"Doctor fix" is broken in the Senate

There's a lot of news from the Senate today. In a political-shell game maneuver, Democratic senators Harry Reid and Max Baucus tried to pass a "doctor fix," a bribe really, of $247 million for the American Medical Association. It was presented separately from the two Senate health care bills--so the Dems could make health care reform look cheaper.

Well guess what? Reid and Baucus couldn't even garner a majority in the US Senate--and the Dems control 60 of the 100 votes in the Senate--the "doctor fix" is broken. And Reid boasted that the bill would pass. "Well, of course I don't bring anything to the floor if I don't think I have the votes" is what the Democratic leader said today.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had this to say this afternoon:

In the Senate's first vote on health care spending this year, a bipartisan majority rejected the Democrat Leadership's attempt to add another quarter trillion dollars to the national credit card without any plan to pay for it. With a record deficit and a ballooning national debt, the American people are saying enough is enough. Today's vote shows that this message is finally starting to get through to Congress. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come in the health care debate ahead.

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