Via Politico on a tip from Right Klik
I gotta say, I am impressed with the show of fortitude and clear thinking here Claire-Bear. Maybe you do listen just a little. I do not want to be too effusive with my praise lest you think that I have forgiven you for so many of the poor choices that you have made, but I do wish to be fair. I will call you out on the illogical, ill-informed, and inane. But I also want to let you know when and if something you do pleases me. This was a bit of a ray of sunshine:
As the health care reform bill moves to the Senate floor, a key bloc of moderate Senate Democrats and an independent called on Senate Majority Leader Reid to increase the process' transparency.
Specifically, the senators called on Reid to post legislative text and CBO scores online 72 hours before the first floor vote. They asked that all amendments be posted before debate begins. And the amended bill and CBO score should be posted three days before a final Senate vote and before the Senate votes on a conference committee report.
Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, Mary Landrieu, Claire McCaskill, Ben Nelson, Mark Pryor, Jim Webb and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman signed the letter.
"As their democratically-elected representatives in Washington, D.C., it is our duty to listen to their concerns and to provide them with the chance to respond to proposals that will impact their lives," the senators wrote. "At a time when trust in Congress and the U.S. government is unprecedentedly low, we can begin to rebuild the American people's faith in their federal government through transparency and by actively inviting Americans to participate in the legislative process."Republicans fought for a similar three-day waiting period before the Senate Finance Committee voted on its proposal, but their amendment was shot down because it would have delayed a vote by a week or two.
But with the success of reform hanging on this group of moderate Dems, it will not be as easy for Reid to dismiss their concerns, even if it delays each part of the process by a week or more.
Do you know how much crow I will have to eat if Claire McCaskill actually ends up being even a tiny little part of the solution instead of another lemming running headlong for the cliff of failure? Please, Claire McCaskill, prove me wrong. I will eat it and enjoy it.
