"Landrieu to announce her vote Saturday morning"

[Clio the Leo]

Landrieu to announce her vote Saturday morning
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of only two undecided Democrats, said she will release a statement Saturday morning announcing her vote on the motion to proceed.

She said she is still neutral, but she sounded bullish.

"I haven't made a final decision," Landrieu said Friday. "There are some very excellent things about this bill but there are still concerns."

She cited concerns about boosting assistance for small businesses with coverage, and the delay in the start of the insurance until 2014.

"I'm going to be fighting very hard for that even if I vote to go forward," Landrieu said.

Posted by Carrie Budoff Brown 04:14 PM

http://www.politico.com/livepulse/1109/Landrieu_to_announce_her_vote_Saturday_morning.html

To me this means one of two things ..... either she legitimately needs one more night to decide, or she'll announce in the morning that she is voting YES for cloture. If she knew now she was voting no, then Harry would not be ready for the cloture vote and everyone wouldn't have to stay to vote (they could go home.) .... I also dont think she'd announce she'd vote no ..... she just wouldn't say .... and Harry would have to stall while they worked on her.

And then there's also THIS.....

Landrieu Wins U.S. Aid as Senate Health Vote Looms

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, one of three lawmakers being wooed by Democratic leaders to back health-care legislation, won the inclusion of an extra $100 million in federal aid for low-income people in her state.

Landrieu, a Democrat, has championed federal aid for rebuilding Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area in 2005.

“It is something she has been working on for a long time,” spokesman Robert Sawicki said of the aid, which the Congressional Budget Office estimated at $100 million. Still, he said, Landrieu hasn’t decided whether to back Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid’s bid to start debate on the bill.

Reid scheduled a rare Saturday vote to begin debate on the $848 billion legislation, which is intended to cover 31 million uninsured Americans and curb medical costs. The bill’s proposals for insurance-purchasing exchanges, government subsidies and a requirement that all Americans have coverage represent the biggest U.S. health-care changes in four decades.

The Louisiana money is intended to adjust the percentage of federal payments to the state for Medicaid to avert a scheduled cut in U.S. assistance in 2011 for the program, which provides medical care for the poor. Louisiana had a bump in per capita income from the post-Katrina construction boom, which would force the decline in federal aid.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid, declined to comment.

Needs All 60

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGunE.qK3bsg&pos=9

If it is the case that she was holding out on her agreement to vote for cloture until she got this ..... well, cant say that I blame her. Esp. not in light of what a Fed. court decided this week in regard to the Army Corps of Engineers and the problems with the Katrina levies.

[DJ13]

1. It sounds like the bidding on her vote is coming to a conclusion

I wonder who won?

[roguevalley]

31. she doesn't want her fat ass beat on all night when she votes no.

[olegramps]

40. These holdouts could be getting cold feet.

There is a growing demand that these people either support the Democratic Party or they will experience reprisals that could include absolutely now financial support or endorsements. It could even result in stripping them of their chairmanships. I would especially support stripping Lieberman of his chairmanship and cutting him off completely if he opposes this bill.

[Imajika]

2. She will vote yes to proceed to debate...

Reid wouldn't be holding the vote if he didn't have 60 for cloture.

This is no different than the House healthcare vote a few days ago. Pelosi had the votes, or she wouldn't have brought it to the floor.

Proceeding to debate is just the first step though. I don't think there was ever much doubt Reid would get this vote in his favor.

The big vote happens later in December where they vote for cloture on allowing a vote on the bill. If he loses every Republican and Lieberman, they can't break the filibuster and can't vote on the final Senate bill. Nelson, Landrieu, Lincoln and Bayh may also vote against cloture on the final vote to.

That real important vote is that December vote to allow the Senate bill to be formally voted on and sent to conference with the House.

[Clio the Leo]

8. oh yeah, I understand....

.... but right now, I live from process to process. And I believe in momentum.

[Garam_Masala]

28. can VP Biden break any ties?

[rvablue]

3. Good grief! What's with the drama. Just say it outloud once you've made up your mind.

Starting to sound like Leiberman more and more every day.

Does someone need to be invited on some Sunday talk show. Please, producers, just book her already!

[itsrobert]

6. She's waiting for the $100,000,000 check clears

that Reid put in the bill.

[Clio the Leo]

9. Maybe it's Harry's idea?

To make a big show of the fact that one of his hold-outs is voting yet? (of course it may not be a big show ..... but simple press release.)

And there is the smallest chance that she is really still trying to decide. Not good.

[davidpdx]

36. BINGO

Grandstanding was the first word that came to my mind. It's fucking ridiculous that her vote is having to be bought.

[itsrobert]

4. Clio is actually a Virgo

Look it up

[Clio the Leo]

10. lol ...... itsrobert is eerily correct.......

.... Look it up!

[ProSense]

5. Senator Landrieu gets aid

She needs to do the right thing and put people's health first.

[PBS Poll-435]

7. So all eyes are on Blanche Lincoln now?

:scared:


:P

[Clio the Leo]

12. SURELY she wont hold out by herself?

I mean, even Lieberman is voting for cloture.

[bbinacan]

11. Amazing what 100 mil will buy

Sell the bill on the merits. Don't resort to bribery.:banghead:

[Clio the Leo]

13. Yeah, but helping Katrina victims doesn't exactly qualify as pork barrel spending IMO. NT

[bbinacan]

14. Fine. Keep it

apart from the bill. Do you have a problem with that?

[Clio the Leo]

16. yeah, but apparently she couldn't get it passed alone....

.... something she has apparently been trying to do "for a long time."

Extraneous legislation gets attached to other bills all the time. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. That's how the Matthew Shepherd legislation was passed and will, most likely, be how DADT gets repealed.

[Clio the Leo]

15. And help me to understand.....

.... this aid package is a PART of the health care bill correct? Not a separate thing?

If she votes AGAINST cloture .... and later votes against the bill, then she is denying herself the very aid she has "worked a long time for"? ..... And in so doing, not only is she denying herself something she's worked hard for, but given a potential election opponent fodder to use against her later? "Mary voted AGAINST aid to Katrina victims!!!!"

This HAS to lock in her vote, right?

[bbinacan]

17. I don't care how you paint it

It's buying her vote. Damn I hate our political process.

[Clio the Leo]

18. lol but she's not going to buy herself a BOAT with it!

Let's look at this sentence again....

The Louisiana money is intended to adjust the percentage of federal payments to the state for Medicaid to avert a scheduled cut in U.S. assistance in 2011 for the program, which provides medical care for the poor. Louisiana had a bump in per capita income from the post-Katrina construction boom, which would force the decline in federal aid.

I realize I'm a dogged pragmatist but I just cant understand PENALIZING the poor in order to maintain some idealogical integrity we want to force upon the bill.

[MH1]

39. All votes are "bought", I think

I don't care much for the process either, believe me, but I guess she is working the system the only way she feels she can.

[davidpdx]

37. You would hope so

I guess if it is truly going to help Katrina victims I'm ok with it. Who says she won't come back and ask for more? How many other Senators do we have to pile on stuff to get the vote passed and how much will it cost?

Reminds me of the West Wing episode, The Stackhouse Filibuster. When does the Christmas Tree start to lean over?

[LovinLife]

19. I'm sorry, but if u can't vote to debate this, she shouldn't be a democrat. What the hell?

[Clio the Leo]

20. She just got support for Federal aid to the poor......

.... not a tax cut .... AID. If taking federal $$ and giving it to the poorest members of society doesn't make one a Democrat, I dont know what does.

[Blue-Jay]

24. Oooh, logic and thinking

that's so hard when we can just shout out our emotional responses.

[babylonsister]

21. Oh, the drama. Sen. Landrieu, why did you pay the Dept. of the Treasury

money? For what? Do tell! Maybe she cut her losses and doesn't want the attention. She's having it both ways, isn't she.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7041680

More Questions On Landrieu Camp's Donation To Treasury -- CREW Filing Complaint

snip//

The only time I've seen an amount this large sent to the Treasury was when the FEC found that the contributions were the result of an illegal corporate contribution scheme and the FEC ordered the campaign to disgorge the contributions to the U.S Treasury.

[DJ13]

34. UBS Swiss account to evade taxes is what it sounds like

[applegrove]

22. Sounds like she wants this bill enacted sooner rather than 2014. I think she'll vote for the bill.

[Avalux]

23. She's playing hardball but will, in the end. vote for cloture and the bill.

She can afford to talk tough because she just won re-election. I've said many bad things about Landreiu in the past, but if her vote gets 100 mil in Medicare aid for Katrina victims and secures aid for future victims of disasters - good for her.

[Clio the Leo]

26. I know, I'm suddenly having this bizarre emotion for Mary that I've never felt before...

..... dare I name it? Can it be ......... respect?

[Avalux]

29. There might just be a method to her madness.

We'll see what she does next. :hi:

[MadMaddie]

25. So Landrieu has been working on this for a long time

and she is holding a health care bill hostage. That's pretty shitty.

[Clio the Leo]

27. Yep! LET the Katrina victims suffer even more than they already have!!!

:sarcasm:

[MadMaddie]

44. Clio my point is the Dems have held control for the last couple

of years. Why didn't Landrieu push harder to get it done over the last two years? The Senate is on the cusp of passing this health care bill and she was seriously going to derail it at this time if she wouldn't have gotten this added.


Of course the victims of Katrina are still suffering and many have serious health issues, even before the health clinic it was obvious, my statement was not to detract from their sufferring.

[Clio the Leo]

45. And I am asking the OPPOSITE question......

.... WHY did it take Mary to try to fix the problem? If the poor of the NO area were going to be negatively effected by the adjustment, why did it take one Senator holding out for the rest of the party to address the issue?

Obviously, we dont know the whole story ..... wish I did though.

[MadMaddie]

46. I agree with you! I wish we did know the whole story!

[Garam_Masala]

30. How is aid to Katrina victims a healthcare issue?

what other payola's are in the HCR bill to bloat up the cost more
than it should be which makes it look costlier than it really should be?

[Chan790]

How is aid to victims of any disaster a healthcare issue?

Oh wait...because victims of disasters tend to have health-related effects of the disaster ranging from mental-illness, PTSD and depression to physical illnesses from exposure to chemicals and aerolyzed materials, outbreaks of disease, and injury.

This is a good deal more legitimate than some of the rider-projects that we support all the time because they secure needed votes or fit a social agenda.

[Garam_Masala]

43. plz read clio's post above...the income levels in LA have

increased at current time, not decreased from pre-Katrina levels.
At least that is what I garnered from her post.

[Clio the Leo]

33. From my OP......

The Louisiana money is intended to adjust the percentage of federal payments to the state for Medicaid to avert a scheduled cut in U.S. assistance in 2011 for the program, which provides medical care for the poor. Louisiana had a bump in per capita income from the post-Katrina construction boom, which would force the decline in federal aid.

In layman's terms, because of the construction boom the per capita income of the state of Louisiana has risen to the point where they are going to be subject in a cut in Medicaid assistance. While the per capita income has increased, that doesn't necessarily mean there are the poor who were poor before Katrina, and who were even POORER after, are any better off. So the cut would screw them over EVEN MORE.

What Mary is trying to do is circumvent that problem. Any state who'd "had a natural disaster in the last 7 years" would not be subject to the cut.

Makes sense to me.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[jenmito]

35. The freepers are apparently reading this thread:

To: LA Woman3

Made a quick trip to DU, and unbelievably, their comments on Landrieu are identical to those posted here.

45 posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 9:24:11 PM by pnut22
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies | Report Abuse>

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391207/posts

(But they have some violent posts, too, which nobody here would write.)

[Tank Hankerous]

38. I would click on your link but...

That would require going over to that website that looks like it was designed by my 9 year old nephew.

[Ed76638]

41. Because it's all about Landrieu

And Lincoln and that bitch ass motherfucker Ben Nelson, who had anti-trust stripped from the bill.

Goddamn grandstanding whores.

[PBS Poll-435]

42. (Conference)

:-)

Just has to make it that far. We have 50 + 1.