Senate votes to proceed with debate on healthcare “reform”

Via Fox News:

WASHINGTON — Sweeping health care legislation has cleared its first hurdle in the Senate on a party-line vote.

The 60-39 vote clears the way for a historic debate after Thanksgiving on the legislation. The measure is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who lack it and crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.

The rare Saturday session amounted to a first round in the fight to pass the bill in the full Senate, with the remaining Democratic holdouts announcing they would support at least the measure to open debate on the bill, avoiding an early knockout by Republicans.

Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana waited until Saturday to say they would vote yes for a floor debate. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced Friday his support for moving the bill forward.

All three cautioned that their votes to start debate should not be construed a support for the bill in its current form.

“It is a vote to move forward to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is under way,” Landrieu said on the Senate floor. “I’ve decided that there’s enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward but more work needs to be done.”

Lincoln said she still would support a filibuster if the so-called “public option,” a government-run insurance plan, remains in the health care bill.

“I along with others expect to have legitimate opportunities to influence the health care reform legislation that is voted on by the Senate later this year or early next year,” she said.

Uh huh – and risk the $100,000,000 that was used to buy you off, Senator Landrieu? Don’t make me laugh.

Michelle Malkin is liveblogging the post-vote goings on, and notes that Ted Kennedy’s name has already been invoked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who earlier had likened GOP opposition to his version of healthcare reform to “slavery.”

Sigh. As our Vice President once famously said: Gird your loins.

7 Responses to "Senate votes to proceed with debate on healthcare “reform”"

Anthony says:

November 21, 2009 at 9:23 pm

I’m not too concerned about this vote; it was really unlikely a vote to proceed to debate would fail. That the Donkeys had to work this hard to get 60 is telling; it’s going to only get harder as we move to the final votes. (There are at least two: cloture on debate and then the final passage. And who knows what parliamentary hurdles McConnell can throw in addition?) At least four Ds are openly wary of the public option,so they may be defectors at the final vote.

And even if it passes, reconciliation is fraught with mines for the statists to step on: Many Senate Ds are opposed to the Public Option (they’d like to keep their jobs), yet Progressives in the House say any bill must include it. How they reconcile that to satisfy all parties and gain final passage is beyond me.

It was one battle lost, but not a big one, and the fight is still on.
poptoy says:

November 22, 2009 at 4:35 am

Landrieu and Lincoln are never going to be re-elected. Lincoln will loose in 2010. Landrieu has more time but will loose when her time comes. That you can take to the bank.
Kate says:

November 22, 2009 at 11:42 am

I hope this is all an exercise in futility for the Donkeys. They are trying to keep “hope” alive by twisting arms and paying bribes (i.e. LA’s $100,000,000 bail out over bail out).

Remember we still have time to make our voices known and demonstrate our ability to understand better than the legislators that we will not burden future generations with insurmountable debt just because a few want to re-invent the wheel called health care here in America. And, that we understand exactly what is at stake concerning personal liberties and the Constitution.

Speak out with boldness…question, question and question again!
Carlos says:

November 22, 2009 at 4:53 pm

Kate, the health care legislation would not burden future generations with “insurmountable debt” – that was already done with TARPs I & II. Either of the donkey “health care” bills would simply dig that hole deeper.

And I find it absolutely amazing that so many people seemingly capable of considering a reasonable argument in other debates can be so brain dead as to believe either the House or Senate versions of the bills would actually reduce the cost of health care. Fer cryin’ out loud! There’s not two sentences devoted to reducing the actual costs of health care in the entire 4,000+ pages of the bills combined!

Finally, since when did the idiot left decide they actually DO want the government to be able to tell us all (especially women) what we not only can and can’t do with our bodies, but MUST?
Lorica says:

November 22, 2009 at 6:21 pm

Drudge is saying Landrieu is going to get 300,000,000 for her vote. The original cost of the Louisiana purchase was only about 15,000,000. Seems like we are getting ripped off. – Lorica
Marshall Art says:

November 23, 2009 at 1:51 am

A couple of points:

-I’ve heard this bill, as well as this vote and now the debate to come referred to as “historic”. It’s historic in exactly the same way 9/11 was historic. Or Pearl Harbor. Or the Chicago Fire. Or the Black Plague.

-I’ve heard another Democratic boob besides Reid invoke the name of Saint Pour Me Another in insisting this crap must move forward. I guess you’d have to consider Kennedy to have been a great asset to our nation to care.

-I don’t see what there is to debate, unless it’s the details as to how to fully annihilate our economy once and for all. I’msure there’s more than one way to do it.

-I’m saddened and just a bit horrified at the growing contempt I have for family members and friends who have voted for Barry O and people like (Pencil)Dick Durbin, Melissa Bean and other Dems from my state who have all, each and every freakin’ one of them, supported this travesty.
Kate says:

November 23, 2009 at 8:04 am

Carlos, I guess I should have said “adding” to our debt.

With all the “studies” coming out regarding mammograms and cervical cancer I can see how the government is already preparing to ration care by scaling back. All of this based on statistical data….all those unnecessary biopsies and repeat mammograms are too expensive.

And now we now it was actually 300,000,000 going for the purchase of Louisiana’s vote to debate….how much did all the other states get?

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