Tuesday, March 16, 2010

“Stand Up and Vote” in the Senate — But Not the House…

Democrats’ confusion about their health care bill tactics continues apace.  Senate Majority Leader Reid attempted to lecture Republicans today to “stand up and vote” on health care.  But House Majority Leader Hoyer attempted to defend that chamber’s strategy of NOT voting on the Senate bill, because “I don’t think any American – real American – out there is going to make a distinction” between a vote on “deeming” the Senate bill passed and an actual up-or-down vote on the measure.  If that’s the case, why doesn’t the House Majority Leader follow the lead of his friend the Senate Majority Leader and force House Democrats to “stand up and vote” on the Senate bill?

It’s also worth asking where exactly is this long-promised bill that Republicans are supposed to “stand up and vote” on, and why it hasn’t yet appeared.  Are Democrats continuing to negotiate backroom deals with their “Big Pharma” friends, or still working to keep the special deals they negotiated for themselves back in December?