‘Constitutional, But Not Wise’: House Strikes Down ObamaCare 244-185
Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare as constitutional, House Republicans sent a signal that the ruling doesn’t mean the healthcare law must be — or will be — the law of the land.
Rushed through the House in the first week lawmakers were back in session since the high court ruling, the Repeal of ObamaCare Act passed 244-185. Five Democrats crossed over to strike down the healthcare law: Blue Dog Reps. Mike Ross (Ark.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), Dan Boren (Okla.), and Jim Matheson (Utah). No Republicans defected.
The House also rejected 248-180 an amendment by Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) that would have required members who voted to repeal ObamaCare to give up their congressional health benefits; nine Democrats voted against the amendment. “When Congress writes a law we should all live by it,” Andrews said.
Majority Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who introduced the bill with 162 co-sponsors, said that he called the vote so that every member would be on record regarding where he or she stood on the healthcare law in the wake of the ruling.
It was also, Cantor said, to demonstrate “that we are committed to taking this flawed law off the books.”
“We now know that the Supreme Court has spoken. It is a tax,” Cantor said. “…We can start over and we can tell the American people we are on your side.”
To the Andrews amendment, Cantor said, “We on this side of the aisle care about the healthcare of the American people. That’s why we’re here. …It is not about members of Congress. This is a dire situation for millions of Americans.”
“The American people don’t want it,” Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) said on the floor. “The longer people have to know this bill, the more intense they are in wanting to see it repealed. …It’s constitutional, but it is not wise.”
Democratic leaders took umbrage at their signature 2010 policy achievement being under legislative assault yet once more. “What a valentine to the health insurance industry,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), going point-by-point through a checklist titled “GOP taking away from Americans.”
Claiming that ObamaCare creates 4 million jobs and reduces the deficit, Pelosi urged a vote against “this useless bill to nowhere that does serious damage to the health and economic well-being of America’s families.”
“Americans are ready to move on, yet here we are again,” said Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), telling Republicans to end their “relentless obsession” with repeal. “It’s a waste of time because the Republican majority knows it would not be passed by the Senate and would not be signed by the president.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) gave his GOP colleagues “credit for their persistence,” but accused them of “callous indifference” and said they “would rather see the president fail than the nation succeed.”
Republicans said it was simply their duty to bring repeal to the floor again.
“The numbers keep changing and it simply does not add up,” said Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), noting estimates of $900 billion two years ago and $2 trillion today. “How do we fund this?”
As Democrats said children with diabetes, women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer would be left out in the cold by repeal, Scott offered a personal example of what might happen if the law is left in place.
Scott talked about the possibility of a 15-member Independent Patient Advisory Board making Medicare decisions for his 92-year-old grandfather. “That’s wrong,” he said.
Republican Conference Vice-Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), noting that she is raising a child with special needs and has heard concerns about future care from within the disabled community, said the “longer lines, fewer doctors, lower quality of care” produced by ObamaCare require immediate action.
On the House floor, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), lamenting that there are only 44 working days left in this Congress, said “interestingly enough, we’re not going to deal with important.”
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Just curious: what was this sentence SUPPOSED to say? It’s missing at least one important word….
For “important” read “impotence”
““Americans are ready to move on, yet here we are again,” said Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), telling Republicans to end their “relentless obsession” with repeal. “It’s a waste of time because the Republican majority knows it would not be passed by the Senate and would not be signed by the president.””
The “honorable” Mr. Hoyer can kiss me where the sun don’t shine.
1) I am NOT ready to “move on” and just surrender to this idiocy.
2) A member of the party obsessed with symbolism and “sending messages” vs. actual results is criticizing this as a waste of time? Virtually everything the D’s do is a waste of time.
It actually MIGHT pass muster now that it’s on record as being a tax
However, since it was passed illegally (“deemed”) in the first place, can’t they “deem” it passed in the senate and just hand it off the prez to veto?
I hear ya.
I am no fan of tattoos, but I have often been tempted to get a kiss print tattooed on my buttocks, just for the many occasions when I confront leftists/Muslims/eco-freaks in person.
“House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) gave his GOP colleagues “credit for their persistence,” but accused them of “callous indifference” and said they “would rather see the president fail than the nation succeed.””
No dipstick – you’ve got it backwards – if Zero succeeds the country will fail. But that is exactly what Zero and you bozos are aiming for. Would you mind explaining just what is affordable about the Affordable Healthcare Act when it imposes a tax on Americans when we can least afford it? My guess is you didn’t care if we can afford it or not.
And as for Nazi Pelosi – thats ripe saying the repeal will be a bonus for the health care insurance companies – they wrote much of your ‘affordable’ care act – did you really think we’d believe they wouldn’t cut themselves in for a big chunk of that pork?
We ain’t stupid. Your mistake is in thinking we don’t ‘understand’. Oh yes we do!
Cantor is exactly right
the libs hate going on record (this will die in the senate… dont waste the people’s time… blah blah) in nearly all circumstances
may as well make them squirm a bit
And in November we will all speak with one, clear, voice on how we want to repeal this terrible law. If ObamaCare was such a loser for the Democrats in 2010, why do they think it’s going to get any better in 2012? People hate it just as much now as they did then, and the law certainly didn’t get any better over that time. If anything, the people are horrified with all the new taxes that are contained within the law to help pay for this monstrosity. So if the Democrats think the American people are just going to roll over and die and accept this, then they are sadly mistaken. We are going to make it our mission in life to insure that as many Democrats as possible will lose in November. We are motivated, we are well organized, we have money, and we are very, very, angry. November should be very interesting indeed.
KEEPING Obamacare will reduce the deficit?
Someone give these lying traitors an economics lesson.
Economics lessons would be wasted on this bunch of miscreant idiots, except on the crooks and cheats among them who in turn understand such lessons quite well, of course to their own advantage — and nobody’s else.
Better to give them all speed reading lessons, so they can read 2500+ page bills in 3 hours or less, with full comprehension, and know what they’re voting. LOL.
Not likely they have the brains for that, is it?
Here ya go.
Assuming any of them are literate enough to comprehend simple graphs.
Which I doubt.
the Dems wish to create ‘Heaven on Earth’.
Far better to reign in hell…
They already do.
They can’t tell us where to go.
We’re already there.
Leftist knaves, regardless of their origins, know no bounds. They are shameless. Listening to Pelosi, spewing all her mendacious lies, is enough to make one howl at the moon.
Don’t think for a nanosecond that Americans are saddled with the worst of the craven lot. Our gang of leftists (in Israel) can match America’s, lie atop lie. Perhaps they even have them beat.
For a glimpse into what we have to put up with-at least if one is a Zionist nationalist patriot, here is a foretaste from my blog – http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/07/10/ex-pm-olmert-may-soon-get-his-just-desserts-in-the-process-heaping-shame-upon-my-jewish-homeland-unforgivable-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki-49-2/ . Ugh!!
Republican Senators should all find a way to get to the podium and say that they too would vote to repeal if the obstuctionist marxists weren’t blocking the repeal bill. Surely they can find a way to do that.
The Supreme Court ruled it was Constitutional….AS A TAX, not as the bill was presented.
It should be marked up and voted on AS A TAX.
Today, the Democratic Party voted (sans a handful of scared-to-lose-their seat blue dogs) to KEEP THIS BAIT AND SWITCH TAX.
It was sold as a scam and kept as a sham. The Senate, which is so incompetent it can’t pass a budget, and the White House, which is so incompetent it can’t muster a single vote…even from their own party…on a budget…has never scored and marked up the ObamaCare and presented it to the American people AS A TAX.
Cantor is on message, all the other Republicans are muddling the message. The people were taxed against their will, without representation and without fair debate on the subject. They were marks in a Bait and Switch con game and the Democratic Party were the shills.
We, the people…deserve better. We deserve the Senate and the White House to not shirk their responsibilities and mandates to provide us a budget and we deserve to have the tax implications of EVERY bill, provided to us BEFORE it is voted on by OUR representatives. This didn’t happen.
The bill is an ultra vires act. In fact, this administration is an Olympian quality ultra vires actor. This is fascism and an overthrow of our laws.
Repealing this usurpation of powers and seizure of the health industry is simply part of the resistance. Stand up and be counted against the destroyers of the Constitution. Resist the overthrow. We will have no king, we resisted the first one when we formed this nation and we will resist kneeling before one now as we protect it from tyranny.
“but accused [Republicans] of “callous indifference” and said they “would rather see the president fail than the nation succeed.”
POYUS is failing w/o any help from the Republicans and the nation will succeed despite the President not because of him.
Whether you love or hate “Obamacare”, anyone who thinks that it will reduce the deficit is horribly mistaken.
This House action puts a nice bookend on Reid’s refusal to allow a senate vote on Obama’s lastest taxing scheme.
“Five Democrats crossed over to strike down the healthcare law: Blue Dog Reps. Mike Ross (Ark.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), Dan Boren (Okla.), and Jim Matheson (Utah).”
Putting this to a vote at this time was bad politics and risky in general. Since it is already DOA in the Senate, all this stunt did is give the above mentioned Democrats political cover for their upcoming reelections.
The Reps can still attack their last year’s votes for Obamacare, and their flip-flop vote to repeal.
Ad: Can you trust them? Do they represent you, the voters who put them in office? They ignored your protests, they followed Pelosi and Obama’s orders, they did not represent you. Do you want them back in office?
What you’re missing is: It took away any political cover for all those Dems who voted AGAINST the repeal.
You missed the forest for the trees.
Left/liberal supporters of the monstrosity don’t know when to quit while they’re behind.
This is only the start. Now the Republicans need to start introducing single-item bills for what will replace obamacare. Offer insurance across state lines. Have insurance cover pre-existing conditions for an additional fee and require that once covered, the insurance must be maintained. No more getting insurance when you are sick and then dropping it like they do in Maine. Do something to stop frivelous lawsuits so doctors don’t have to do lots of additional tests just in self-defence. There is more than that. Chime in, people.
Can anyone trust those Dems who voted for Obamacare and now voted for the repeal, knowing that there won’t be 60 votes in the Senate to over-ride a veto? Hope their constituents know what it means by “Fool me once…” and all that.
I actually agree with Rep. Andrews with one change. All Representatives and Senators and all govt employees (except the military) should have to use the exact, EXACT same healthcare that is available to us peons. The military should get the best healthcare available regardless of cost, for them and their families paid in full and without copay.
x2 – when the amendment is added to eliminate the Congress’ platinum health care plan, and they join everyone else in the health care pool, then we’ll see the 2 faced hypocrites as they really are – O’care good enough for you, but not me, as the Dems vote no way….heh?
I think it would be a good idea to take a good hard look at the ACA aka Obamacare history and development. And what it actually is.
With emphasis on its enactment and the main players in the production.
1. BH Obama elected to the presidency with intention to CHANGE/TRANSFORM this America of which he “is ashamed”. A man virtually unknown to Americans until paraded as a conquering hero by the notoriously biased information, entertainment and university media.
STILL unknown to Americans except through these same media and their interpretations of his peripatetic birth and life. Details of which change with each new telling of them. His biographers prefer his departures from recorded fact where available as metaphor rather than fabrication or outright lies. And there is his SEALING of documents, what and why we can only guess as one of his first acts on taking up the presidency.
Shortly after which he presented to Congress the ACA for enactment into law. We must suppose this long prepared and already in the works – government doesn’t work that fast except in emergency or declaration of war. We should not forget Obamacare started life as Hillarycare during the Clinton Adminsitration. The Clinton Administration instrumental in the Sub-prime fiasco which led to the banking crisis of 2008. AND the election of B.H. Obama after triumphant march through America and Europe as quasi rock star in Nuremburg rally type gatherings.
2. Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House in that Congress brought in to facilitate the CHANGE intended by Obama and his army of “liberal/progressive/democrats”. That same Nancy Pelosi beside herself with rage at the loss of the millenium vowed revenge against free Americans called by liberal/democrat/progressive Hillary Clinton “that vast right-wing conspiracy”.
Nancy Pelosi when asked about the ACA Bill is said to have replied, “we’ll have to pass it to know what’s in it”. That Nancy Pelosi who over vociferous objections of many citizens rammed the bill through the House with threats, bribes and other manipulations unworthy of responsible citizens. And on passage of the bill into law paraded gavel raised high down Pennsylvanis Avenue in Washington as if a Roman Triumph.
3. Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, whose fidelity to his oath of office is questionable at best, managed the bill through the Senate. Other lesser players in this production unknown to us by name.
4. John Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who gave the deciding vote to validate this bill/law as constitutional as a tax.
WHAT IS THIS LAW? We are told it is contained in 2700 pages. What can be contained in a bill of 2700 pages. Are we to suppose that each Congressman, each Senator who passed this bill into law read it in its entirety. Read it with reasonable care and attention to detail? Are we to suppose that each judge who considered its validity per Constitution did likewise?
What sort of a bill of 2700 pages can be l. presented to the Congress for consideration as rapidly as this was – NEVER FORGET this bill began life as Hillarycare in the 1990s during the Clinton Administration, and 2. passed as rapidly with so litte argument and debate as was this one, 3. Why all the vitriol to ordinary citizens in and out of Congress who objected to this bill? Attacks by Congressmen led and cheered by N. Pelosi on ordinary citizens. Citizens insulted, denigrated, regally dismissed and treated with unprecedented contempt as inconsequental.
WHAT IS IN THIS BILL/LAW. Consider. 2700 pages. You realise this is more than twice as many pages as Leo Tolstoys novel War and Peace; more than twice the number of pages of the abridged 6 volume Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and more than twice the number of pages in Paul Johnsons History of the American People.
AND most significantly more than 75 times as many pages as the following put together: 1.The Declaration of Independence; 2. The Articles of Confederation; 3. The Constitution of the United States; 4. The Bill of Rights and Amendments to the Constitution of the United States; 5. The Emancipation Proclamation; 6.Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and 7. Ronald Reagans’ D-Day Memorial Speech.
This socalled Affordable Care Act has the whiff of coup d’etat. As in Marcus Tullius Cicero’s words: “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treasom from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments; he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.
Which seems a cogent summing up of the changes wrought throughout the past half century by the “liberal/progressive/democrats” and their members in all civic institutions of media, education, entertainment, and government. Obama their man for the coup de grace to their transformation of this USA to a collectivist nation ruled by a quasi royal government.
WHAT IS IN THIS LAW???
The republican party has YET to put a workable alternative to the ACA out there. They are on their heels fighting this bill which will most likely become the law of the land and yet have not one proposal to offer to the voters as an alternative to this behemoth. Why is that? I personally feel that the best way to fight ObamaCare is to put forth a workable, affordable and most importantly, a personal choice solution to this nonsense. One that keeps the government out of the practice of medicine and out of our daily lives. The way is stands now, the poor will benefit and the middle class working people will pay for it. I guess it gives the libs a warm and fuzzy feeling that they are doing something to help the less fortunate. You know; the ones that don’t want a job or can’t get a job because they can’t pass a drug test. Thats what this is all about. Its time for the Republican Party to put something out there for the voters to consider as an alternative to this mess. Come on!!!!!
“They are on their heels fighting this bill which will most likely become the law of the land ”
Keep telling yourself that. November is not that far off, and We The People are not getting any happier with this ACA monstrosity.
“Wielding a wooden gavel that he said was tied to ObamaCare passage and an appearance on The Daily Show, Dingell promised to lend it to Republicans “if you promise to use it for something good.””
How about we use it to beat you and that useless idiot you call a President upside the head until you resign? That sounds good to me.
…Cantor said. “We can start over and we can tell the American people we are on your side.”
Not exactly Demosthenes is it? — more like garbage in, garbage out. Hope you can control your excitement.
The Groundhog Day taunt rings true if applied to both sides of the aisle.