Let It Snowe
Olympia Snowe finally did what Republicans (especially Rep. Beoner and Sen. Grassly) have been warning her not to do. She has announced that she will break with her party and join the snowe-ball effect that health care reform is experiencing by voting to pass the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the Obama health care reform plan. Her decision to defy Republican dynamic duo, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck is politically risky but will likely help her carry favor with moderate voters in her state. The risk can be mitigated before the 2010 mid-term elections by other favorable actions but Limbaugh and Beck have proven to be vicious critics who do not allow a lack of facts to regulate the harshness of their words.
Clearly Snowe is attempting to act in the interest of her constituents and the American people as a whole. Additional risk comes from the fact that the bill is not assured the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill without risking a Republican filibuster. If she votes for the bill and then sees it voted down in the full senate, she will have risked her political well-being without having the bill’s passage as an accomplishment to campaign on during the mid-terms. For this reason, the official Balls-of Steel award goes to Senator OLYMPIA SNOWE of Maine.
UPDATE: Senate Finance Committee Approves Health Care Reform 14-9. The package costs just under $900 billion over ten years and does not include a public option. The lack of a public option will probably mean that more negotiation will be needed before a bill that progressives can support will be finalized. Despite the lack of a public option, we will go against our better judgment and tentatively allow Senator Snowe to retain the prestigious Balls-of-Steel award pending passage of a final bill. Should the final bill not contain a public option, the award will have to be revoked. Ditto if she does not vote for the final bill.
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P.S. As expected, the GOP has decided to discredit Olympia Snowe by claiming she was born in Kenya.
See previous articles that Republicans love: Town Hall Crazies, Limbaugh the Taliban, & Fox as news source
She may think this will gain her some points with liberals, but they won’t be voting in the Republican primary in her home state! Voting one’s conscience is all well and good but the ability to stick together for the common good is what separates us from Democrats. Ms. Snowe has shown her true colors with this vote. Now whe will suffer the consequences during the mid-term elections.
Rush is going to have his way with this little philly. I can’t wait!
Russel P. Cates huh? Yea, I get it. There always seems to be a wise guy.
hehehe. Get’s past everyone else.
I’m glad that Russel P. is still flying for humanity’s sake. Temporary congrats to Sen. Snowe
Yea Russ,
We are a bit sharper around here than the nutsy Rush fan websites.
BTW, sorry about what happened to you in their spaceship.