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EmailThe Louisiana Purchase
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Senate Democrats succeeded Saturday night in reaching 60 votes in favor of beginning debate on the Upper Chamber's version of the health care takeover. However, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) didn't reach 60 votes without some serious schmoozing, cajoling and even bribing.
Indeed, the biggest outrage in this particular vote was what it took to buy, er, persuade Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to hop on the bandwagon -- at least for now. Landrieu boasted on the Senate floor that she had succeeded in bagging $100 million for Medicaid benefits in her state. She was mistaken, though, and soon corrected the record: "I will correct something. It's not $100 million, it's $300 million, and I'm proud of it and will keep fighting for it."
Come again? It took a $300 million bribe to get this "moderate" Democrat's vote?
Political analyst Rich Galen quipped, "No reports, yet, on how angry White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was when he found out she had been satisfied with the $100 million and he overpaid by a factor of three."
The money was unmistakably a bribe -- at least in non-Beltway speak. ABC News' Jonathan Karl reported on the specific language:
On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for "certain states recovering from a major disaster."
The section spends two pages defining which "states" would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that "during the preceding 7 fiscal years" have been declared a "major disaster area."
I am told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana, the home of moderate Democrat Mary Landrieu, who has been playing hard to get on the health care bill.
In other words, the bill spends two pages describing would could be written with a single world: Louisiana. (This may also help explain why the bill is long.)
Other bribes include cash for California, AARP, the abortion lobby and Big Labor. Democrats like to call such tactics "ethical" and "transparent."
With money being given out like candy to supposed moderate senators whose support might be wavering, we can look for possible payouts to Ben Nelson (D-NE), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Don't count out Maine's twin RINOs, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, either.
Nelson, who is warning that he will vote "No" on the bill as it stands, laid out his bluff, saying, "I don't want a big-government, Washington-run operation that would undermine the ... private insurance that 200 million Americans now have." If that were true, he'd be a conservative. Lieberman, who the media love to trot out as a "moderate" Democrat (ACU lifetime rating: 15.9), said, "I don't want to fix the problems in our health care system in a way that creates more of an economic crisis." If both stick to their guns and keep Reid from reaching 60 votes on the final bill, we'll be glad, but we're also not holding our breath.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is threatening to give "maybe a long lunch break over Christmas" if the bill is not passed before then as Democrats want to shift focus from destroying one-sixth of the economy to crushing the whole thing next year.
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Ileana
How many more bribes will have to be given to other "holdouts" before this bill is passed and signed into law?
Is this not illegal to buy votes? Congressmen are not giving away their own money, it is our collective taxes and we object.
What about Mississippi? They were hit harder by Katrina. Where is their $300 million bribe for reconstruction?
Posted November 24, 2009 at 6:32:47 AM
jerry
I'm shocked, shocked that Democrats are bribed by their own party with taxpayer funds........
We'd like to know what else they're doing with our money that we never see........
Now, why don't we ask for term limits and decreases in annual office expenses from those who insist they are looking out for our best interests.
Posted November 24, 2009 at 2:15:23 PM
PPuck64
Congratulations, Ms. Landrieau, you sold your country, not for thirty pieces of silver, but for three hundred million debased U. S. dollars. Louisiana must be so proud.
Posted November 24, 2009 at 3:50:54 PM
John, WIS
Sorry to have to use the term......but all she is, is another political prostitute......and we didn't even get kissed, for our money.
These people in congress have come dangerously close, to forgetting as to WHO, is paying for this.
Posted November 24, 2009 at 7:05:13 PM
suecitysue
It makes no difference anymore whether something may be legal or illegal. Not with the Obama administration. Lord knows we deserve His judgment-and that's what Obama is; The USA's judgment for what we have "embraced" in our angst to be tolerant and politically correct as it were.
Posted November 24, 2009 at 7:14:11 PM
Howard Last
I seem to remember Tom Delay doing the same thing to get Dubya's expansion of Medicare (Part D) passed in the House. Delay kept the vote open in violation of House rules so he could break (oops twist) arms to get the bill passed. And of course the other republican leaders call him a great conservative. Anyone wnat to tell me the difference between democraps and republicrats?
Posted November 24, 2009 at 7:46:12 PM
Walt
Re Howard Last:
Difference = $300,000,000.00
Posted November 25, 2009 at 4:15:42 AM
Shawn
It just goes to prove that its not Democrat vs. Republican. Its the people vs. a government that no longer sees fit to answer to them.
Posted November 25, 2009 at 2:30:37 PM
Frank Waterstraat
11/25/09
Some how some way,We have to get polititions to vote in TERM LIMITS.I know it is up to the voter.We
must vote smart 2 terms you are out.The longer they
Feed at the trough,The hungrier they get.Two terms
keeps them honest.No more pimping or prostituting.
Posted November 25, 2009 at 2:51:43 PM
Brian K
I live in Arkansas, and just the other night I happened to see a television commercial praising Senator Lincoln for voting to open debate on the health care bill because "Arkansans deserve a debate" or some such silliness. I was struck speechless. Literally. Frank, we already possess term limits: the right to vote. In theory, we should just vote them out after two terms. Our forefathers never in their wildest dreams thought anyone would want to make a career out of politics, else they would have written term limits into the Constitution. I also think that we should not only slash their pay and benefits package effective immediately, but We the People should have the right to vote on whether or not Congress should get a pay raise. They work for US.
Posted November 25, 2009 at 6:00:59 PM
Tim
I have to say that the real mystery or question for me is NOT why do politicians take bribes and sell out they're own state (its because thats politics). The 64 million dollar question is why the heck Louisianians continue to re-elect the same worthless politicians BACK into office.....you got me on that one.....
Posted November 29, 2009 at 1:24:45 PM
Howard Last
To Walt:
What did Delay promise? Probably as much as the democraps. Other than a few such as Ron Paul they are all a bunch of worthless bastards. Oops should not insult bastards.
Posted November 30, 2009 at 5:21:26 PM
Rita
Why isn't someone pressing charges against these people for bribery? It's against the law, and is clearly laid out in the Constitution what the penalties for this action would be. Why do we just talk about these things, but no-one in authority to do something does it.
Posted December 1, 2009 at 1:56:53 PM