GOP TRIES WRECKING MEDICARE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE AMERICANS ONE MORE TIME

If they can't pay, let them die... Now, where's the nearest craps table?

DWT readers are most focused on today's last ditch fight by Senators Dodd, Feingold and a handful of patriotic allies to save the 4th Amendment from the clutches of the Bush Regime and heavily bribed political hacks from both parties led by John McCain (R-AZ-$365,955 in 2008), Ted Stevens (R-AK-$41,400 in 2008), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV-$51,500 in 2008), and Susan Collins (R-ME-$35,850 in 2008). But there is another important vote coming up in the Senate today

On June 24, the House overwhelmingly passed, 355-59, a Medicare bill with only the most radical and ideologically extremist lunatic fringe of the GOP voting no, crazies like Michele Bachmann (R-MN), John Culberson (R-TX), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Steve King (R-IA), Patrick McHenry (R-NC), and John Shadegg (R-AZ)... the real bottom of the barrel. 129 Republicans abandoned Bush and their radical leaders, crossing the aisle to join every single Democrat-- even the worst Blue Dogs-- to support Medicare improvements.

As we saw yesterday, the AMA and American health care professionals went to war with the GOP when Senate Republicans filibustered the Medicare improvements bill, in effect handing every doctor in America a 10.6% paycut for the Medicare patients they work on. It's coming up again today and the pressure on vulnerable Republicans like John Sununu (R-NH) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) is intense-- not just from doctors but also from the military, since this bill also concerns reimbursement for doctors treating active duty military personnel and military veterans and their families. McCain, although calling the shots from afar, isn't bothering to show up at his day job to vote, par for the course.

Many Republican Senators told Reid they would abandon McCain, switch votes and help the Democrats stop Mitch McConnell's filibuster if their pet pork barrel projects were slipped into the bill. Reid told them to go to hell. According to CongressDaily this morning "the Military Officers Association of America did their part Tuesday to make Republicans squirm. MOAA sent a special alert to its members asking them to e-mail senators, said retired Col. Steve Stobridge, the group’s director of government relations. Within just a few hours, 14,000 MOAA member e-mails filled Capitol Hill in-boxes." Sounds like Firedoglake!

UPDATE

McCain may be too busy kissing up to corporate contributors to bother coming to the Senate to vote on this, but Ted Kennedy interrupted his recuperation from brain surgery, to get to the Senate floor today to speak on this issue that it so crucial to millions of American families. John McCain has no shame. He's just another rich hack running for office so he can feel like a man (and bomb Iran).

Between threats from the military and the AMA and the presence of the Lion of the Senate Republicans were running for cover today and the bill passed with a veto proof majority, which is needed, since Bush has vowed to veto it. Even the weak, craven John Cornyn, who got slapped around by the Texas Medical Association (which withdrew their endorsement of him) caved in and voted with the Democrats. So did frightened little Repuglies like Ted Stevens, Gordon Smith, Susan Collins, Norm Coleman, Liddy Dole, Pat Roberts and Saxby Chambliss-- all the ones who fear the voters in November. Stubborn and extremist to the end, James Inhofe (R-OK), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and John Sununu (R-NH) voted no, which is, hopefully, how their constituents will handle them in November.