Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
lagana
charts now artificial
rolling easter boss in both washington bureau chief and he's been following
this plan
healthcare
bill going through the senate and now of course it passed today sixty two thirty
nine
i've chris for a small only on charts
of great that happily ripping through my own and no one really appreciate your
time so i think christmas eve so did side down turn out did democrats are
celebrating like they just got the best president world on christmas eve
and their congratulating one another and saying what election a higher rate is
for getting this passes
henderson up sides of the of the villain and i understand that uh... it was quite
an accomplishment now having said that
year tactical mistake right now like celebrating this so much
and building up expectations at those expectations are not delivered are the
american people determine to what you told us was like the greatest thing
since sliced bread
well no i don't think that they're making actually attack from short-term
tactical mistake i mean look at the end
it really grueling and difficult battle and i think that
democrats deserve their moment here where they can slap each other on the
back and say
that they've done an amazing job in the passed their bills
that should probably only last about maybe till christmas morning when they
are into open their presents because
uh... at
you have a hard work is really yet to calm on when they start
you're trying to resolve
the differences between the house in the senate bill
by the republicans are going to be using this as a bludgeon again time for
no throughout the build up to the two thousand ten midterms
and they are so many land mines potholes and
and *** traps that could really uh...
falar the deal here for the democrats with other doctors really on their guard
like group that before you get back to the polls as long as you're policy
question on the conference
when i try to burn merge the senate house bills
my sense of it is and i talk about the smaller segment
is of the one concession bacon session of the house might get is to switch over
max's eyes tax
too taxing wealthy americans that make up for the difference in for the
subsidies et cetera because of union pressure in the house do you think
that's a n_b_c_ includes of that as a as the possible compromise here or or no
all minority party at this point i really think that
i know i have not been outlined uh... but delivered and
i think that that their tax back tax is definitely
something that the union we're going to be battling
*** the really don't like it
uh... but uh... uh ego but the moderate
and the fact that are really going to be hard-pressed to attack this sort of more
broad sweeping tacked on the wealthy that house bill has and i think that
uh... but i just don't you know i can stay with i would not want to get out my
crystal ball on that
i do think the union's obviously carry huge amounts way
but alternately i think the people who are going to be the brokers and in the
conference again
once again are going to be the moderate democratic uh... senators
well there's not one in a week have always call moderate or centrist that
the democrats as as you did that alliances
natural instance call them
but wendy it
in this particular case when their main objective is to protect the wealthiest
americans
but there's only make the moderate or centrist it just makes them
you know when they protect corporations corpus olympic diver wealthy
you know just doing the bidding of the people who are paying them so i don't
know why we call them moderate with moderate about protecting the wealthiest
one percent of america
well that is just surely to sort and you shorthand to try to differentiate
between the two store branches of the democratic party
the whole city is noel option
and lobbying money n and you don't understand the lobbyists influencing the
fillers huge corporations obviously a billion two hundred dollars steak
you know that uh... that health care industry has pumped in about four
hundred
million dollars in lobbying this year
so made up of the whole process was completely influenced by it
by big lobbying on you know up and down on both on the right and no and to a
certain extent telephony democrat
uh... you know sean
medical malpractice reform what's the reason is because
they uh... have uh... wealthy patrons and they will uh... in the dip in the
litigation bar
those that's almost certainly true
but you know
it's like when you see as specialist on the left being placate
it seems so amazing these dates like did it bother to do that
which brings us back to the issue of unions
is don't get rid of the excise tax and they didn't get the public option and
they didn't get card check
man they got hosed demanding they there did nothing what's there instead of the
support democrats ghoinfo
you know do you have not had a great year it's true then they really help the
president get elected
i think our check-in
something that you know maybe they're willing to wait on a little bit
on but now if they if they if they get the short end on this
expect action as well
and
it's going to be a tough pill to swallow
there are a lot of fun
effort in the senate to try to raid these caps
you know from twenty-three you know they expect act
the threshold of twenty three thousand dollars for a family expensive family
plan
uh... build
the their senators who want to make that go higher so
the practical effect may not be as bad as some unionists
uh... here at first
but the danger is that going down the road as that as that starts becoming a
lucrative uh... piece of info pot of money that they're going to love
starters you've got to start lowering the threshold to read more more money
yet again the ministers were staying up uh... expensive program that's going to
go yell in perpetuity here and
they're going to looking for money to pay for it for decade chris nuttal a lot
more focus and i think this is a chance that the unions don't get their way i'm
excess tax in the conference
that the have the power to be able to defeated they where they go to their
progressive members and say
looked on in no uncertain terms that it will pull the plug if you don't at least
give us is is there any chance they have that kind of power now
i'd
of my sense is they don't i think that uh... democrats really desperately want
to give the president victory here and think that alternately
the the progressive wing of the party the progress of crockett
in the or and uh... and they and union supporters in congress
are going to get pot behind the bill and pass it
you know there's many many risks involved with passing this bill and that
you know they're going to get bludgeoned by republicans and there's going to be
many many controversies fit to fight out and it could affect the midterms
having obama
a loser on this and not get a bill in all is is much
much worse fate and i think that the democrats
will rally around cardio and get over obama victory
so let's go that nexus that belladonna chris rowland is the washington bureau
chief for the boston globe
win weeded at a conference in obon the signs it then we get to that period
between now and twenty fourteen
where of the politics of this is there anything going to pick up steam
because allow the benefits all start till twenty fourteen
and the republicans have said on the record over and over the look to repeal
it skillet in every way they can before that get started
they made a political mistake with waiting till twenty fourteen chisholm
that sounds like it's
maligned him from now
well they have to do it that way because they needed to have
the run-up
you know they need to get them revenues flowing
alum they need to get the medicare cuts in place
for a few years just to make this thing you know keep it under a trillion
dollars one of those things where
okay we got to make this plan like
nine hundred ninety nine billion dollars those tickets over a trillion dollars
sound bad cliquant feasible
so that was one of the main things uh...
you know with keeping that cost
down below chillier around a trillion for over ten years
so uh... this is the way they had to do it make the numbers work
it also has the advantage from the present point of view of
yugo of kicking in com after
uh... dot after the his re-election bid
because i love you remember but when that
when the uh... prescription drug benefit one and there was about six months of
controversial
problems over you know getting these drug benefit fifteen years in the
medicare program about two thousand three
and it was that you have a hundred numbers in work and it was a real
adjustment period i think you can see something similar mean
massachusetts
when we started to exchange there on the on the health care reform
you know there was definitely a lot of growing pains though they've also put
that beyond the two thousand twelve election
alone
but yet there is real risk and especially since
you know there's going to be painful medicare cut
and there's going to be
you don't need tax is kicking in before anybody
seat there some believe in two thousand thirteen yr two thousand fourteen
uh... so there's this window weather
other democrats are a very exposed
there have to really do a good job of selling and the president above all
yeah lucky you know what is your talkers are coming across
uh... at the end of the pocketbook is a conclusion that they are so this thing
way or earlier than twenty fourteen
they're never going to make it to twenty fourteen that's that's
a million years from now and picked up access the word
and uh... you know and all the down sides of the bill start you'll see any
of the up sides and people with pre-existing conditions can still be
denied and correct me if i'm wrong chris
they cancel increase our premiums they can continue to increase in increase an
increase of so twenty fourteen
well devoted a scream bloody *** of murdering to celebrate the worst quocuy
reform bill that instrumental
but that is true and mean that is one of the fundamental problem for the whole
bill at the lack of
of pride controls a lack of cost controls
uh... the lack of real anything really to hold down alm premiums
d
you know what everyone's required to buy insurance
you know the theory is that and then the sentenced insurance companies
would have all the new customers and new people and their insurance pools seven
decades
of your premiums would come down
but the problem is is that
that's going to take a while to pick a fact
and it's all uh... so until you have all the people get enough of these
independent that's what you have those prep pressures on the premiums don't
happen
until then
so the up but i i think in terms of use will be quickly uh...
prohibited from denying people cover so that part will be on the books fairly
while although it is assessed immediately but for adults pre-existing
condition themselves doesn't twenty forty
so program at therefore that they'll know that there's a huge political
although it
that the political operative how deep exchanges are set up
with the public option gone
uh... and then you have the medicare transient gone which are sort of idea to
try to keep
some competition on the germs from how these exchanges work the nuts-and-bolts
of them and how strong they are how much do you think abt
well how much regulatory authority they have
uh... to impose restrictions and and price caps on premiums is going to be
really crucial and that's another key thing
uh... to watch in the conference committee cow
the house and senate reconcile that they have different versions
of these exchanges
further interest in the street
prove you know as usually like the senate version better by the house
version is proper
at the national exchange
at national ruled national
exchange dark you will
and each aren't going to be fighting that tooth and nail next ically
yet of course they are they're likely to win it is their life it would never use
issue
and uh...
if i'm not mistaken that also starts interest expense that's important
fourteen
they're never going to make it twenty fourteen they're never going to make it
this is crazy it's
terrible politics
so if you are you making a persuasive argument that dvd
their then
we haven't heard anybody say this but
and and said that you know if if
if they don't take too much repeating at the public seems to be
open and enthusiastic maybe they will get back in a story
and cystic so we're almost out of time chris but i think you're right and let
me
go back to one quick point you made
usa look they didn't have a choice 'cause of accounting and i've heard that
before that they had to start in forty fourteen i get the logic of that
uh... but that's not really true because here's the other way today god you know
i'm going over a trillion dollars over two trillion dollars
it's deficit-neutral what part of that danger understand are you slow
now that would take a strong president
and bed then you can turn around and say hey you know what
we spoke trillion dollars in afghanistan iraq combine and that was
deficit-neutral although it is
a trillion dollar hole in our budget
and i was brought to you by republicans where at least responsible enough to pay
for it
and staff assistant role
that's not the kind of strong president we have
ob so i guess let me former owner indo
wheeler put in the form of a question
is there any chance
that we'd get that strong president but some players presidency or will it
continue to except
republican talking points is true and then work off of them
well i think that the president has had you know he's been delta really cup and
uh... you know he ran into visionary
i think you've governing in a much more pragmatic fashion
you know yet
you may be overlooked a
the stimulus as something that was along
you know he had to do it was also quite a quite a feat and
and and and kidnapped him credit for doing that for managing the economy and
for keeping the country out of a depression
you know we've been looking i think that the globe we've been on sort of
retrospectively family here
if you get the twin on health care i think that this will be the first
you know a major victory for him on a major campaign promise
that you know
whether you're not you like it is of abroad expansion of insurance coverage
that will happen it will benefit americans they can make a strong
argument that this is a good thing and the president might get pick up some
momentum
and that could really be valuable in the midterms and and you know cutting into
the middle of it
first-term
now
you no doubt that we know what but you know that i think the climate changes
you know i'd anita hill icons and you know left behind them *** thing to
watch is what happened in the senate with the financial reform regulations
that's going to be a really tough fight
it and he's going to they're going before
soaking as i'm sure that you know it i'm sure you kill your listeners
on deficit
and reduction and job growth and those are going to be the main factors
if he can
score some victories and get the momentum yeah it'll be strong
yet know a lot he'll lose on those that the other miluys on climate change
absolutely certain
and and on finance reform you'll get a another one of these
fear that
pyrrhic victories up on the board all i did financial reform beethoven
debbie did you actually regulator of now
but they're going to report
ten percent of them all thank you i really appreciate it
so i i think i'll i'm devlin more pessimistic than you are on that
and and let you know she's every single day on the stimulus bill why didn't you
come out and say
looked i'm forced to rescue the american economy because of the incompetence of
republicans and george w_ bush i wish i didn't have to do this this was about my
agenda but the clown left me with this mess he didn't set the table like that
and if you don't set the table it seems like or bob dole blotted
to spend seven hundred eighty six billion dollars
because he's a big government spending democrat
i don't know why he's given in the great and he does
inside them turned out well for politically
uh... that it would
maybe in p
uh... and of
i think that he
probably
you know tactically
maybe tried to woo republican too much over the summer on health care
if they got back by ronald
yeah well let's see if you are sick on you know but
any several recounted she picked up
you know rahm emanuel two extremely pragmatic indeed
and leaving no doubt
congress works and they are trying to work the inside game erin
you're throwing bombs may be made make great radio and t_v_ but
now they're trying to work with a congress that has
a lot of republican vin and a lot of
to use the word you don't like moderate democrats that they need to keep on the
reservation
agrees that we have started yeah
all right let's allowed back on the show we'll see how it pans out over the next
year or so we'll see if the develops that in my opinion backbone will orbit
he's smart an anime misreading it and that pragmatic approaches you call it
all the wind up working in which case i'll be thrilled to be wrong enough and
i guarantee you
you know i guess i will have you on the show and i will concede that rahm
emanuel is a genius to me at all figured out but not to come back and really
can't buy things like this really appreciate great roles are general right
we'll be right back