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March 01, 2010
Pelosi: Lawmakers Should Sacrifice Jobs for Health Care
Pelosi tells democrats to sacrifice their career for the unpopular health care bill.
“They know that it will take courage to pass health care. But why are we here? We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress. We’re here to do the job for the American people to get them results that gets them not only health security but economic security because the health issue is an economic issue for America’s families.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to back a major overhaul of U.S. health care even if it threatens their political careers, a call to arms that underscores the issue’s massive role in this election year.
Lawmakers sometimes must enact policies that, even if unpopular at the moment, will help the public, Pelosi said in an interview being broadcast Sunday the ABC News program “This Week.”
“We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress,” she said. “We’re here to do the job for the American people.”
It took courage for Congress to pass Social Security and Medicare, which eventually became highly popular, she said, “and many of the same forces that were at work decades ago are at work again against this bill.”
Her comments to ABC, in the interview released Sunday, seemed to acknowledge the widely held view that Democrats will lose House seats this fall -- maybe a lot. They now control the chamber 255 to 178, with two vacancies. Pelosi stopped well short of suggesting Democrats could lose their majority, but she called on members of her party to make a bold move on health care with no prospects of GOP help.
"Time is up," she said. "We really have to go forth."
Her comments somewhat echoed those of President Obama, who said at the end of last week's bipartisan health care summit that Congress should act on the issue and let voters render their verdicts. "That's what elections are for," he said.
Then she turns around and says Democrats Will Stay In Power In 2010
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White House: Simple up-or-down vote on health care
Democrats called today to pass Obamacare and essentially nationalize one-sixth of the American economy with a simple up-or-down majority vote in the House and Senate.
The White House called for a “simple up-or-down” vote on health care legislation Sunday as Speaker Nancy Pelosi appealed to House Democrats to get behind President Barack Obama’s chief domestic priority even it if threatens their political careers.
In voicing support for a simple majority vote, White House health reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle signaled Obama’s intention to push the Democratic-crafted bill under Senate rules that would overcome GOP stalling tactics.
Republicans unanimously oppose the Democratic proposals. Without GOP support, Obama’s only chance of emerging with a policy and political victory is to bypass the bipartisanship he promoted during his televised seven-hour health care summit Thursday.
“We’re not talking about changing any rules here,” DeParle said. “All the president’s talking about is: Do we need to address this problem and does it make sense to have a simple, up-or-down vote on whether or not we want to fix these problems?”
DeParle was optimistic that the president would have the votes to pass the massive bill. But none of legislation’s advocates who spoke on Sunday indicated that those votes were in hand.
"I think we will get to that point where we will have the votes," predicted Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. "I believe that we will pass health care reform this spring."
In a sober call to arms, Pelosi said lawmakers sometimes must enact policies that, even if unpopular at the moment, will help the public. "We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress," she said. "We're here to do the job for the American people."
Pelosi said it took courage for Congress to pass Social Security and Medicare, which eventually became highly popular, "and many of the same forces that were at work decades ago are at work again against this bill."
It's unclear whether Pelosi's remarks will embolden or chill dozens of moderate House Democrats who face withering criticisms of the health care proposal in visits with constituents and in national polls. Republican lawmakers unanimously oppose the health care proposals, and many GOP strategists believe voters will turn against Democrats in the November elections.
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Wild Thing's comment.......
Leaders lead. Ideologues push.
She truly lives w/a superior mindset - I KNOW what is best for the peons - much like hillary.
Interview her more! She is the most visible example of what Americans now are recognizing as an enemy of liberty!
Every time she opens her mouth, she alerts voters to the dangers of having arrogant tyrants in charge of their government.
She's an arrogant, power hungry mad woman whose primary concern is enacting onerous legislation that will expand the federal reach into our lives. And she's very much aware that she's representing the fringe.
Democrats would scream bloody murder if Republicans called for a simple up or down vote on abortion, affirmative action, etc., etc. And that is is exactly what the Pubbies should do now.
And there is also this:
Sen. Kent Conrad, who is Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee (which is responsible for reconciliation if they go that route) said the following:
“…reconciliation cannot be used to pass comprehensive health care reform. It won’t work. It won’t work because it was never designed for that kind of significant legislation. It was designed for deficit reduction… The major package of health care reform cannot move through the reconciliation process. It will not work… It will not work because of the Byrd rule which says anything that doesn’t score for budget purposes has to be eliminated. That would eliminate all the delivery system reform, all the insurance market reform, all of those things the experts tell us are really the most important parts of this bill. The only possible role that I can see for reconciliation would be make modest changes in the major package to improve affordability, to deal with what share of Medicaid expansion the federal government pays, those kinds of issues, which is the traditional role for reconciliation in health care.”
The interesting dynamic here is that this must pass the House first, but the House members are tired of sticking their necks out, just to be rebuked by the Senate.
This will not end well. The White House is still in denial.
Pray for America’s Freedom.
Here is a link for phone numbers of your Reps and Senators.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at March 1, 2010 02:50 AM
Comments
What are Pelosi's qualifications to judge anybody as less than who she is. She couldn't run a brothel although she plays a Madam in the House of Representatives. When she breaks out her Leather and Whips. Other than play acting she has no talent nor the respect that she thinks she does. Without Botox, she'd look like the old prune she is.
Posted by: Mark at March 1, 2010 12:33 PM
I admire your kindness Mark, if she were to run a brothel she'd have to run it by hand with Reid playing second fiddle.
Posted by: Jack at March 1, 2010 02:39 PM
Bwahahahahahahah, yours is tops Jack. Run it by hand because every other orifice is dysfunctional.
Posted by: Mark at March 1, 2010 04:17 PM
LOL you guys are GREAT!
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 2, 2010 12:32 AM
