Alexander: Dems Are on "Kamikaze Mission"

GOP Senator Calls Push for Health Care Reform "Most Brazen Act of Political Arrogance" Since Watergate Scandal

(CBS)  Calling the Democrats "tone-deaf" in hearing what Americans want in health care reform, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee charged that the president and Congressional Democrats were guilty of the most brazen act of political arrogance since Watergate.

Alexander also disputed remarks by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that Republicans were acting simply to block or stall action in Congress for their own political benefit.

"We're not trying to end the health care debate, we're trying to change it," Alwexander said. "We're trying to say the American people don't want higher individual premiums, higher taxes, Medicare cuts. They don't want an increase in the deficit. They're wondering why if we're trying to reduce costs it costs a trillion dollars?

"So what we ought to do this week is defeat this bill."

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care Reform
Alexander: Obamacare a "Brazen Act" Like Watergate

"You have said on the record that Republicans will challenge every sentence in this bill. What does that mean?" asked host Bob Schieffer. "Does that mean you'll try to try to throw up procedural road blocks? Offer amendments? Let's say that the House does pass this and it does come back to the Senate - what happens then?"

"Here's what the House Democrats are being asked to do: They're being asked by the president to hold hands, jump off a cliff and hope Harry Reid catches them in the Senate," Alexander said. "All 41 Republican senators have agreed that we're going to enforce the rules of the Senate, which means, for example, that the only things they can change have to do with taxing and budget. So they try to change abortion, that won't work. We're going to go sentence by sentence through the 3,000-page bill to make sure the rules are followed. That's what the American people would expect us to do."

The reconciliation bill the Democrats are using is not open to a filibuster, the procedure by which any bill lacking 60 votes to pass is almost automatically tabled.

"Will you try, as some say, to filibuster by amendment? Will you offer an endless number of amendments?" Schieffer asked.

"Well, we'll certainly offer a large number of amendments to try to correct the bill," he replied.

Despite Barack Obama winning the 2008 election on a campaign to reform health care, Alexander said, "Through elections, through town meetings, through consistent public opinion surveys, Americans have said 'Don't pass this bill.'

"This is the most brazen act of political arrogance that I can remember since the Watergate years, not in terms of breaking the law but in terms of thumbing your nose at the American people and saying, 'We know you don't want it, we're going to give it to you anyway.'"

While predicting political suicide for Democrats, Alexander said he hoped they did not follow through on their plans: "I hope what the House Democrats decide is, 'We don't want to do that - we don't want a year like 1974 when people came down out of the mountains in Tennessee looking for Republicans so they would know who to vote against, we want to work with the Republicans and try to let people buy insurance across state lines,' to the other things we suggested at the health care summit and reduce health care costs."

"Aren't Republicans also putting everything on the line by just being universally totally against this?' Schieffer asked. "Can a party get elected just by saying 'no'? Is that a successful campaign tactic?"

"No, it's not. It's not what we've done," Alexander said. "What the president is trying to do is to expand a health care system that everybody knows is unaffordable. What we want to do is reduce the cost of the health care system.

"I'm willing to put it to a vote; I hope we don't have to for the country. I mean, the most important words the president may have uttered in the summit were 'That's what elections are for.'

"[President Obama] said last year that the health care debate is not just about health care, it's a proxy for the larger issue of the role of government in American lives. We think he's right about that."

"You have said, I believe, that it would be catastrophic for the Democrats if this legislation passes. From just the standpoint of straight politics, why wouldn't it be a good idea for Republicans to let it pass?" asked Schieffer.

"If we were completely irresponsible, that's what we would do," he replied. "I think it's a political kamikaze mission for the Democrats to insist on this. Pat Moynihan used to say that no big piece of social legislation has been jammed through by a partisan vote. Johnson had Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, all had 70 votes.

"I think from the day this passes, if it should, there will be an instant, spontaneous campaign to repeal it all across the country. It will define every Democratic Congressional race in November. And it will be a political wipeout for the Democratic Party. That will be bad for the country, but it will change the leadership of the country.

[John_Galt_]

Get the hell out of my way!

[rykatspop]

Heath insurance companies are no different than tobacco companies. They are more than happy to make a big profit by killing you in the process. Crush health care like tobacco. These companies are no different than Enron. A company that practiced profiteering by manipulating, then squeezing markets. Funny, what do we see in local premium hikes? Squeezing the weakest block of consumers--the self employed. Just like tobacco in a way. Pretty hard to give something up you physically depend on. Yep, it would be just as scary to try to go without health insurance when you used to be able to afford it. Somehow, this stuff just brings glee to the hearts of Repugs. Decent Americans see the attitude. The rest of you . . . well, you are constitutionally incapable of being honest with yourself. No need to even listen to you!

[Empire-George-]

Will they be successful in bribing Dennis Kucinich ?? maybe the Ohio purchase, or some kick-back pork ? I doubt it

[chitown639]

Republicans will do anything short of civil war to prevent President Obama from governing. The Republicans are the "Enemy Within" our borders, dead set on sabotaging the operation of our government simply to gain the upperhand in the next election cycle. The GOP could care less about America or her citizens, for instance, President Obama could be trying to rally the country to defend itself against outerspace aliens, and the Republicans with their crazy obsession to oppose Obama on every issue would oppose him every step of the way. So we are stuck with this nutty right-wing group of Americans that are willing to sacrifice the country to win the next election. And for the rest of his term as President Obama tries to move the country forward we can expect to see these radical righties clinging to his legs trying to trip him up every step of the way.......

[noloyalisti]

You nailed it. The CONS act like they are thinking about us while doing everything they can to limit the power of workers and unions and destroy the middle class. I wish I could think of just ONE reason why anyone would support them.

They hate religious freedom, hate womens' and civil rights. They just love to spend money and start wars for the big corporations. They want complete global domination by big corporations: Adolph Hitler's dream.

[RedWings_ninety_one]

cbsblogger,
Thank you for your sympathy, but I'll still be on here between the times I listed. I hope Empire-George- got my message. If not, I'll keep trying to send it to him.

[Empire-George-]

RedWings_ninety_one,

Hey, How's it going....no I didn't get the message

[noloyalisti]

Has Alexander ever done anything that is good for the working folks? For that matter has any Republikkklan rep? They are complete big corporate tools.

Honestly, what is wrong with them? Why do they hate America? And it's workers and middle class?

[infantryman1968]

Alexander: Dems Are on "Kamikaze Mission"
GOP Senator Calls Push for Health Care Reform "Most Brazen Act of Political Arrogance" Since Watergate Scandal


Actually, the "Waterloo" analogy is more fitting.

[noloyalisti]

First, is there really ANY excuse for being a Republican anymore?

Second, we have to get used to our current situation where the rich, greedy, big corporations own and run the government like it was in Germany in the '30s. So they get to write all the laws and use the Supreme Court to maximize their profits. At our expense.

It will remain like that until millions of us rise up and decide to do something about it.

[infantryman1968]

LOL

Yea Lib, Sure.... just make sure your out front this time!

[countrycuz1]

There's too much money riding on this bill for it to fail. The pharmaceutical and insurance corporations will make a killing when it's passed. The media corporations are backing it because those are two of their biggest advertisers. By adding another 30 million insured Americans, the pharmaceuticals can greatly expand from the current crop of medicaid recipients and further their quest to make every child in this country drug dependent. Right now they're making a fortune just drugging up every boy who can't sit still in class. Just think how much more dope they can dump on the market with this health care plan. Obama's castigation of the insurance corporations was a real joke. This man's dishonesty and hypocrisy is simply unlimited. This plan will automatically give them 20 million new policies to write. My 22 year old healthy nephew, will be forced to purchase a comprehensive policy which he stands little chance of ever using. Of course, nobody is listening to the American voters!

[rafterman1]

You know what's the most arrogant act since Watergate? A Republican minority, significantly behind in seats in both the house and senate, acting like they have the majority and acting all offended when the actual majority tries to move its agenda forward. I can only imagine how harsh the Repubs would be if they were the ones with huge Congressional majorities. As far as I'm concerned, the Dems aren't being arrogant enough. You have the majority Dems, use it! The Repubs sure would. The Repubs would use it to stomp you out of existence.

[AOCGUY]

Although personally unaffected by this reform bill, I do support its passage and I am clearly unhappy with their blatant obstruction of everything Obama. That said, it is unrealistic to assume that just because a party is in the minority that they would just give in to the majority on every issue. The dems certainly didn't do that when they were in the minority.

[rafterman1]

No, the minority shouldn't just give in, but I am tired of seeing the minority stop EVERY significant piece of legislation. The low point was a couple of weeks ago when one (ONE!) Senator was able to stop fund extensions on unemployment benefits. The rules of Congress really need to be changed, especially in the Senate. Because right now, nothing can get down when small minorities, or even one person, can gum up the works of government. I wouldn't want a tyranny of the majority, but right now we do have a tyranny of the minority and that's even worse.