gov/html/contact.cfm
OR call/fax here:
http://rockefeller.senate.gov/contact/
Beckley Office
220 North Kanawha Street
Suite 1
Beckley, WV 25801-4514
(304) 253-9704
(304) 253-2578 Fax
Charleston Office
405 Capitol Street
Suite 508
Charleston, WV 25301-1749
(304) 347-5372
(304) 347-5371 Fax
Fairmont Office
118 Adams Street
Suite 301
Fairmont, WV 26554-2841
(304) 367-0122
(304) 367-0822 Fax
Martinsburg Office
217 West King Street
Suite 307
Martinsburg, WV 25401-3211
(304) 262-9285
(304) 262-9288 Fax
Washington, DC
September 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6472
(202) 224-7665 Main Fax
(202) 228-1610 Scheduling Fax
Hey check this out: apparently the Baucus bill is almost an exact copy (with copy/paste text) of a previous deal that the White House denied making with Big Pharma over the summer. I guess they just dusted it off and handed it over to their pet Senators instead.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:01 pmThis is a little late in the thread but I recommend that everyone read some on Bob Cesca’s blog, regarding a talk with Jay Rockefeller.
For anyone that works for that “46%” of companies that are “self insured”…READ IT! And thank Mr. Baucus for nothing.
http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2009/09/healthcare_hero_1.html
September 18th, 2009 at 7:07 pmtest.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:55 amThank you for your sharing.!
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:36 amA smart man learns from his mistakes and a wise man learns from others. botoks
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:23 am