Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (R) of Louisiana must not have gotten the message from House Republicans that no one in the GOP caucus – repeat no one – would vote with Democrats on a sweeping overhaul of the US healthcare system.

In a vote late Saturday night, Representative Cao – a vulnerable freshman in a Democratic district still devastated by hurricane Katrina – broke ranks, casting the lone Republican vote for the legislation.

“I have always said that I would put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people. My vote tonight was based on my priority of doing what is best for my constituents,” he said in a statement after the vote.

In Cao’s district, 3 out of 4 voters chose Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections. In 2004, President Bush won only 24 percent of the vote here.

For the rest of this story:

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/11/08/joseph-cao-the-lone-republican-who-voted-for-healthcare-bill/

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Democratic-controlled House has narrowly passed landmark health care reform legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard won victory on his signature domestic priority.

Republicans were nearly unanimous in opposing the plan that would expand coverage to tens of millions of Americans who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry.

The 220-215 vote late Saturday cleared the way for the Senate to begin a long-delayed debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.

A triumphant Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later.

Obama, who went to Capitol Hill earlier on Saturday to lobby wavering Democrats, said in a statement after the vote, “I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year.”

“It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it,” said Rep. John Dingell, the 83-year-old Michigan lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since succeeding his father in 1955.

But minority Republicans cataloged their objections across hours of debate on the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion legislation.

For the rest of this story:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091108/D9BREBKG1.html

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) – After a landmark win in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Barack Obama’s push for healthcare reform faces a difficult path in the Senate amid divisions in his own Democratic Party on how to proceed.

On a 220-215 vote, including the support of one Republican and opposition from 39 Democrats, the House backed a bill late on Saturday that would expand coverage to nearly all Americans and bar insurance practices such as refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.

The battle now shifts to the Senate, where work on Obama’s top domestic priority has been stalled for weeks as Democratic leader Harry Reid searches for an approach that can win the 60 votes he needs to overcome Republican procedural hurdles.

“Take this baton and bring this effort to the finish line,” Obama urged senators on Sunday in an appearance at the White House, saying passage of healthcare reform would represent “their finest moment in public service.”

Democrats have no margin for error — they control exactly 60 seats in the 100-member Senate. Some moderate Democrats have rebelled at Reid’s plan to include a new government-run insurance program, known as the “public option,” in the bill.

Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, renewed his promise on Sunday to help Republicans block a final vote if the bill contains the government-run insurance option backed by Senate liberals

For the rest of this story:

http://www.reuters.com/article/sarahPalin/idUSN0823070020091108

The Democratic health care strategy brings our fight against nationalized health care down to the wire: Some form of a nationalized health care bill will come to the Senate floor for a full vote any day. When the full Senate takes it up, the Democrats need 60 votes to invoke cloture, which would close off the floor health care debate. As it stands now, they have those 60 votes! We must knock those 60 votes down and stop nationalized health care!

If the Democrats successfully invoke cloture, then all they need are 51 votes to to pass the health care bill!

________________________________________

HOW IS THIS HAPPENING SO QUICKLY?

It’s being called the “Vapor Bill,” and it’s being pushed right now… this is the Democrats’ plan to pass a health care bill by the end of October, or sooner! Basically, the two Senate Finance Committees (Senate Finance and HELP) are jointly writing the health care bill and it will be considered before the full Senate at any time. Then, Senator Reid will push for a House-passed tax measure so the House won’t prevent the Senate from originating a tax bill…then health care gets added as an amendment to the tax bill, and Reid does everything he can to shut down debate and place a bill on President Obama’s desk before end of October.

Confused yet? It’s by design… it’s typical high-minded liberal shenanigans at its best. For a summary of their strategy, read “The Rise of the Vapor Bill – Call Your Senator Now to Stop It” http://ow.ly/srLT and “The Vapor Bill – Congress’ Secret Plan to Pass ObamaCare Update” http://ow.ly/srK6.

________________________________________

HERE’S WHO YOU NEED TO CALL NOW… AND KEEP CALLING THEM UNTIL THIS BATTLE IS OVER:

The following 11 Senators are being called “Blue Dogs,” essentially meaning their vote could be swayed. Sway them!!! It’s time to ratchet up the pressure on them to vote against any version of government health care! Call, fax, email, tweet, blog, post… share this information with others and call these Senators today!

TELL THEM, in no uncertain terms…

- NO public option.

- NO individual mandate.

- NO Massachusetts Model.

- NO Single Payer.

- NO Co-Ops.

- NO Government Healthcare for the USA!

THE 11 SENATORS TO CALL NOW:

• Mark Begich (D-AK)

o Email: http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator

o DC Phone: (202) 224-3004

o DC FAX: (202) 224-2354

o State Phone: (907) 271-5915

• Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

o Email: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

o DC Phone: (202) 224-4843

o DC FAX: (202) 228-1371

o State Phone: (501) 375-2993

• Mark Pryor (D-AR)

o Email: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-2353

o DC FAX: (202) 228-0908

o State Phone: (501) 324-6336

• Michael Bennet (D-CO)

o Email: http://bennet.senate.gov/contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-5852

o DC FAX: (202) 228-5036

o State Phone: (303) 455-7600

• Joe Lieberman (D-CT)

o Email: http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-4041

o DC FAX: (202) 224-9750

o State Phone: (860) 549-8463

• Evan Bayh (D-IN)

o Email: http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-5623

o DC FAX: (202) 228-1377

o State Phone: (317) 554-0750

• Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

o Email: http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

o DC Phone: (202) 224-5824

o DC FAX: (202) 224-9735

o State Phone: (504) 589-2427

• Jon Tester (D-MT)

o Email: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-2644

o DC FAX: (202) 224-8594

o State Phone: (406) 728-3003

• Ben Nelson (D-NE)

o Email: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm

o DC Phone: (202)-224-6551

o DC FAX: (202) 228-0012

o State Phone: (402) 391-3411

• Mark Warner (D-VA)

o Email: http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

o DC Phone: (202)-224-2023

o DC FAX: (202) 224-6295

o State Phone: (804) 739-0247

• Jim Webb (D-VA)

o Email: http://webb.senate.gov/contact/

o DC Phone: (202) 224-4024

o DC FAX: (202) 228-6363

o State Phone: (804) 771-2221

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Wednesday announced an effort that would force Democratic leaders to give members of Congress — and the public — 72 hours to review legislation before a bill is brought to the floor for a vote.

The lawmakers have begun circulating a discharge petition that would force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a vote on their bill, which has been stuck in committee for months.

GOP lawmakers in particular have hammered Mrs. Pelosi and other Democratic leaders for rushing long, complex bills through the House.

“The American people are angry that Speaker Pelosi didn’t allow the public and their elected representatives to read the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ bill or the national energy tax before they were rammed through the House,” Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Wednesday. “Congress can, and must, do better.”

Rushed floor votes on the stimulus bill and the cap-and-trade energy bill — both of which totaled more than 1,000 pages — have fueled calls from the public that lawmakers read bills before voting on them. The House resolution is supported by several public-interest groups, including the Sunlight Foundation, which point out that hasty votes can result in unintended consequences, such as the provision tucked into the stimulus bill that had the effect of authorizing executives of bailed-out insurance giant AIG to receive retroactive bonuses.

For the rest of the story:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/23/house-lawmakers-aim-push-back-against-hasty-votes//print/

Face Fwd Comments:

The sad thing is that they are having to fight for the chance to read the bills they are being asked to vote on and are begging to get bills on the floor to be heard.

Nancy Pelosi is running the House like a dictator. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt, thinking that possibly she was suffering from botox poisoning. However, I have come to realize that she is just plain evil.

I am going to sponsor a drive to get California to secede from the union and then close the border. That would rid of us several political problems, reduce the countries debt and keep the Hollywood nut jobs from interjecting themselves into national politics.

The members of the Obama administration showed video clips of the confrontational town halls that have dominated the media coverage, and told senators to do more prep work than usual for their public meetings by making sure their own supporters turn out, senators and aides said.  And they screened TV ads and reviewed the various campaigns by critics of the Democratic plan.

“If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Messina said, according to an official who attended the meeting.  Jim Messina Is deputy chief of staff to the Obama administration

It is very interesting that the Democrats are organizing their paid goons to attack the tea party protester.  They have the audacity to accuse the tea party people and others who are speaking out against more spending as being puppets of some hidden power.    In the meantime Peolsi and Boxer is referring to the Tea Party protesters as Nazis carrying swastika.

I do find it strange that the Democrats are the ones that keep mentioning the Nazis and swastikas.  Surely they realize that it was the “National Socialist Party” that became the Nazis and used the swastika as their emblem.  Surely they know it was that party’s policies (that mirror the Democrats policies of today) that led to the jailing of those that opposed them.  Surely they know…………….hmmmm, now that I think about it, no, I guess they don’t know.  And they probably don’t see the irony of the current political party in power calling the protesters Nazis.

I guess the Democrats goons and thugs must have gotten the message loud and clear in St. Louis, see below

St. Louis County police say six people were arrested. Two of those were arrested on suspicion of assault, one of resisting arrest and three on suspicion of committing peace disturbances. Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with “Don’t tread on me” printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started.

“It just seems there’s no freedom of speech without being attacked,” he said.