Reid: No Vote On Health Care Before August Recess

[archangel689]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/new...until_fall.php

Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday abandoned plans for a vote on health care before Congress' August recess, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama's ambitious timetable to revamp the nation's $2.4 trillion system of medical care.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., delivered the official word on what had been expected for weeks, saying, "It's better to have a product based on quality and thoughtfulness rather than try to jam something through."

His words were a near-echo of Republicans who have criticized the rush to act on complex legislation that affects every American.

Reid told reporters the Senate Finance Committee will act on its portion of the bill before lawmakers' monthlong break. Reid then will merge that bill with separate legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier this month.

The process will be difficult since Finance, led by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is seeking a bipartisan deal while the health committee bill was passed by Democrats on a party-line vote.

Reid said the decision to delay a vote was made Wednesday night in the hopes of getting a final bill that can win at least 60 votes in the Senate.

Reid said he had listened to the requests from senior Republicans working with Baucus to allow more time for a compromise to emerge.

"The decision was made to give them more time and I don't think it's unreasonable," he said.

Obama, who just Wednesday night on prime-time television made another appeal for health care, had pressed for the full House and Senate to vote on respective bills before the August recess. The news of the delay came just hours before the president's appearance at a health care forum in Ohio.

hopefully obummers approval rating toilet bowling and re-election fears will keep the socialist bullshit out of any bills. obummer could turn into a lame duck.

[Kenshin]

They are covering the the asses of those who are going up for reelection. If this got rammed through and went and turned into a disaster say good bye to the Dems pseudo-super majority. (Even if they wanted to pass something there's a good chance that it wouldn't because of moderate democrats.)

[nijwnfi]

Wish they'd have thought this way before voting on the stimulus package.

[andrewjs18]

We've gotta make sure we let our Reps know how we feel about this, too.

voting after the recess is fine and dandy, but if the Senators aren't getting any feedback from their voters, what good is it?

[angus]

Police hostage negotiators are trained to slow down the action and draw the process out to try and avoid rapid, destructive behavior on the part of the criminals. Maybe it can work here with the miscreants on Capitol Hill who currently hold the US population hostage.

[adymond]

I have to say, Reid has pleasantly surprised me the last few days. With his vote for national reciprocity and now standing up to Obama and telling his people to ignore the PotUS' deadline I am having to grudgingly give him a thumbs up here.

[PocketProtector]

Now the arm twisting and scheming begins or ramps up that is.

[kunsunoke]

Originally Posted by adymond

I have to say, Reid has pleasantly surprised me the last few days. With his vote for national reciprocity and now standing up to Obama and telling his people to ignore the PotUS' deadline I am having to grudgingly give him a thumbs up here.

Sure. Reid's up for re-election in 2010. His poll numbers suck donkey right now. Time for him to swing to the right -- at least in public.

Bob Casey will probably do the same thing when he comes up for re-election. And the sad truth is, he'll probably be re-elected.

Cynicism at its lowest.