Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell is the obstructionist in chief in the senate, pursuing such powerhouse strategies as requiring the Senate to remain in session, reading aloud hundreds of pages of amendments. As noted in the Washington Post, he is reduced to merely being a harassment.
The one thing worth keeping in the Senate’s version of what is being called health care reform is the less restrictive conditions concerning abortion coverage. The House’s version with the Stupak amendment was probably the most offensive part of the House bill that was passed.
By giving Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson whatever he wanted (including the “Nebraska Rule”, which eliminates the state contribution for Medicaid, but ONLY for the state of Nebraska), the Senate put together a deal to pass what it is calling health care reform. As word of Nelson’s agreement filtered through the Senate, Politico reports that Mitch McConnell’s staff was in constant communication and contact with non other than Democratic Michigan Representative Bart Stupak.
An aide to Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) coordinated opposition to the Senate health bill’s abortion compromise this morning with the Republican Senate leadership, according to a chain of frantic emails obtained this morning by POLITICO.
Stupak, in an interview with POLITICO, called the Senate bill’s abortion position “unacceptable” – but disavowed his staffer’s collaboration with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I never talked to McConnell about the health care bill,” said Stupak, adding that “I did not authorize the email [which] “was sent without my knowledge.”
Stupak said that he has discussed the Senate’s abortion position with Democratic senators Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Robert Casey (Penn.), who both hold conservative views on abortion.
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The emails suggest a previously unseen degree of coordination between the offices of Stupak and McConnell. Stupak is the leader of a group of pro-life Democrats who say they’ll oppose the sweeping legislation if it uses government money to pay for abortion, while McConnell is firmly committed to killing the legislation.
The fact that their offices have made common cause against the Senate’s health care compromise will likely further infuriate Stupak’s Democratic colleagues in the House, and demonstrates his willingness to stop any bill that doesn’t pass his test.
The House isn’t the Senate, and leadership there doesn’t have to balance on a razor to get past filibuster territory. Stupak should pay a price within the caucus for this sort of conduct.
h/t to majikthise
In addition to Stupak, all of the blue dogs who followed him should be primary-ed to death.