By FITSNews || Two days after brashly boasting that “we will have health care,” U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that there are not enough votes in the House to pass the Senate’s version of President Barack Obama’s socialized medicine bill.
That means the simplest method of getting this $2.6 trillion piece of, um, legislation to Obama’s desk has been blocked.
“I don’t see the votes for it at this time,” Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill during her weekly news conference. “The members have been very clear.”
The House passed its version of socialized medicine by a narrow 220-215 margin in November amidst rumors that Pelosi strong-armed reluctant members with all sorts of threats. The next month, the Senate passed its version of the legislation after its leader, Sen. Harry Reid, basically bribed Democratic holdouts in order to reach a critical 60-vote “super-majority.”
Obviously, that tenuous hold on power in the Senate was shattered Tuesday when Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown pulled off the political upset of the decade in Massachusetts, giving the GOP 41 votes – or enough to mount a successful filibuster.
In spite of Brown’s victory, the Senate version of “Obamacare” could have still been sent to Obama’s desk had House members simply voted to concur with the Senate changes, something they are obviously unwilling to do.
As big a setback as this is for the legislation, the fight is far from over.
Pelosi said Thursday that “all options” are on the table.
“We have to get a bill passed. We know that,” she said.
By countryboy January 21, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Is Pelosi a hand puppet operated by our illustrious and brilliant member of Congress?
By Joe January 21, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Of course she’s not talking tough now. On Tuesday night, Massachusetts spoke for the American people by shouting from the moutaintop that “we don’t want the HC bill you’re trying to ram down our throats.” Nothing could have been clearer – even to Dems believe it or not. The people (and skittish Dems who heard long and loudly from their constituents) said “no” and people in D.C. are finally listening.
And no, Nancy, you DON’T have to get a bill passed. When you have to bribe and threaten people to go along, and then hide the bill and subsequent debate….no, that’s not a bill people want. Go back to the drawing board.
By Ed January 21, 2010 at 2:22 pm
It makes you wonder just how our great country survived without government health care prior to 1965?
How were we able to have just as long a life expectancy back then without a drug store on every corner?
Here is a plan right up Pelosi’s alley. Nationalize all the drug companies and let us buy our drugs at cost-rather than paying the highest prices in the world. That is a socialistic solution we haven’t heard much about from the socialists in power- oh that’s right – the drug companies give all these socialist politicians money so the drug companies can draft the health care bill and overcharge us.
Pelosi, Reid, and Obama are not capable of running and paying for the government we have now. Why not balance the budget first before embarking on new ways to bankrupt us?
By sid January 21, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Some would argue the decade started tsie past January 1, so that wouldn’t make this upset all that special. Perhaps it’s the only one of the decade? How about upset of the century? Or millenium?
By cerius January 21, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Maybe the Democrats should honor Obama’s promise to broadcast all health care negotiations on CSPAN.
By Mike January 21, 2010 at 4:52 pm
If you dislike Pelosi….DUMP SPRATT
By Crooner January 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Congressional Republicans remind me of a what a former co-worker would say as we were going to lunch: “I don’t have any suggestions as to where we ought to go- I just like to shoot things down.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the party of NO will have anything constructive to add (no, not malpractice reform) to the effort to reform hwo health care in this country is paid for.
This is a jobs issue. My firm currently pays over $14,000 per employee for health care. If nothing is done that cost is projected to double in less than ten years. $28K per employee is going to make firms cut staff to the bone.
By Ynotfirst January 21, 2010 at 5:42 pm
health care and health insurance are two entirely different things
By jeffy January 21, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Pelosi, Reid, Obama….and yes Gunn are all toast baby. Turn out the lights the party is over.
By bob January 21, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Crooner,
I take your point, and it is a good one. However, I don’t understand why it should be the responsibility of the employer to provide health insurance. It would be better for each individual to purchase, or not purchase his own health care, and health insurance. If you want jobs, make it easier to create them.
YNotFirst is correct: the two are different. While I hear horror stories of people going broke because of health crisis, why not each person either insure against that on their own, or accept the result.
I am concerned about this because I view what is being attempted in Washington as wealth redistribution. I think we have seen enough of that already.
Besides, if more people only paid for the care they could afford, the demand would decrease, and the price would come down. In Econ 101 that was called equilibrium.
Bob
By wade January 21, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Crooner,
If Obama’s destructive spending policies persist and predicatable hyperinflation ensues, in five years a slice of bread will cost $28,000.00…
By No Way! January 21, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Well, Pelosi has suddenly spurned the Obama Koolaid as well! She now has the big picture. The people will also send her as@ home! Amazing how she developed ears.
By James the Foot Soldier January 21, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Anyone missing Pat Hendriz and Red Bank Bar as much as I am?
By T4 January 22, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Crooner’s post is pertinent, as well as common to many of the problems facing business owners. Thank you Crooner, for asserting a reasonable point – scarce on this site.
Ynotfirst, enough with semantic games, you know what is meant by reform, and for that purpose, they’re used synonymously.
By Kevin January 23, 2010 at 9:00 am
Hey Crooner, great Goebbels propadandists play (you know, in saying something often enough) when you write…
“It’ll be interesting to see if the party of NO will have anything constructive to add (no, not malpractice reform) to the effort to reform hwo health care in this country is paid for.”
Last time I checked Repubs had launched many, many ideas to stifle the growth in healthcare costs. If the Dems want a healthcare bill now, they’ll need to incorporate these ideas, it’s as simple as that. But you know what, as long as Dems continue to be so far up the a$$es of trial lawyers (“no, not malpractice reform”) I suppose none of this really matters. Flake!