Gees barney coverning his a$$...This is not something he is accustomed to doing..:-)
...."But Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat and strong supporter of the health care legislation, said Brown's victory means Congress will have to "start over on health care." He said he will vote against any bill rushed to the floor before Brown can be sworn in. "...
Barney Frank: Congress must 'start over on health care'
Vows to vote against any bill rushed to floor before Brown can be sworn into office
GOP win in Mass. toughens task for Obama
By Kathy Kiely, John Fritze and Eugene Kiely, USA TODAY
usatoday.com
WASHINGTON — Sen.-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass., held his first press conference Wednesday saying he should be seated immediately and that his win signified that people are "tired of business as usual."
Brown's triumph over Democrat Martha Coakley in Tuesday's special Senate race marks the third statewide loss in a row for President Obama's party and the one most fraught with political and policy implications. Brown gives the Republicans the 41st vote they need to block legislation in the Senate.
The vote came one year to the day after Obama's euphoric inauguration and as the president is trying to rescue his legislative agenda and his top domestic priority, health care.
As he did throughout the campaign, Brown on Wednesday stressed his independence and said "I'm going to be a Scott Brown Republican. Maybe there is a new breed of Republican coming to Washington."
He said he wouldn't be "beholden to anybody. I've made that very clear."
On health care, Brown said people are tired of business as usual, citing the example of Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who cut a deal on Medicaid for his home state of Nebraska before he would vote for health care. Nelson has since asked that the deal be removed from the bill — unless it is expanded to all states.
Brown, one of only five Republicans in the 40-member state Senate, is the first Republican to win a Massachusetts Senate race since 1972. He will be stepping into a seat occupied for 47 years by Sen. Edward Kennedy, a liberal icon and chief advocate for expanding the nation's health care coverage.
Some party rank-and-filers are calling for a new message.
"It's another wake-up call," said Rep. Tom Perriello of Virginia, who is one of about 40 House Democrats facing tough re-election battles this year. "We've got to be about jobs, jobs, jobs."
Democratic leaders now must consider whether to push for final approval of the health care bill. They have been trying to negotiate a compromise bill that would reconcile the differences between bills approved in the House and Senate.
VIDEO: Pelosi says health care on course despite Mass. elections
THE OVAL: Obama's health care run faces new obstacle: Massachusetts
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday the election was "in many ways a national referendum." He said he did not expect Democratic Senate leaders would try to pass a revised bill before Brown is seated.
"I think the majority has gotten the message: No more gamesmanship here," he said. "If you do it all by yourself, the public probably ain't gonna buy it."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggested in a statement Tuesday night that Brown's swearing-in must wait until election results are certified. That would give Democrats as many as 15 more days for a 60-vote Senate majority on the health care bill. It's enough votes to block a Republican filibuster.
But Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat and strong supporter of the health care legislation, said Brown's victory means Congress will have to "start over on health care." He said he will vote against any bill rushed to the floor before Brown can be sworn in.
Brown, touted his come-from-behind Senate bid as a chance to put the brakes on the Obama agenda, pleading with voters to make him the Republicans' "41st senator."
The president also saw the race as a referendum on his program. In taped calls, he told Massachusetts voters that his efforts to pass health care legislation, regulate the financial industry and promote a green economy "will probably rest on one vote in the United States Senate."
Obama's appeal left some supporters unmoved. Susan Semeta of Raynham, Mass., said she voted for the president last year but didn't vote Tuesday because she didn't like any of the candidates. |
