Senate Democrats

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Dems Reach Deal to Ditch Public Health Option

Reid had pushed senators for agreement tonight

(Newser) - Democratic senators say they have a tentative deal to drop a government-run insurance option from health-care legislation. No further details were immediately available. But liberals and moderates have been discussing an alternative, including a private insurance arrangement to be supervised by the federal agency that oversees the system through which...

Reid Compares Health-Reform Opponents to Segregationists

... to predictably furious Republican reaction

(Newser) - Not that the health-reform debate needed more fuel for its rancorous fire, but Democrat Harry Reid tossed some on today anyway, comparing conservatives who would block the current measure to those who tried to stop the emancipation of slaves and universal suffrage. The GOP reaction was swift and angry, with...

Obama Leans on Senate Dems
 Obama Leans on Senate Dems 
health care reform
Dec 6, 2009 3:38 PM CST

Obama Leans on Senate Dems

President hits the hill to help move bill along

(Newser) - President Obama returned to his old haunts today in an attempt to unite Senate Democrats as he pushes to have health care reform legislation passed before the end of the year. Almost as unusual as a visit from the president is the fact that the Senate is meeting on a...

Obama Goes to Hill Tomorrow to Cajole Dems
Obama Goes to Hill
Tomorrow to Cajole Dems
health care reform
Dec 5, 2009 4:14 PM CST

Obama Goes to Hill Tomorrow to Cajole Dems

He will meet with Senate Democrats to try to iron out differences

(Newser) - President Obama will head to Capitol Hill tomorrow afternoon to try to keep health care reform from flying off the track in the Senate. Obama will attend a meeting of Senate Democrats at 2pm as internal squabbles intensify over key parts of the legislation. The two big ones revolve around...

White House Backs Senate On 'Cadillac' Health Tax

Advisers outline cost control measures for health plan

(Newser) - The White House has come down firmly on the Senate's side over big discrepancies between the House and Senate health bills. Senior advisers to President Obama said yesterday an excise tax on expensive, "Cadillac" health plans and a commission to control Medicare spending were among the “four pillars"...

GOP Traffic-Jam Ploy Is Snarling Senate

 GOP Traffic-Jam Ploy 
 Is Snarling Senate 
OPINION
Nov 19, 2009 9:43 AM CST

GOP Traffic-Jam Ploy Is Snarling Senate

Stalling tactics are making Democrats turn on each other

(Newser) - Senate Democrats are starting to turn on each other like angry drivers stuck in rush-hour traffic thanks to Republican obstructionism, writes EJ Dionne. Republican senators are eating every word they once said against filibusterism and are stalling even legislation that they support in a Machiavellian effort to keep the Democrats...

Senate Delays Climate Bill
 Senate Delays Climate Bill 
Nov 18, 2009 1:20 AM CST

Senate Delays Climate Bill

Cap-and-trade won't be debated at least until spring

(Newser) - Senate Democrats have announced that they won't be debating a major climate bill until sometime in the spring. The delay, which reduces America's bargaining power at next month's Copenhagen conference, reflects weakening support for the controversial "cap-and-trade" bill as unemployment remains high, the Wall Street Journal notes. The bill...

Clinton to Dems: 'The Worst Thing to Do Is Nothing'
Clinton to Dems: 'The Worst Thing to Do Is Nothing'
HEALTH CARE REFORM
Nov 10, 2009 7:28 PM CST

Clinton to Dems: 'The Worst Thing to Do Is Nothing'

And, former prez adds, tea-baggers mad 'because we are winning'

(Newser) - Bill Clinton pounded Democratic senators on health-care reform today, telling them that passing a bill this year is imperative. “Just pass the bill, even if it’s not exactly what you want,” Clinton said. “When you try and fail, the other guys write history. … The worst...

Bill Clinton to Corral Senate Dems on Health Care

Meets with caucus as fight over abortion funding heats up

(Newser) - Bill Clinton is expected to speak to Senate Democrats about health care legislation during their weekly caucus today. Clinton's appearance comes as fragile Democratic unity is threatened by abortion opponents in the Senate seeking similar restrictions in the bill to those in the House version passed Saturday. Nebraska Sen. Ben...

How Reid Rescued the Public Option
How Reid Rescued
the Public Option
Oct 27, 2009 5:29 AM CDT

How Reid Rescued the Public Option

Opt-out plan bridged divides in Dem caucus

(Newser) - The public health insurance plan was brought back from the brink of oblivion thanks to Harry Reid's swift adoption of an "opt-out" plan brought to his attention just three weeks ago. In backroom negotiations with members of the Democratic caucus, the majority leader found that the federal approach bridged...

Obama Makes Backstage Push for Public Option

Despite public retreat, president plying Senate moderates

(Newser) - Though Barack Obama has publicly backed off in his support for the public option, behind the scenes he’s campaigning hard to make it happen. He’s spent a lot of time in recent weeks calling moderate senators like Olympia Snowe, Ben Nelson, and Maria Cantwell, armed with polls showing...

Dems' Silent Fear: What if Reid Loses in 2010?
Dems' Silent Fear: 
What if Reid Loses in 2010?
ANALYSIS
Sep 30, 2009 6:24 AM CDT

Dems' Silent Fear: What if Reid Loses in 2010?

Party unity expected to take a hit if majority leader is voted out in 2010

(Newser) - Harry Reid hasn't kept a very high profile as Senate majority leader but the vital role he's been playing will become obvious if he is unseated in next year's elections, say Democratic insiders. Even the Nevada senator's critics admit that he's stopped liberal and moderate Democrats from feuding, and many...

Rockefeller: 'No Way' I'll Vote for Baucus Health Bill

Finance Committee Dems remain at odds

(Newser) - Sen. Jay Rockefeller said today he doesn’t support the health-reform bill being crafted by Sen. Max Baucus, a fellow Democrat who chairs the body’s Finance Committee. “There is no way in its present form that I will vote for it,” Rockefeller tells the Hill. The West...

Daschle: Leave Whiny GOP in the Dust if Necessary

Democrats may need to use reconciliation

(Newser) - It’s essential that Congress act on health care, and if that means working without bipartisan support, so be it, writes Tom Daschle in the Wall Street Journal. If we fail, 60 million people will be uninsured in 10 years, and typical families will have to pay $25,000 a...

Today's Senate Won't Produce Another Ted
 Today's Senate Won't Produce 
 Another Ted 
OPINION
Aug 27, 2009 11:29 AM CDT

Today's Senate Won't Produce Another Ted

(Newser) - If you ask leading Democrats who can replace Ted Kennedy as the Senate’s liberal standard-bearer, the most frequent answer is “nobody,” writes Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times. No one has a record to match Kennedy’s, and in today’s Senate, building one would be...

Republicans Gain Ground in Senate Races
Republicans Gain Ground in Senate Races
analysis
Aug 24, 2009 11:47 AM CDT

Republicans Gain Ground in Senate Races

Latest trends show even Reid, Spector, Dodd in trouble: Silver

(Newser) - Things are looking brighter for Republicans in the Senate, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. In his monthly ranking of which seats are most likely to switch parties in 2010, Republicans have made a big move. Of the 10 seats that look more likely to switch hands, seven favor Republicans....

Public Option a 'Must' for Health Care Reform: Key Dems

White House waffling worries progressives

(Newser) - Leading advocates for health care reform are concerned about the Obama administration’s apparent willingness to drop a government-run insurance program from the package in order to ensure the support of the Senate, the Washington Post reports. Prominent Democratic senators have voiced support for the public option, with John Rockefeller...

Senate Set to OK $2B More for Clunkers

Reid engineers deal for vote tomorrow, beating recess deadline

(Newser) - The Senate has reached a deal to extend the "cash for clunkers" program through Labor Day, the Detroit News reports. Majority leader Harry Reid capped days of arm-twisting with an announcement tonight that the chamber will vote tomorrow on a measure adding $2 billion to the unexpectedly popular...

As Head Ref, Reid Feels Heat in Health Debate
As Head Ref, Reid Feels Heat in Health Debate
ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2009 11:31 AM CDT

As Head Ref, Reid Feels Heat in Health Debate

Top Dem must get it done—and get himself re-elected in '10

(Newser) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has prided himself on his hands-off leadership style, but pretty soon he’s going to get those hands dirty, Politico reports. Reid will soon have to reconcile two radically different health care bills coming out of committee—as if that weren't enough, he’s up...

Blue Dogs Stand Firm as Dems Get Panicky

Marathon sessions fail to reach a deal as tempers fray

(Newser) - The Democratic leadership is scrambling to make progress on health care reform before Congress breaks for its August recess, but last night's marathon negotiations failed to break the stalemate—and may even have increased the number of issues up for debate.  "We're making progress," Nancy Pelosi said...

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