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Cornhusker Kickback is Removed from the Health Care Bill and Conrad Asks that His Bismarck Bribe be Removed Too

Cornhusker Kickback gets the boot in health bill

By ALAN FRAM and DAVID ESPO
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 18, 2010; 8:13 PM

WASHINGTON -- Bye bye, Cornhusker Kickback. Hello, special treatment for Tennessee and North Dakota.

Democrats unveiling revisions Thursday to their health care overhaul bill decided to kill the extra $100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska that has become a symbol of backdoor deal making.

But the 153 pages of changes to the massive health care package include extra money for hospitals in Tennessee that serve large numbers of low-income patients. And though the bill would revamp the nation's student loan system to make the government the only lender, one bank - the state-owned Bank of North Dakota - would be allowed to continue making student loans.

That provision ended up rubbing Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., the wrong way. Fearing it would become a target by Republicans in what he said is "an overly heated partisan environment," he asked the House late Thursday to remove it from the legislation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031803914.html



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I Always Enjoy Reading Michael Barone Count All the Numbers and Make Projections

Projections from the House's "deem to pass" roll call

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
03/18/10 5:21 PM EDT

The House voted this afternoon by a 222-203 margin to pass the “Slaughter solution” rule authorizing a single vote on the Senate health care bill which the House leadership wants to send to the president for signature plus the reconciliation health measure the House leadership wants to send to the Senate.

This victory for the Democratic leadership makes it appear that they are on the verge of rounding up the required 216 vote-majority (of the current 431 House members, 253 Democrats and 178 Republicans). But the House leadership, of either party, almost always wins rule votes.

An analysis of the votes cast for and against the rule, together with an examination of members’ public statements and political situations, suggests that the House leadership is still significantly short of 216 votes on final passage, and that opponents of the view have a reservoir of potential noes from more than the 38 Democrats needed to defeat the measure.

Here’s my analysis:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Projections-from-the-Houses-deem-to-pass-roll-call--88465682.html

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Vote to Support the "Slaughter Option" Roll Call

The vote was 222-203. It passed with the support of those so called 'Blue Dog' Democrats and those who are still on the fence, but voting for this means to me at least that are likely to vote for the bill if it ever comes to the floor for a recorded vote. Why else endorse an illegal tactic if you don't support the bill?

---- YEAS    222 ---

Altmire
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Barrow
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boccieri
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown, Corrine
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Chu
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dic*s
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Driehaus
Edwards (MD)
Edwards (TX)
Ellison
Ellsworth
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Foster
Frank (MA)
Fudge
Garamendi
Gonzalez
Gordon (TN)
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Halvorson
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Higgins
Hill
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hodes
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kilroy
Kind
Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Kissell
Klein (FL)
Kucinich
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Loebsack
Lowey
Luján
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney
Markey (CO)
Markey (MA)
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McMahon
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy (NY)
Murphy, Patrick
Nadler (NY)
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Polis (CO)
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Richardson
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Salazar
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schauer
Schiff
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sestak
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sires
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Space
Speier
Spratt
Sutton
Tanner
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Welch
Wilson (OH)
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth

---- NAYS    203 ---

Aderholt
Adler (NJ)
Akin
Alexander
Arcuri
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boozman
Boren
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bright
Broun (GA)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Cantor
Cao
Capito
Carney
Carter
Cassidy
Castle
Chaffetz
Childers
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Conaway
Cooper
Costello
Crenshaw
Culberson
Dahlkemper
Davis (AL)
Davis (KY)
Deal (GA)
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dreier
Duncan
Ehlers
Emerson
Fallin
Flake
Fleming
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Giffords
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Granger
Graves
Griffith
Guthrie
Hall (TX)
Harper
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Herseth Sandlin
Holden
Hunter
Inglis
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan (OH)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline (MN)
Kosmas
Kratovil
Lamborn
Lance
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Lee (NY)
Lewis (CA)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McCotter
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Melancon
Mica
Michaud
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Minnick
Mitchell
Moran (KS)
Murphy, Tim
Myrick
Neugebauer
Nunes
Nye
Olson
Paul
Paulsen
Pence
Perriello
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Posey
Price (GA)
Putnam
Radanovich
Rehberg
Reichert
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Scalise
Schmidt
Schock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Stupak
Sullivan
Taylor
Teague
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Walden
Wamp
Whitfield
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)

---- NOT VOTING    6 ---

Ackerman
Hastings (WA)
Hoekstra
Lofgren, Zoe
Stark
Westmoreland


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Rep. Cao, the Lone Republican to Vote Yes the First Time Health Care Passed in the House, will Vote No This Time

Rep. Cao remains a 'no' vote on health-care proposal


By Jonathan Tilove

March 18, 2010, 7:35PM
WASHINGTON  --  Fulfilling a promise he made Wednesday to President Barack Obama, U.S. Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-New Orleans, took a second look at the abortion language in the Senate health care bill, but said tonight that he once again found it wanting

Cao, the only Republican to vote for the health care bill last year, said he cannot do it again if the Senate language on abortion remains in the bill.

 "Unless they change the abortion language in the Senate bill, I cannot, based on my conscience as a strong anti-abortion representative representing a district that is also strongly anti-abortion, I cannot support the Senate bill," Cao said.

http://townhall.com/myblog/Rep.%20Cao%20remains%20a%20'no'%20vote%20on%20health-care%20proposal
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Hispanic House Democrats will Vote Yes on ObamaCare

Hispanic Dems will vote yes on healthcare

By Jared Allen - 03/18/10 04:25 PM ET
President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) secured a critical bloc of healthcare votes on Thursday when the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) announced its support.

Half a dozen members of the CHC held a news conference to announce their support. They were unhappy with language that barred illegal immigrants from accessing the public health insurance exchanges. More than a dozen had threatened to vote against the Senate bill and its companion reconciliation package. The House healthcare bill, which passed by two votes, won the support of every member of the Hispanic Caucus.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/87711-hispanic-dems-will-vote-yes-on-healthcare
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Analysis of the New Health Care Reconciliation Bill

Keith Hennessey provides an analysis of the new health care reconciliation bill:

Congressional Democratic leaders just released their summary of Bill #2, the health bill they intend to move through the reconciliation process.

Here is their description document.  I caution you that this is a sales pitch aimed at Congressional Democrats.

Here is the preliminary CBO analysis.

Here is the legislative text, on which I am just now about to begin chewing.

Since things are moving quickly, I’m going to repeatedly update this post.  You might want to bookmark it and return for updates.

The following notes are fairly technical.  Most will be interesting only to policy practitioners.

http://keithhennessey.com/2010/03/18/understanding-health-bill-two/



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Watch Out Barbara "Don't Call me Ma'am" Boxer

Poll: Boxer Suddenly In Trouble

March 18, 2010 9:41 AM

A day after Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) camp announced that Pres. Obama would be traveling to Los Angeles for a joint fundraiser next month, a new Field Poll shows Boxer locked in tight races with each of the GOPers vying to challenge her in Nov.

Ex-Rep. Tom Campbell (R) leads the GOP field, posting a 6-point advantage over ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R). But Campbell, Fiorina and Assemb. Chuck DeVore (R) each run virtually even with Boxer in general-election matchups.

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/03/poll_boxer_sudd.php


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Obama Spells Syracuse as Sycacuse

Via Newsbusters:

The ABC story on Obama's basketball picks consisted of highlights from corporate cousin ESPN's session with Obama as he filled out a big bracket chart, and World News included Obama's spelling challenge. “Should be an R in there,” ESPN's Andy Katz corrected Obama upon spotting how the President had misspelled “Syracuse” as “Sycacuse.”

(Click on screen shot for a larger jpg image of Obama's misspelling.)

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2010/03/17/competitors-see-fncs-baier-contentious-obama-while-abc-devotes-full-sto
Tags: obama  
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Conrad Now Being Bought in Something that is Called the 'Bismarck Bribe'

UPDATED: North Dakota bank gets a carve out

There is a provision in the reconciliation bill that exempts the Bank of North Dakota from new restrictions on private student loan companies.

The bank is a nonprofit, and the only one in the country owned by a state. Given the unique status of the bank, it will continue to receive federal support to make loans to students.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) defended the provision.

"You come under attack here no matter what," Conrad said. "We've tried to make case for many months about this to our colleagues. They've recognized this is a unique situation. But it would apply the state to every state. Any state that has an institution like this would be exempt."

Conrad rejected the premise that his choice to move forward with both bills together hinged on the deal for the bank.

http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0310/North_Dakota_bank_gets_a_carve_out.html

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CBO Says They Don't Know Where Democrats are Getting the Figure that Their Bill will Cut the Deficit by $1.2 Trillion in its Second Ten Years

CBO on $1.2 Trillion: ‘No’   [Robert VerBruggen]

Over at Critical Condition, Hanns Kuttner notes that while the Democrats attribute their claim that health-care reform will cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion in its second ten years to the Congressional Budget Office, this estimate is nowhere to be found in the CBO report itself. It seems that the Democrats took the CBO’s estimate that deficit reduction could fall “in a broad range around one-half percent of GDP,” matched it up to some estimates of GDP in 2020–2029, and attributed their back-of-the-envelope math to the CBO itself.

I e-mailed a source within the CBO to ask if they had arrived at the $1.2 trillion figure themselves. The source e-mailed back one word: “No.”

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MzU4ZWU2Njc1NzE1NjA4Y2QyYTUyNTUzMDcwOGJmZDQ=

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CBO Report Could be the Sign that Health Care "Reform" will Pass This Weekend

Markey will vote for health reform bill


WASHINGTON – Democratic Rep. Betsy Markey intends to vote for a compromise health reform bill, the Denver Post has learned, a move that bolsters the hopes of party leaders looking to pass President Barack Obama’s key domestic policy initiative.

Markey, D-Fort Collins, is one of 39 House members who voted against a health reform bill that passed in November. That group has been courted intensely in recent weeks as Democrats look for 216 votes in support of a compromise measure, which scraps the so-called ‘public option,’ among other changes, from the House bill they earlier opposed.

Sources tell the Denver Post that Markey will announce her support for the new bill in a conference call with reporters at 3:15 p.m.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2010/03/18/markey-will-vote-health-reform-bill/


Gutierrez will vote yes

A key Hispanic lawmaker, Luis Gutierrez, yesterday attacked the White House on the immigration front, and he's made clear he's unhappy with the bill.

But as with other progressive lines in the sand, his demand that illegal immigrants be allowed to pay for their own health care through exchanges went ignored, and he said at a press conference that he'll vote for the bill anyway.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Gutierrez_will_vote_yes.html


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Rep. Bart Gordon, Who Voted No Last Time, will Vote Yes Now on Health Care

Bart Gordon announces his support for health care bill


U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon announced his support for health care reform in the following statement:

http://www.dnj.com/article/20100318/NEWS05/100318026/Bart+Gordon+announces+his+support+for+health+care+bill

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