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The Spectacle Blog

McCain Amendment to Block Medicare Cuts Fails

By Philip Klein on 12.3.09 @ 3:32PM

Sen. John McCain's amendment to strip Medicare cuts from the health care bill and send it back to committee has failed, by a 58 to 42 vote.

I criticized the amendment earlier this week.

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

John - TMF| 12.3.09 @ 6:19PM

Tactically brilliant. McCain has the entire Democrat caucus voting FOR massive Medicare Cuts...

Too bad you didn't understand the move.... He knew that he wasn't going to win.

PS, cutting 500,000,000 doodle bugs (whatever the unit of payment will be in the future when the dollar joins the Italian Lira in the stratosphere of numbers) Is actually not a good thing. Most retired folks have no other choice, and because there is no "free market" for healtcare they are stuck.

This served its purpose. The commercials for the 2010 campaign are just being blocked and readied for shooting now.

Wow, how politically suicidal can the Democrats be this time around?

r/The Mighty Fahvaag

Dan| 12.3.09 @ 10:18PM

The McCain amendment was a shockingly cynical political ploy. This is the same man who, in his campaign for president last year, proposed nearly $900 billion in Medicare cuts! (http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/mccain-vs-mccain-on-medicare/) Back then, he realized (as most intelligent liberals and conservatives do) that Medicare is a bloated program with tons of wasteful spending. Now, in an attempt to grab media attention and score cheap political points, he's trying to protect that waste.

Conservatives will start to win again when they return to their principles of fiscal rectitude and small government. Cynical political ploys meant to scare seniors are not something we should be supporting.

Ella| 12.4.09 @ 1:42AM

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Yosemeti Sam| 12.4.09 @ 5:25AM

And where was Lieberman on this vote?

Mr. Independent - Democrat.

Not with his 2008 campaign trail - supportive/
sabotaging sidekick appearances - put-on show
for buddy, Mr. McGoo.

Can you 'see' clearly now - senator McGoo ?

Only Nelson of Nebraska and Jim Webb of Virginia seemed to have the balls to side with the elderly. Agree with McGoo that AARP is a
dastardly outfit. Money talks with them and
principles walk.

Hmmm. Or was all this a senator McGoos' 'ploy' as simply a matter of covering his 'six' for the 2010 primary tournament in AZ ?

martin j smith| 12.4.09 @ 7:53AM

AARP should be targeted as an example of selling out seniors. I did not like MacCain's campaign and I frankly distrusted his motives in running for president. But, this said,I will give him one point for doing something right. Beyond that--nothing more.
Now, I have heard it said that the only viable opposition to the Dems is not a third party but thru the Republican Party--with the idea of greater conservative influence. However the current version is what we have. Now--I still feel the leadership is not doing enough aggressive political warfare to challenge Obama and the left.
They need to force more public airing of opposing views on the Health Care issue. And on another issue--Climate Gate-where the hell are they ?