Andrew Malcolm over at LA Times' Top of the Ticket, delves into the reasoning behind Obama's arbitrary time line and his insistence that a bill be passed before members of congress leave on their August 7th vacation.
Obama insists Congress get a healthcare reform program drafted before its members leave on....
... Aug. 7 for their next long vacation. Why? Because members may get an earful back home from the 70% of Americans who say they are satisfied with their healthcare plans and the estimated 98% who don't want higher taxes to pay for reforms that benefit others now and maybe them later someday, who knows.
Democrats worried about losing their seats in the next election are wary of the price tag of this bill, as well as some of the language inserted into it and support for Obamacare is crumbling already, before congress goes home and hears from their constituents.
Huffington Post obtained a letter from a bipartisan group of centrist and conservative senators, which urges a delay on considering the bill, trying to stem the all out rush to pass that Democratic leaders, urged by Obama, seem to be on.
The letter, obtained by the Huffington Post, was drafted by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and is also signed by Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu (La.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.). Independent Joe Lieberman (Conn.), who caucuses with Democrats, signed on, as did Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- moderates heavily courted by President Obama.
The organized effort to slow down the process is a blow to the reform effort. Obama has pushed hard for a final vote before the August recess, arguing that delaying until September could slow momentum and risk missing a historic opportunity.
The letter, sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stresses that while the senators still want health care reform done this year, they don't feel comfortable voting for it until they've had more time to study its costs and benefits.
Read the letter here.
The Politico reinforces Malcolm's point by quoting South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint in saying:
"I can almost guarantee you this thing won't pass before August, and if we can hold it back until we go home for a month's break in August," members of Congress will hear from "outraged" constituents, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint said on the call, which was organized by the group Conservatives for Patients Rights.
"Senators and Congressmen will come back in September afraid to vote against the American people," DeMint predicted, adding that "this health care issue Is D-Day for freedom in America."
"If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him," he said.
Obama is already losing support of some Democrats and the public needs to keep the pressure on.
With news like this, it is no wonder they are backing away and distancing themselves:
Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf sent shock waves through the Capitol on Thursday when he declared that proposals already on the table from the House and the Senate health committee would fail to achieve "the sort of fundamental changes" necessary to rein in the skyrocketing cost of government health programs, particularly Medicare.
Last night, Elmendorf had more bad news. Hours after Obama vowed that health reform would not expand the deficit over the next decade, the CBO reported that the House bill would increase the deficit by about $240 billion by 2019. A plan to expand insurance coverage to 37 million Americans would cost the government about $1.04 trillion, the CBO said. That would be partially offset by reductions in existing federal programs worth $219 billion and tax increases -- including a surtax on the wealthy -- worth about $583 billion.
Obama wanted this bill jammed through before the CBO was able to announce their findings, he couldn't get the support to do it, so now, not only the politicians know the plan is unsustainable, but so do the American people.
Anti-Obamacare protests are already rising up across the country, Gateway Pundit reports that Senator Claire McCaskill’s district office, actually called the police claiming they were being threatened by protesters.
McCaskill's office manager locked the doors, pull down the blinds, called the cops and forced the protesters across the street.
Local tea party protesters Dwight and Lynn talked about the reception they received from McCaskill's office staff:
Go watch the video.
Instapundit has more photos from protests in Raleigh, Cleveland and Dallas.
These are small protests, constituents simply making their voices heard, but we can expect these movements to grow if Democrats continue to try to shove Obamacare, as it is written now, down their throats.
Contact your Congressman, let them hear from you, loud and clear... NO Obamacare.
Then Contact your Senators and tell them the same thing, kill Obamacare, trash it and burn it.
