We all know the 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans (okay, okay, 6 Republicans) on the Senate Finance Committee have floated key provisions of their so-called bipartisan health care bill. We also know the bill they float is a winner for America's health insurance industries and a loser for poor and middle class Americans.
We have all been waiting with baited breath for the Republicans to put forth their health reform bill. The Republicans respond with "well, we did," or "we don't want to," or "we're still putting the final touches on it."
Well, folks, the final touches have been finished and the bill has been found! The Baucus Bailout bill is the Republican Health Care Plan we've all been waiting for. It is NOT the Democrats' bill. It IS the Republicans' bill. Let's hang it around their necks instead of ours.
America needs to know the Republicans are responsible for this bill, and we need to be sure they know. Here's proof:
The Baucus Bailout:
(1) says large businesses do not have to offer coverage to their workers;
(2) is a giveaway to the insurance companies (gives them millions of new and unwilling customers at whatever price they want to charge);
(3) says there will be no governmental option to keep prices down or offer a safety net (Public Option);
(4) does nothing to lower health care premium costs;
(5) does everything to increase health care premium costs;
(6) says that all Americans have to buy health insurance policies whether they can afford them or not.
Read the above list again. Does that sound like a Democratic bill to you? Does that look like a Democratic bill to you? Of course not. That duck quacking above doesn't look or sound like a duck because it isn't the Democrats bill. It is THE REPUBLICAN BILL.
Need more proof? Here's some for you:
The Republicans are the ones who are going to vote this bill out of committee as a step towards putting it on the Senate floor.
As I understand it, this bill will now go to the full Senate Finance Committee for a vote. The full committee will decide whether or not the bill takes the next step forward. Here are the members of the full committee:
The Democrats on this committee are:
MAX BAUCUS, MT
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
KENT CONRAD, ND
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
JOHN F. KERRY, MA
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR
RON WYDEN, OR
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
DEBBIE STABENOW, MI
MARIA CANTWELL, WA
BILL NELSON, FL
ROBERT MENENDEZ, NJ
THOMAS CARPER, DE
The Republicans on this committee are:
CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA
ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
JON KYL, AZ
JIM BUNNING, KY
MIKE CRAPO, ID
PAT ROBERTS, KS
JOHN ENSIGN, NV
MIKE ENZI, WY
JOHN CORNYN, TX
My bet is the Republicans smell blood and every single one of them is going to vote for this bill in the committee (even though they have no intentions of voting for it once it hits the full Senate). That's 10 votes to get the bill out of committee. At least 4 of the Democrats are going to vote to take the bill out of the committee (Baucus, Nelson, Bingaman, Conrad). That brings us up to 14 votes. That leaves only 9 Democrats who might vote against this Republican bill in Committee. Final tally = 14 (for) 9 (against)
REPUBLICANS PASS THE BILL OUT OF THE COMMITTEE
Look, I'm as mad at the Democrats as anyone here, but we need to sell this bill as the Republican bill because I don't want it hanging around my Party's neck. America needs to know that the Baucus Bailout health care bill that tells says their employers they don't have to offer them health coverage; the bill that says they must buy insurance whether they can afford it or not; and the bill that doesn't offer them a public option to compete with the insurance companies and hold prices down is (drum roll)
THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE BILL
Any Democrat who votes with the Republicans for a Republican bill should be held accountable for helping the Republican party get its bill passed and for selling out American families.
Every single call we make, letter we fax, or email we send should be tell the Democrats not to vote for the Republican bill in the Senate Finance Committee. The bill should never again be referred to as bi-partisan. Because it isn't.