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With Senate leaders navigating a tricky path to move health legislation forward, Democrats on Tuesday received a blunt warning from the president who tried in vain to provide universal health insurance 15 years ago -- and who suffered the political consequences of failure.
"The worst thing to do is nothing," said President Clinton, whose unsuccessful healthcare plan contributed to his party's loss of control
of Congress in 1994. "It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act."
Clinton urged a closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats to put aside their differences and pass healthcare legislation, just as senators were preparing to battle over major disagreements over the bill's cost, abortion policy and the impact on families who are struggling to buy insurance.
Clinton's visit came just a week before party leaders are hoping to begin Senate floor debate on the sweeping healthcare overhaul. On Saturday, the House approved its version of legislation aimed at providing insurance to those who don't have it, as well as extending more consumer protections and controlling costs for all.
But there is rising concern that the goal of enacting the law before the end of the year is slipping out of reach -- and delay would be risky at
a time when voters increasingly seem more concerned about getting and keeping jobs than in remaking the health insurance system.
"The clock is ticking," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) after hearing
from Clinton. "Getting it done this year will in effect clear the table for President Obama to focus on jobs."
The obstacles to quick action in the Senate loomed large as it became clear that the House healthcare bill displeased both liberal and conservative Democrats. Senate Democrats from conservative
states, such as Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, oppose the bill's new government-run health insurance program. And many abortion-rights advocates, such as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), are vehemently opposed to a House provision that would impose new restrictions on some women's access to insurance coverage for abortion.
Moving the bill through the Senate will be even more laborious than
the process in the House, where party leaders have far more leverage over individual members and can put together a majority by appealing to different factions. In the Senate, by contrast, the party leadership has to win votes from 60 of the 100 members -- enough to circumvent a threatened GOP filibuster -- and has so little room to maneuver that every Democratic senator can wield tremendous influence.
The importance of each individual senator was dramatized Tuesday when Clinton -- who still enjoys rock-star status within his party -- arrived in the Capitol. He and his entourage waltzed in practically unheeded by a pack of reporters who were hanging on every word from Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who is on the fence about the healthcare bill.
Both Clinton and the Obama White House argue that the Democratic Party would suffer more if Congress failed to enact legislation than it would from backlash over any particular provision.
"There are going to be things in here you don't like, but it's important to get the job done," Clinton told Democrats, according to Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.).
janet.hook@latimes.com
noam.levey@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-health-senate11-2009nov11,0,1556876.story
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Education for Liberation! Venceremos Unidos!
Peter S. López, Jr. aka~Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/Peta51
http://help-matrix.ning.com/
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Come Together! Join Up! Seize the Time!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/
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President Clinton urges Senate action on healthcare
The president who tried to overhaul healthcare 15 years ago advises Democrats to overcome their differences: 'The worst thing to do is nothing.' Party leaders hope to begin floor debate next week.
By Janet Hook and Noam N. Levey
November 11, 2009
Reporting from Washington
"The worst thing to do is nothing," said President Clinton, whose unsuccessful healthcare plan contributed to his party's loss of control
of Congress in 1994. "It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act."
Clinton urged a closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats to put aside their differences and pass healthcare legislation, just as senators were preparing to battle over major disagreements over the bill's cost, abortion policy and the impact on families who are struggling to buy insurance.
Clinton's visit came just a week before party leaders are hoping to begin Senate floor debate on the sweeping healthcare overhaul. On Saturday, the House approved its version of legislation aimed at providing insurance to those who don't have it, as well as extending more consumer protections and controlling costs for all.
But there is rising concern that the goal of enacting the law before the end of the year is slipping out of reach -- and delay would be risky at
a time when voters increasingly seem more concerned about getting and keeping jobs than in remaking the health insurance system.
"The clock is ticking," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) after hearing
from Clinton. "Getting it done this year will in effect clear the table for President Obama to focus on jobs."
The obstacles to quick action in the Senate loomed large as it became clear that the House healthcare bill displeased both liberal and conservative Democrats. Senate Democrats from conservative
states, such as Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, oppose the bill's new government-run health insurance program. And many abortion-rights advocates, such as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), are vehemently opposed to a House provision that would impose new restrictions on some women's access to insurance coverage for abortion.
Moving the bill through the Senate will be even more laborious than
the process in the House, where party leaders have far more leverage over individual members and can put together a majority by appealing to different factions. In the Senate, by contrast, the party leadership has to win votes from 60 of the 100 members -- enough to circumvent a threatened GOP filibuster -- and has so little room to maneuver that every Democratic senator can wield tremendous influence.
The importance of each individual senator was dramatized Tuesday when Clinton -- who still enjoys rock-star status within his party -- arrived in the Capitol. He and his entourage waltzed in practically unheeded by a pack of reporters who were hanging on every word from Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who is on the fence about the healthcare bill.
Both Clinton and the Obama White House argue that the Democratic Party would suffer more if Congress failed to enact legislation than it would from backlash over any particular provision.
"There are going to be things in here you don't like, but it's important to get the job done," Clinton told Democrats, according to Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.).
janet.hook@latimes.com
noam.levey@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-health-senate11-2009nov11,0,1556876.story
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Education for Liberation! Venceremos Unidos!
Peter S. López, Jr. aka~Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/Peta51
http://help-matrix.ning.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Come Together! Join Up! Seize the Time!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NetworkAztlan_News/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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