They are trying to slow it down. Sixty votes or not, Republicans are doing everything they can to keep the bill from moving forward which is much different that actually voting for the bill.
As usual, Michele is a little confused and doesn’t have her facts straight.

I’m sure it was a difficult decision for Reid. Should I compare the Republicans to Nazis or should I play the slavery card? Despite his weariness from saving America, he remembered reluctantly that Republicans are Americans too, so he settled on the slavery comparison. His words are so meaningless, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Thom
http://thom-signsofastruggle.blogspot.com/

kelly, it is really hard to see why you and others can’t understand this. It is Reid’s own party that is giving him trouble. As Michele correctly points out, Dems have a filibuster proof majority. Why should Reid, you or anyone else expect Republicans to support this socialistic agenda. he needs to get his own troops lined up and forget the Republicans.
Ah, but there we are back at the real problem again–Democrats.

Obviously Thom and Les don’t understand how legislation works. There are an infinite number of procedural ways to slow the process down besides the filibuster. In fact, the GOP’s own Gregg put out a pamphlet explaining these obstruction tactics. Like the fact that a bill has to have 3 separate motions to go to conference and how to delay each step of those motions.
If we were voting for the final bill today — the 60 votes would stand up.
It’s funny how after 6 years of total control of of government that led to the huge mess we are in now that the Republicans did nothing. And don’t bother mentioning how the dems had control for 2 yrs, For those two years had the most filibusters (by the GOP) than all the years of congress combined.
I only wish we could divide this country into two. Because you guys are jerks.

kelly,
Obviously I do understand how legislation works. Whether the 60 votes would stand up today is speculation, but unlikely true since several Dems have said they would not vote for it in current form.

In fact, the GOP’s own Gregg put out a pamphlet explaining these obstruction tactics.

Good for Mr. Gregg. These “obstruction tactics” as you call them are what you referred to as “procedural ways to slow the process” earlier and are well within the Senate rules, else they would not work. That is called “legislation” working.
Bottom line, these mean Republicans are blocking the liberals from getting what they want (at least for now). Can we all stop and shed a tear? They are doing it by Senate rules and you guys can’t stand it.
Oh, nice bit of name calling there. Real classy.

again… the problem is more with the 40 republicans than it is with a few conservative democrats. the “party of no” is unified against obama, despite the wishes of their constituents.
if 40 republicans are against it, and 5 democrats are against it, which party is more obstructionist?
need i explain that math to you again, les?
and michele, reid didn’t make the comparison that you claim he did. he compared the stalling tactics of the time (and didn’t say that if it was democrats or republicans, either).

“I’m sure it was a difficult decision for Reid. Should I compare the Republicans to Nazis or should I play the slavery card?”
you say, as if having forgotten the tea-bagger posters of obama painted up as hitler, and all of their racist posters.
on top of that, you’ve mischaracterized what reid said.

Les:
People are dying because they can’t get healthcare. The GOP has done NOTHING to alleviate this.
Where is their plan?
Yes those procedures are within the rules, yet they should be used to accomplish something on behalf of the citizenry not for political posturing.

“the “party of no” is unified against obama, despite the wishes of their constituents. ”
Thankfully they are united against this awful legislation!! Wishes of their constituents? Too much kool aid for you. And no, I understand math quite well. It is you and kelly who seem not to understand legislation.
Kelly, “People are dying because they can’t get healthcare. The GOP has done NOTHING to alleviate this.”
No they are not, any more than they are dying because they don’t have enough heating oil. Anyone, even illegals, can walk in a hospital and must be treated. It is the law.
The GOP has several proposals that the liberals won’t let see the light of day, since (anon, pay attention) the liberals have majorities.

les (papa pouty), “majority party” means nothing because the congressmen of a party are not required to vote as a block (single entity). don’t you understand how our government works? it’s basic civics.
oh, but how i wish it were true that liberals were the majority. i think you meant “democrats”. you see, democrats aren’t like today’s republicans. today’s republicans are 99% of one kind: neo-conservative. that’s why they vote 99% together as a single collective… a bunch of mindless drones.
in this case, 100% of republicans will be to blame if we don’t get meaningful change to our health insurance system.
“Anyone, even illegals, can walk in a hospital and must be treated. It is the law.”
basically true. but that doesn’t mean that they survive, or that they fare as well as the insured. in fact a recent study shows that they fare worse.

Federal law requires hospital ERs to treat all patients who are medically unstable. But hospitals can transfer patients, or send them away, once they’re stabilized. A transfer could worsen a patient’s condition by delaying treatment.

The researchers took into account the severity of the injuries and the patients’ race, gender and age. After those adjustments, they still found the uninsured were 80 percent more likely to die than those with insurance — even low-income patients insured by the government’s Medicaid program.

read the entire article.

“100% of republicans will be to blame if we don’t get meaningful change to our health insurance system.”
I would rephrase this:
“100% of republicans will get the credit if we don’t get meaningful change to our health insurance system; namely virtual destruction by liberals.”

yep, the party of no ideas will, no doubt, get credit from their own lemming party members. and they’ll get praise and additional campaign contributions from the fat-cats in the health insurance executive boards. as you said, “if we don’t get meaningful change“.
i’m sure it would make you ecstatic to continue with the status quo, where tens of millions of people cannot get insurance, where people who have insurance get dropped because of some precondition or because they lose their job, where the price of insurance continues to double every decade. you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back, alright. after all, why should you care? you’re covered.

the attitude of the right wing-nuts again reinforces my belief about today’s republicans in that they have a major human character flaw: a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed.
and as les nessman, above, subtly acknowledges, reid is correct when he calls out the republican “party of no” as the obstructionists that they are.

Hey anon, little buddy, you wrote:
“i’m sure it would make you ecstatic to continue with the status quo, where tens of millions of people cannot get insurance, where people who have insurance get dropped because of some precondition or because they lose their job, where the price of insurance continues to double every decade. you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back, alright. after all, why should you care?”
Wrong again. I am not at all for continuing the status quo. You cannot seem to get it right.
and you wrote, little buddy,
“the attitude of the right wing-nuts again reinforces my belief about today’s republicans in that they have a major human character flaw: a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed.”
We ALL have this little human character flaw…it is called sin. And I am sure there are at least some Republicans some where who have “a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed,” as I am equally sure there are some Dems somewhere who have “a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed.”
So, you get a star on your paper for that last bit. But, wait, “right wing-nuts is not so nice, so I am going to have to take away your star after all, little buddy.
But watching Reid and his ilk scrambling around to make His Majesty pleased is really funny and sad at the same time.

“not at all for continuing the status quo”
aw, don’t be that way, lester. you’ve already stated that you support pointless legislation like tort reform. meaningless change is status quo.
“We ALL have this”
speak for yourself. we don’t all lack empathy and we don’t all suffer from greed. and one has to first share your theological belief regarding sin to believe that we are all sinners. that’s not even close to everyone.
“really funny”
you think senator reid and his ilk are funny to watch? i think they’re rather boring. i get a bigger chuckle out of the nuts who believe the garbage sold to you by fox news, palin, cheney, beck, limbaugh, malkin and the other gomers in your party. oh, and the conservative hypocrisy meter must be bursting! to see you neo-cons pretend to be the champions of fiscal responsibility has me rolling in the floor! keep ‘em coming!
and palin? she’s a comedian’s dream. you betcha!

and one has to first share your theological belief regarding sin to believe that we are all sinners. that’s not even close to everyone.

No, you don’t have to share my belief for it to be true. Truth is truth whether anyone or everyone believes it or not.

major human character flaw: a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed.

Pardon me for my lack of clarity. We all lack empathy to some degree and we all are infused with greed.

reinforces my belief about today’s republicans in that they have a major human character flaw: a complete lack of empathy and thorough infusion of greed.

However, your statement is utterly false as it stands. They ALL do not have a COMPLETE lack of empathy nor are they ALL THOROUGHLY infused with greed. I suspect some of them are those things. I also suspect some Dems are as well. In fact, I know that you are as well. As I said, all are sinners and lack of empathy and greed are but two sins every human is afflicted with.

just calling it the “truth” doesn’t make it so. if it did, you wouldn’t argue against what i believe to be true, that all republicans have a complete lack of empathy and a thorough infusion of greed. utterly false? no, that’s the truth as i see it.
see?
“In fact, I know that you are as well.”
…that i am what?

They ALL do not have a COMPLETE lack of empathy nor are they ALL THOROUGHLY infused with greed. I suspect some of them are those things. I also suspect some Dems are as well. In fact, I know that you are as well.”
That is, You are a person somewhat infused with greed and sometimes lacking empathy, as am I.

What is really weird is the Harry forgot that it was the Dems who opposed freeing the slaves. Not to mention that he & his lib prog allies seem not to have noticed that stupid insinuations & name calling back fire. Look at how popular the lib prog lame stream fringe media made Sarah Palin using these tactics.
SamFox