Pelosi: Obama’s Health Care Appeal “Very Powerful” And “Helpful To Us”
There’ve been some rumblings among House Dems that Obama’s speech last night, despite its urgent appeal for passage of health reform, didn’t chart out a specific enough road map for Congress to break its logjam on the issue.
But at a presser just now, Nancy Pelosi strongly articulated the opposite argument: That the President’s appeal would be “helpful” to Congress in their efforts to get reform done.
“I think that the President’s, not only his appeal to pass it but his explanation to the American people as to what the possibilities were was a very powerful statement that will be helpful to us,” Pelosi said.
Also interesting: Asked whether Senate leaders had signaled that they could pass through the Senate a reconciliation fix to the upper chamber’s bill, she demurred, saying only that conversations were ongoing.
Best of all, a striking quote from Pelosi underscoring her determination to get health care done:
“You go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole-vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get health care reform passed for the American people.”
It’s often been observed that this health care fight is the defining moment of Pelosi’s career, and that victory would seal her place as one of the most powerful House Speakers in modern history. She seems to realize this, too.
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Tena:
Yeah boy – I envy everyone making under 250K.
Proof positive that the US is the land of opportunity. Even an intellect like Tena can make a better than average living.
FACT:
Republicans two tax cuts were funded through DEBT.
Republicans did NOT ‘pay’ for those tax cuts by simultaneously cutting spending.
REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY INCREASED GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
Fraudulent Republican math has increased the US debt for 30 straight years, it’s been the Republicans strategy to indebt (and by extension ruin) America for over thirty years: “Two Santa Clauses or How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0
That’s right QB. Tena should pay for the entire cost of running the national government, all by herself, so deadbeats like you can get off Scott C. free.
“Proof positive that the US is the land of opportunity. Even an intellect like Tena can make a better than average living.”
I’ve never said otherwise. In fact one day here I remarked that inasmuch as both my grandmothers were servants and my father dropped out of school in the 8th grade and in 2 generations they got someone through law school, I think capitalism rox. It just has to be reigned in – for heaven’s sake, people have to be reigned in by criminal statutes, too.
QB – here’s the thing- we all know very well that your argument about my overpaying is totally specious because we all know that one person overpaying does nothing but get you a tax credit on your next year’s income taxes. D’oh. We used to over pay every year on purpose – they government made us quit doing that.
But – here’s my proposition – if we all overpay then it makes a difference.
So whattya say – gonna put your money where your mouth is? Send back that refund check?
Did you get that, QB? We used to overpay on purpose every year and the government told us we couldn’t do that anymore.
I am not a republican.
I am an AMERICAN who has conservative values and believe in every line of the US constitution and there is nothing in that document that even comes close to what the blowhards in DC have been doing for decades.
I believe that charity comes from the heart not the USgovernment that has given us failed program after failed program and now we have the liberal plantation keeping those on the government dole in perpetual slavery.
You don’t like it then lump it!
Tena | January 28th, 2010 at 02:41 pm
Did you get that, QB? We used to overpay on purpose every year and the government told us we couldn’t do that anymore.
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yeah right liar! that little box on the 1040 is still there for you to check to pay extra!
We get it troops –
we always did. Charity coming from the heart translated out of REpug speak says: You know what happens when you feed stray animals and people? They breed.
We get you loud and clear, troops.
Tell it to the IRS – they told us to stop.
Troops, if you have conservative values, then why aren’t you a Republican?
Here are some interesting quotes concerning the supposedly very powerful appeal of the president’s message (as if Nancy Pelosi would come out and have the courage to say something otherwise). I will not be providing links, as I don’t want the post to be stuck in moderation.
First, from Politico:
“Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said health care reform ‘is on life support, unfortunately,’ and the president should have been more specific with how Democrats should move forward.”
More Landrieu: ‘He should have been more clear, and I am hoping that in the next week or two he will because that is what it is going to take if it is at all possible to get it done,’ Landrieu told reporters. ‘Mailing in general suggestions, sending them over the transom, is not necessarily going to work.’
From the same article:
“Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said it was ‘a real possibility that health care is at a stalemate and you can’t solve it this year.’
It is hard to see how last night fundamentally changes it,’ Pryor said.”
More Pryor, this time from The Hill:
“I think it’s people talking right now over on the House side trying to figure out a way forward on health care, but my sense is, in the end reconciliation will not even be attempted.”
From Politico, a quote by Harry Reid on the urgency of passage:
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would provide only a nebulous timeline for passing health care reform Thursday, committing to do it ‘this year’.”
From the same article, concerning Chuck Schumer’s take:
“Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also didn’t show any sense of urgency.
‘The president said jobs is the No. 1 issue before us in 2010,’ Schumer said at a press conference. ‘In fact the three top issues on our agenda this year are jobs, jobs and jobs’. ”
The left wing blogs and Nancy Pelosi are competing, it seems, in a contest as to who can be more ridiculous in their transparent attempts to impart some sense of inevitability surrounding the passage of the Obamacare bill. But every time a blog or Pelosi come out with some bold statement, the Senate throws enough cold water to fill an olympic-sized pool on their schemes. And although some probably scoff at it, one of the best ways to gauge the sentiment concerning the passage of this bill is Intrade. The odds for passage of Obamacare by July are currently 2:1 against.
uh huh stray cat Tena!!
Who gives to charity?
Americans are pretty generous. Three-quarters of American families give to charity — and those who do, give an average of $1,800. Of course that means one-quarter of us don’t give at all. What distinguishes those who give from those who don’t? It turns out there are many myths about that.
To test them, ABC’s “20/20″ went to Sioux Falls, S.D., and San Francisco. We asked the Salvation Army to set up buckets at their busiest locations in both cities. Which bucket would get more money? I’ll get to that in a minute.
San Francisco and Sioux Falls are different in some important ways. Sioux Falls is small and rural, and more than half the people go to church every week.
San Francisco is a much bigger and richer city, and relatively few people attend church. It is also known as a very liberal place, and since liberals are said to “care more” about the poor, you might assume people in San Francisco would give a lot.
But the idea that liberals give more is a myth. Of the top 25 states where people give an above-average percentage of their income, all but one (Maryland) were red — conservative — states in the last presidential election.
“When you look at the data,” says Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks, “it turns out the conservatives give about 30 percent more. And incidentally, conservative-headed families make slightly less money.”
Researching his book, “Who Really Cares”, Brooks found that the conservative/liberal difference goes beyond money:
“The people who give one thing tend to be the people who give everything in America. You find that people who believe it’s the government’s job to make incomes more equal, are far less likely to give their money away.”
Conservatives are even 18 percent more likely to donate blood.
The second myth is that people with the most money are the most generous. But while the rich give more in total dollars, low-income people give almost 30 percent more as a share of their income.
Says Brooks: “The most charitable people in America today are the working poor.”
We saw that in Sioux Falls, S.D. The workers at the meat packing plant make about $35,000, yet the Sioux Falls United Way says it gets more contributions of over $500 from employees there than anywhere else.
http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2006/12/06/who_gives_to_charity
Ethan | January 28th, 2010 at 03:15 pm
Troops, if you have conservative values, then why aren’t you a Republican?
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Why do I have to be a republican?? I’m not into being part of groups especially political.
I am an American who votes for the best candidate and have voted for dems many times over the years. But never again and as far as the repugs they have been nothing more then demslite so now my take is any DC blowhard that votes for big government and big spending you will not get my vote.
I am only loyal to America and upholding the US Constitution not the repugs or the dems.
The two party system is the problem in America it does not stand for America but for their own self interest and right now the dems have sc*re*we*d the pooch with their over reaching and trampling on the American Citizen with their trillion dollar spending sprees that seem to have no end to them.
Tena has now given three or four different answers to the question of whether she pays what she thinks her fair share is, finally springing on us the claim that the government made her stop overpaying.
Sorry, but the federal goverment takes donations and is very happy to.
http://www.fms.treas.gov/faq/moretopics_gifts.html
No, I won’t join you in a pledge to donate to the government. I think I am taxed far more than I should be already. I’ll join you in a pledge to radically cut spending, and not start any new spending such as HCR.
I can’t believe Tena tried the old “conservatives don’t give” saw. Only every piece of data I’ve ever seen says the contrary.
Troops, you don’t have to be anything and CLEARLY nothing in my comment suggested you do.
…and in fact I was pretty much right there with you up until “and right now the dems”
If Pelosi has to revert to the parachute method to get the Health Care Bill over the fence she better be sure that the parachute does not have a hole in it that she is not familiar with.That would be a great surprise to Pelosi.Possibly even a shocker.
Yawn.
Do it Nancy. In small letters as you cling to your gavel while it’s ripped from your fingers, it will centralize the theme for the November elections “REPEAL”.
Ethan | January 28th, 2010 at 03:45 pm
Troops, you don’t have to be anything and CLEARLY nothing in my comment suggested you do.
…and in fact I was pretty much right there with you up until “and right now the dems”
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Ethan, well you would be much better off being right up there with me all the way to the end and time will prove me right!
quarterback | January 28th, 2010 at 03:38 pm
I can’t believe Tena tried the old “conservatives don’t give” saw. Only every piece of data I’ve ever seen says the contrary.
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I can Tena lives in lala land.
I can’t really see how Obama’s speech was all that helpful aside from maybe deflecting attention from health reform to some small degree. If he wants health reform to be passed, he needs to contribute more directly to the effort by providing strategy on how to work in a bipartisan manner and how long to try before assessing whether the bipartisan efforts are producing results. Elimination of some of the deals made for specific senators would be seen positively and could be accomplished with bipartisan support if the GOP is willing.
Joseph R Carreiro Sr | January 28th, 2010 at 04:05 pm
If Pelosi has to revert to the parachute method to get the Health Care Bill over the fence she better be sure that the parachute does not have a hole in it that she is not familiar with.That would be a great surprise to Pelosi.Possibly even a shocker.
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I have a feeling that all in DC are going to be shocked in NOV when they are looking for a new job! Americans are serious and most of us don’t care if we kick every stinking one of them out D & R and start over. If the new guys screw up they will be gone come next election time.
The silent majority who just want to be left alone have been awaken and we are sick of being called names by our elected officials, we are so use to our fellow citizen progressives/liberals/dems calling us names we just brush it off as consider the source. But elected officials they will hear our voices we promise!
troops | January 28th, 2010 at 05:32 pm
quarterback | January 28th, 2010 at 03:38 pm
I can’t believe Tena tried the old “conservatives don’t give” saw. Only every piece of data I’ve ever seen says the contrary.
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I can Tena lives in lala land.
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Let me expand some on this. Tena obviously lives above the 250k mark which is fine. She claims to care sooo much about those less fortunate but what do her actions show? They show her on this blog 80% of the time instead of volunteering her time to help others. She went to law school and did she choose to use her talents to help the needy/poor heck no she went into corporate law to make the big bucks.
hypocrite is her name
Folks: Afghan troops for Healthcare Reform. End of story. This was the final tactic and it will prevail.
The fact that Dems like Pelosi are talking “reconciliation” illustrates how desperate they are; when this frankensteins monster of a bill was being created, any input from the other side of the aisle was met with pure resistance.
Now they want reconciliation.
My favorite quote of the week:
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN):
“I do think there’s a chance that congressional elites mistook their mandate…I don’t think the American people last year voted for higher taxes, higher deficits and a more intrusive government. But there’s a perception that that is what they are getting.” (NYT, 01/17/10)
Even stupid rats finally figure out it’s time to leave the sinking ship.
What’s your excuse?
Troops,
Took the words right out of my mouth. There hasn’t been a dimes worth of difference between the two parties for a long, long time now.
That’s why I can’t understand the enmity between; maybe it’s all a big show for the “People” these @55-hats ARE SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTING?
What is this “WALL” Ms. Pelosi refers to?
Could it be the will of the people she sees as a hurdle?
Shame on her for not listening to the majority of Americans.