Back To The House

You have to give the Republicans credit for finally growing a spine. Senate Republicans did force Democrats to send the health reform reconciliation bill back to the House for another vote, after Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin ruled in the wee hours of Thursday morning that two minor provisions violated the chamber’s rules and couldn’t be included in the final bill.

The Republicans had presented several “fixes” to the bill that Democrats refused to vote for. Among them:

–Senator Gregg: Protect Medicare Savings

–Senator McCain: Remove Sweetheart Deals

–Senator Crapo: No Tax Hikes for Families Earning Under $250,000

–Senator Enzi: Strike the Employer Mandate

–Senator Barrasso: Requires Legislation Not Increase Premiums

–Senator Grassley: Requires President, Congress Enroll in Exchange

–Senator Alexander: Reduce Student Loan Interest Rate

–Senator LeMieux: Members On Medicaid

–Senator Coburn: Bars Sex Offenders from Receiving E.D. Drugs

–Senator Hutchison: State Opt Out

–Senator Hatch: Block Medicare Advantage Cuts

–Senator Collins: Waive Employer Mandate Tax

–Senator Thune: Strike CLASS Act

–Senator Cornyn: Remove New Taxes on Investments

–Senator Hatch: Protect Wounded Soldiers from Medical Device Tax

–Senator Inhofe: Protect Pediatrics and Disabled from Medical Device Tax

–Senator Crapo: Protect Cancer Patients from Medical Device Tax

–Senators Roberts, Inhofe, Brown, Crapo: Strike Medical Device Tax

–Senator Burr: Tricare and Veterans Health Programs

–Senator Roberts: Rationing

–Senator Roberts: Critical Access Hospitals

–Senator Vitter: Repeals Democrats’ Health Care Bill

via NRO

This was the Republicans way to show the public all the things that are wrong with this bill. Removing sweetheart deals? Who doesn’t want that? Democrats apparently. No tax hikes for those making under $250,000? Why in the world not? The President has promised this about a hundred times. Let’s make it law. No increase in Premiums? Why would they be against that being law? The President PROMISED us that we would have lower premiums.

These are just a few of the examples of things that Pres. Obama promised over and over, but Congress Democrats know are not true. This is why they can’t make it a part of the law. It was just words. Just pretty words coming out of the President’s mouth in order to say anything to pass this bill.

The part that forced it to go back to the house were technical changes to language about Pell Grants for low-income students.

So now we have another vote. I don’t expect it to not pass, barring Stupak growing a conscience (although that would be wonderful), but at least when all this is said and done the American people will understand how they have been lied to by this President to pass a bill only because it will elevate his presidency.

Interesting poll out today that explains why the President is STILL selling the healthcare bill. CBS asks “Should Republicans continue to challenge the health care bill?” 89% of Republicans say yes, but 41% of the Democrats do too. And 66% of the Independents.

In other words, the majority of Americans want Republicans to continue to fight this.

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