WASHINGTON, D.C. (YBH.ME) – With Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson’s support, the Democrats are all but assured a filibuster-proof majority to pass a health care bill on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The final bill, which has not been released yet to either the Democrats or the opposition, will be voted on without a full analysis or reading by most members of the Senate.
Ben Nelson to vote for Senate health bill.
Health care reform, long a goal of the left, is set to be passed with only one Republican vote in the House and Senate total. Republican Congressman Joseph Cao of Louisiana was the only vote the Democrats were able to secure in the House. All 40 Republicans in the Senate are expected to vote against the bill.
Fifty-eight million people voted for John McCain in the last election, and conservatives claim that those people are virtually unrepresented in both the House and Senate bills. The President campaigned on a “post-partisan” platform, and many pundits on the left talked up Mr. Obama’s ability to work across party lines. The realities of every day Washington politics cut that short, and Mr. Obama has been loath to work with Republicans on anything of substance.
It is also important to note that no real Republican alternative was released during the year long debate on health care. Also, the bill does nothing to rein in malpractice suits and legal harassment of doctors by lawyers looking for “jackpot justice.”
Friday night, after a long day of talks and concessions for the state of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson finally gave in and claimed that “I truly believe this legislation will stand the test of time. The lives of millions Americans will be improved.” Among the giveaways Mr. Nelson secured, was a set-aside for the Federal government to pay the entire cost of Medicaid expansion in the state of Nebraska. States are typically on the hook for half of that cost.
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