Senator Boxer sells Californians short on health care vote

In an interview with Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Politico reported the Reid offered a vigorous defense of the last minute deals cut by fellow Democratic lawmakers, “It doesn’t speak well of the Senators who didn’t secure such deals.”

This rhetoric set off many Washington insiders who gave away the store to ensure a health care bill passage before Christmas. In the words of the President, this was a Christmas present for the American people. Some gift, the taxpayer will be paying the increased taxes and premiums hardly a gift from the government ; tax credits would have suited most taxpayers just fine.

“As part of the deal to win Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson's (D- Neb) support, the federal government will fund Nebraska's new Medicaid recipients. It's a provision worth about $45 million over the first decade,” said Chris Frates, in “Ben Nelson's Medicaid deal, in Politico.

Other states that fared well are Connecticut where Chris Dodd (D-Conn) earmarked the construction of a new university hospital. Senator Bernie Sanders (D- VT) was much more excited about the health care bill after it included an earmark worth $10 billion for community health centers.

It’s clear that the debate leading to the Senate discussion on health care would be fraught with pork as Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LO) set the standard with a $300 million paycheck to fund the state’s Medicaid tab.

“Harry Reid threw Barbara Boxer (D- CA) and her Democrat colleagues under the bus just as quickly as Boxer threw Californians under the bus when she voted for Reid’s health care bill in the dead of night. Not only is Boxer preparing to vote for a bill that will lead to higher taxes, cuts to Medicare, and higher premiums for families, but she is rubber-stamping a series of sweetheart deals for other states that will be paid for at the expense of Californians,” says Amber Wilkerson Marchand, NRSC Press Secretary.
“While it’s not often that we can say we agree with Harry Reid, he does have a point; Barbara Boxer’s failed leadership on health care does not ‘speak well’ of her at all, and we’re confident that voters in California will reject Boxer’s ineffectiveness on Election Day next November.”

Boxer will face either Chuck DeVore, a conservative or Carly Fiorina a moderate Republican in the November election.

For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner