Blue Dog Dems break ranks on health care

[babylonsister]

:argh: Why the hell did they wait until now to voice their concerns? :grr:

Conservative Democrats break ranks on health care

By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Conservative House Democrats are demanding significant changes before they can support a sweeping health care overhaul, forcing the House to join the Senate in delaying action on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.

The Blue Dog Democrats' list of demands came on the eve of House Democratic leaders' planned unveiling of their final bill Friday. The bill release was pushed back to Monday at the earliest and Democratic leaders agreed to devote Friday to meetings with the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs to work through their concerns.

These include the need for more cost containment measures, protections for small businesses and a focus on rural health care.

"We cannot support a final product that fails to" address these issues, members of the group wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Opposition from the 52-member group could imperil House passage of a bill.

Before Thursday, delays and intramural Democratic disputes over taxes and the role of government had seemed mostly confined to the Senate. A bipartisan deal emerging in the Senate Finance Committee was threatened this week when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated displeasure with the likely payment method, a new tax on health care benefits.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Horse with no Name]

1. because they are republicans? n/t

[hobbit709]

2. Goddamn DINO's.

I will support any Democrat who runs against them in the primaries. I'm tired of these Republican-lite clowns.

[tsuki]

3. Seems like Allen Boyd-POS-FL may need some telephone calls.

[Kokonoe]

4. They were forced to blow their cover at the last moment.

Obstruct obstruct obstruct.