15 Yrs Ago Health Care Received Unanimous Cloture- and Died

[tomm2thumbs]

Run time: 06:16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afRrn2YCNYw   Posted on YouTube: November 24, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: November 24, 2009 By DU Member: tomm2thumbs Views on DU: 904

 
Lawrence O'Donnell reviews the 'never happened before' story from 1994 when health care reached the Senate on a unanimous vote for debate, and was amended to death. Lawrence notes all the amendments to that bill passed 100-0... all Democrats supporting every amendment.

And as far as getting this done by Christmas, he also notes the Senate has never done anything complicated in 15 days - and there is a required-vote on the debt ceiling to throw in the mix ahead of health care. He calls attention to the fact that even the recent non-controversial unemployment extension took a month to accomplish! O' Donnell seems to set up the premise that this will not get done by the end of the year by a long shot, and that Democrats have set themselves up for a huge 'wipeout' as a result.

(starts at :50 so you can jump the intro)

[NewJeffCT]

1. That was kind of depressing when I watched it last night

but, O'Donnell has been pretty pessimistic all along.

[frazzled]

2. Yes, but what he forgets that is different

is that this is the first time a bill that has come up through the senate itself has proceeded. And I think that this makes a huge difference. In a sense, 90% of the debate and compromise has already occurred. Back in 94, it was a bill handed down from the WH, and after the motion to proceed, the knocking it down began. This time, the issues have been run through the sausage grinder for six or seven months already. And it is clear that there will be no Republican backing at all.

This is not to say that what O'Donell said--that Saturday night's vote was the easy one--is not the case. And there will be horrible compromises and dozens of cloture votes to come. But it is not the same. Not the same at all.

[LaPera]

4. Very good points & somewhat refreshing....

For month's now I've been listening to Lawrence O'Donnell, his experiences dealing with the republicans tactics toward health care in 1994 as insightful and direct parallels......pretty much as gospel, of what O'Donnell espouses is occurring with the maneuverings by the slimy corporate republicans on the current health care bill.

Hopefully, there's more room for the Dem's to maneuver than O'Donnell's usual bleak scenarios....but who knows in the end he may unfortunately be correct.

Don't get me wrong, I do like O'Donnell very much.

[Don Draper]

3. Lawrence is right on.........

He is just calling it like it is. It's pretty depressing.

I read a recent poll which showed that the Democrats are going to be severely hurt in 2010 if they don't pass healthcare reform.

Lieberman should obviously be stripped of his chairmanships and kicked out of the caucus (that goes without saying), but the other 3 democratic senators threatening to filibuster this plan should be taken to the political woodshed by the leadership and the base. Progressives should support the most viable liberal candidates taking on those bastards in the next primary.

I'm also pissed at Obama for not stepping up on the healthcare debate. He's a smart guy, what the hell is he doing? If I was him, behind closed doors, I would threaten every democrat who opposes healthcare reform.