Health Care – 12/18 – Opposition From All Sides

Our nations unions have been the staunchest supporters of the Democratic party and its policies.  But even they are angry.

The nation's largest union group said Thursday that it will not support the Democratic health-care bill unless "substantial changes" are made to the current Senate version.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement to reporters that without a public option for insurance coverage or an employer mandate - and with a tax on high-end insurance plans that some union members get - the health care legislation supported by Senate Democrats falls far short of meeting his group's standards.

"[For] this health care bill to be worthy of the support of working men and women, substantial changes must be made," said Trumka. "The AFL-CIO intends to fight on behalf of all working families to make those changes and win health care reform that is deserving of the name."

The remarks are a strong indication that the coalition of pro-health-care-reform groups has begun to fray. Earlier in the day, Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern penned a letter to his fellow union members in which he called out President Barack Obama for abandoning his own principles of reform.

"President Obama must remember his own words from the campaign. His call of 'Yes We Can' was not just to us, not just to the millions of people who voted for him, but to himself. We all stood shoulder to shoulder with the President during his hard fought campaign. And, we will continue to stand with him but he must fight for the reform we all know is possible," Stern wrote.

"Our challenge to you, to the President, to the Senate and to the House of Representatives is to fight," Stern continued. "Now, more than ever, all of us must stand up, remember what health insurance reform is all about, and fight like hell to deliver real and meaningful reform to the American people."

Stern, like Trumka, called for Democrats to make changes to the legislation as the process moves forward. And his rebuke of Obama - a staunch personal ally - was a telling sign of the growing frustration within the labor movement… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Common Dreams>

Furthermore, Ben Nelson has said he will support the GOP filibuster unless it contains a coat-hanger provision.

Repuglicans caused more delay by opposing defense spending, thereby slowing down the passage of that bill.  The only Republicans voting to eb that filibuster were Susan Collins, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Olympia Snowe.

Extremist rabid religious right wing nuts invoked Republican Supply-side Jesus to withold healing from the poor.  Here’s Rachel with that story.

 

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Harry Reid has to file the cloture motion by tomorrow to have the final vote before Christmas.  If he pulls it off, I will be most surprised.