Senate GOP to use 100s of procedural objections to stall health care

By GottaLaff

The Rushpublics are so indebted to Big Insurance and Big Pharma that they value their profits/political donations over human life. It still astounds me. It shouldn't, but it does.

Money and power are more important to the GOP than American lives. Say it with me.

Sen. Judd Gregg has hundreds of procedural objections ready for a healthcare plan Democrats want to speed through the Senate.

Gregg (N.H.), the senior Republican on the Budget Committee, told The Hill in a recent interview that Republicans will wage a vicious fight if Democrats try to circumvent Senate rules and use a budget maneuver to pass a trillion-dollar healthcare plan with a simple majority.

The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) leaves Democrats with 59 Senate seats — one shy of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. That, combined with the pushback from Republican negotiators, has prompted Democratic leaders to look more closely at using budget reconciliation to push a healthcare overhaul through. [...]

Republicans, however, warn that if Democrats attempt the maneuver, their healthcare bill will end up looking like Swiss cheese.

Gregg said that Republicans could file “hundreds” of points-of-order objections to the bill, each one requiring 60 votes to waive.

Mental image: Rushpublic TeaTantrumers writhing all over the floor screaming, "Nononono!" like toddlers. The difference is, toddlers aren't responsible for taking lives by withholding health care. And interestingly, they are usually taught to share.

Budget experts say it is too soon to tell whether Gregg will be able to carve up the Democrats’ healthcare plan. [...]

But Hoagland said that “smart staff” may find ways to draft the public option or co-ops in a way that enables them to pass under reconciliation.

Please go read the whole article.

Now if you don't mind, I need to go into the other room and throw a tantrum

David Vitter: "Do you know who I am?!"

By GottaLaff

David Vitter has diaper issues, hooker issues, Obama-phobia issues, planned parenthood issues and now drive-by tantruming issues. Harrumph!

Vitter arrived 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, and found the gate locked. He then opened the door, setting off the alarm and inviting the attention of an airline worker:

Vitter, our spy said, gave the airline worker an earful, employing the timeworn "do-you-know-who-I-am" tirade that apparently grew quite heated.

That led to some back and forth, and the worker announced to the irritable Vitter that he was going to summon security.

Vitter, according to the witness, remained defiant, yelling that the employee could call the police if he wanted to and their supervisors, who, presumably, might be more impressed with his Senator's pin.

But after talking a huffy big game, Vitter apparently thought better of pushing the confrontation any further. When the gate attendant left to find a security guard, Vitter turned tail and simply fled the scene.

Apparently, he also has cowardice issues.

UPDATE-- The Dems are all over the Senator Hooker incident:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is putting heat on Louisiana Sen. David Vitter for a reported run-in with a Dulles Airport employee last Thursday as he scrambled to make a flight back to his home state.

“Sooner or later Senator Vitter should learn how to control himself,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Eric Schultz, in an apparent reference to the Louisiana Republican's past involvement with Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "DC Madam." [...]

But Vitter suggested Wednesday the report was overblown.

"In a rush to make my flight home for town hall meetings the next day, I accidentally went through a wrong door at the gate," Vitter said in a statement first reported by The Times-Picayune. "I did have a conversation with an airline employee, but it was certainly not like this silly gossip column made it out to be."

Silly gossip indeed! But, just for the sake of argument, let's assume the report was exaggerated. That would be outrageous! Criminal! Completely unfair and unjust! Scandalous! I mean, it's not like the Rushpublicans would ever play fast and loose with the facts if the tables were turned.

Never mind.

Outburst II: CNBC's Joe Kernen rips up New York Times on air

By GottaLaff

Whatever happened to professionalism and objectivity? How does it feel to have whiny little toddlers working for you, CNBC?

CNBC's Joe Kernen and Carl Quintanilla ripped a couple articles in the Business section of the New York Times today during "Squawk Box."

The first was the Times' story about News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch and his love of print. [...]

They also brought up Brian Stelter's story about the Rick Santelli outburst. "What is their point?" asked Kernen.

Unfortunately, I couldn't grab the clip. But you can watch Kernen make a fool of himself by sharing his feelings with America quite openly and ripping up the Times (video here). It makes a lovely bookend to Santelli's little tantrum.

Apparently, these grown men can't contain themselves on national Tee Vee. I don't want to begin to imagine how they act at home.