Update: Agenda released; Health care: list of GOP Senators who will attend *Thursday’s* WH PR event released…
Update 3: Jon Kyl R-AZ talks about what he expects at Thursday’s dog and pony show:
PoliticoPulse has the agenda up:
The agenda:
1. Discussion:
a. The President will offer opening comments, followed by Republican and Democratic Members chosen by their colleagues.
b. They’ll then move to discussions around four themes:
i. Controlling costs – introduced by the President
ii. Insurance reforms – introduced by Secretary Sebelius
iii. Reducing the deficit – introduced by the Vice President
iv. Expanding coverage – introduced by the President
2. Logistics
a. Participants will be seated at tables in a hollow square setup. They’ll be identified with name cards.
b. There will be a leadership staff walk-through on Wednesday afternoon.
3. Timing
a. The meeting will begin at 10:00 am and run until about 4:00 pm.
b. There will be a break for lunch. Buffet lunch will be provided for guests.
4. Attendance
a. Not all participants have been named by leadership. We’ll make the full list available as soon as it’s final.
Update 2: TPMDC has the list of Senate Dems:
The Senate Democrats attending the meeting were also announced this week: Sens. Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, Max Baucus, Chris Dodd, Tom Harkin, Jay Rockefeller and Kent Conrad….
Sounds like a group that can more than hold their own on the issue, Grassley was part of the endless Baucus wrangling, as was Kyl, Barasso and Coburn are M.D.s, Enzi has been wrangling the bill on the HELP Cmte for a year also,…
KJLo at TheCorner has it:
Mitch McConnell just released the names of the senators joining him at the health-care summit on Thursday:
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Senate Republican Whip
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Senate Republican Conference Chairman
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Ranking Member Senate Finance Committee
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Ranking Member Senate Help Committee
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., HELP Committee
Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D., R-Okla., HELP Committee
Sen. John Barrasso, M.D.,R-Wyo.
Update: Senate passes Insurance Profit Protection Act 60-39….
Update: The bribe fest is over, for now. The worst of all worlds is in this bill. HotAir has it. Per Politico we will all know wait until February for further action on this, or that could be a leak, Who the heck knows with these folks anymore? What I do know is there will be backlash and it will swell to the 10 midterm elections. Reap the whirlwind.
Democratic Senators are mugging for the camera congratulating themselves and talking about how terribly, terribly hard this was for them to accomplish.
In the immortal words of Eliza Doolittle, ‘just you wait ‘enry ‘iggins!’ Voters never forget. Especially not we bitter, clingy types.
(ps Obama just told NPR he thinks the tax on ‘Cadillac’ plans is ‘a good idea’. Funny, he excoriated MAC for that proposal during the campaign. JUST WORDS.)
When Doves Cry: GOP fights to save Medicare from Democratic cuts…
Yes we ARE through the looking glass. I don’t care WHO is standing up for Medicare as long as someone is standing tall dammit.
MAC has an amendment to stop the Medicare cuts. The Democrats plan to kill it. He is on Kudlow now, we will post it as soon as the video comes up. He wants Medicare left intact and a payroll tax cut!! It is 500billion to start, that kind of cutting is going to HURT.
I am unwilling to throw the Baby Boomers under the bus to give 15 million people crappy coverage. The other 15 million can damn well take their axx to the Medicaid line like they do for Food Stamps and other assistance. I have been there, they don’t bite people. God helps those who help themselves. Go sign up for the safety net that is available if you and your family need it.
Would I like to expand coverage? LOVE TO! Did I plan to do so under HRC? Damn yes BEFORE THE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN AND LOSS OF TRILLIONS AND THE HUGE GAPING MAW OF THE DEFICIT ! DOOM I SAY DEFICIT DOOM!!!
okay, back to the GOP fighting for Medicare:
Courtesy of my Senator Jon Kyl R-AZ:
Jon Kyl, U.S. Senate Republican Whip, speaking on the Senate floor in favor of the McCain Amendment that would prevent the cuts in Medicare outlined in the Senate ObamaCare bill. As it stands, the Democrats’ bill will cut at least $450 BILLION from Medicare in order to pay for their new government-run health care system. December 2, 2009.
Update: Passes 14-9 Health Care: Baucus about to pass bill out of SFC
2:54 pm EST: Passes out of SFC 14-9
Snowe only GOP vote for bill
Probably 14-9 or 13-10 of they count Lieberman as a Dem in the 13 Dems to 10 GOP ratio
Sen Kyl just revealed that the CBO score is based on a sheet of assumptions that SFC staff gave to CBO that are NOT voted on in Cmte. WTH!
Blanche Lincoln D NE indicates she will vote YES – big surprise, say goodbye to Blanche as she is booted out of office! Bob Beckel was on FOX a bit ago claiming she can keep her seat by voting yes for cloture to end debate on the bill (when it gets to the floor) and then vote no on passage when only 51 is needed to pass. Uhm no Bob, she is facing her constituents after this vote right here. That is enough to see where she stands.
Snowe R ME just said she will vote yes NOT a big surprise.
Well they are passing it. Let the truth and consequences begin. This should encourage healthy people to drop their coverage since insurers are now forced to cover them even if sick without the cushion of the universal mandate to spread the risk pool (no mandate until 2013). Totally counter-productive IMO.
2010 baby, it cannot come soon enough. AZ has a question on our 2010 ballot to protect us from the Federal mandates (in the event the opt out doesn’t make it into final legislation)
Let this be a lesson to those in American business who would deal with Team TOTUS. No deal is set in stone. Personally, I still await Billy Tauzin and big phaRma getting rolled, once they flip on that deal Seniors can reimport their rxs from Canada, and it will be sweet karma. Of course, Senior may find themselves on an American version of the NHS Liverpool Pathway soon enough anyway, God Bless.
Another apropos tune with the completely anti-health conscious Keith Richards, look at he and Ron smoking away, and they are living well today, go figure, rock on:
Jennifer Rubin on what’s to come:
As the New York Times reports, there is a jumbo fight brewing among Democrats over just how much they’re going to tax the middle class in the name of health-care reform. Senate Democrats want to tax so-called Cadillac health-care plans to pay for the gargantuan health-care bill, while House Democrats don’t think it’s a good idea to whack middle-class voters, and especially union members. Well, on this one, House Democrats have a point:
Moderate in the Middle 