WH and Big Pharma win, consumers lose: RX Reimportation Amendment voted down in Senate by ‘progressive’ Democrats Durbin, Schumer, Kerry, Reid, Burris, Rockefeller…
The SINGLE cost saving item for Americans in this horror show of a health care bill was just killed by the progressive Democratic Senators. Remember come 2010/2012, these Democrats and this WH ARE THE STATUS QUO. No change here. DOZENS of REPUBLICANS votes AYE! Nice commercials for the elections. For those keeping score:
HOUSING: Banks batting a thousand, homeowners a big zero (78B allocated from TARP, 3 million defaults (now 4.8 million), but only 31,000 mods).
HEALTH CARE: Insurers/big Pharma happy as pigs in shxt, American consumers facing higher costs, mandates and no ‘choice and competition’ plus the kick to the deficit.
SMALL BUSINESS LENDING: Again banks laugh at POTUS, Gasparino in the NYPost today reported that Obama schmoozed the bankers when the cameras left. No loans being made, bonuses back on track for the big banks.
EMPLOYMENT: Need we go there? Ginormous stimulus payoff to who? No one knows but it sure as shxt didnt create a million jobs, or even a verifiable half a million jobs.
…Bunches of Democrats have decided to vote against this in the past few roll calls, this is going to be extremely close.
Senators are huddled around the desk tabulating the votes, this is one of those where the outcome is not pre-determined. Dick Durbin has a panicked look on his face.
…A late move toward the no side could deny this the needed 60 votes. They just got Lieberman to vote against it, along with luminaries like Kerry, Schumer, Reid, Durbin, Burris and Rockefeller.
…Lautenberg’s amendment has passed the Senate four separate times. It clearly kills re-importation because we haven’t seen any. This defeat of the Dorgan amendment is simply being done to preserve a corrupt deal.
Yeas 51, nays 48. Dorgan amendment does not pass….
UPDATE from FDL:
…Roll call on the Dorgan Amendment is here. The White House had to line up 31 no votes from the Democratic caucus to kill this….