GOP pulled no punches in struggle for Medicare bill

During 14 years in the Michigan Legislature and 11 years in Congress, Rep. Nick Smith had never experienced anything like it. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, in the wee hours last Saturday morning, pressed him to vote for the Medicare bill. But Smith refused. Then things got personal.

Smith, self term-limited, is leaving Congress. His lawyer son Brad is one of five Republicans seeking to replace him from a GOP district in Michigan's southern tier. On the House floor, Nick Smith was told business interests would give his son $100,000 in return for his father's vote. When he still declined, fellow Republican House members told him they would make sure Brad Smith never came to Congress. After Nick Smith voted no and the bill passed, Duke Cunningham of California and other Republicans taunted him that his son was dead meat.

The bill providing prescription drug benefits under Medicare would have been easily defeated by Republicans save for the most efficient party whip operation in congressional history. Although President Bush had to be awakened to collect the last two votes, Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Majority Whip Roy Blunt made it that close. ''DeLay the Hammer'' on Saturday morning was hammering fellow conservatives.

Last Friday night, Rep. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania hosted a dinner at the Hunan restaurant on Capitol Hill for 30 Republicans opposed to the bill. They agreed on a scaled-down plan devised by Toomey and Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. It would cover only seniors without private prescription drug insurance, while retaining the bill's authorization of private health savings accounts. First, they had to defeat their president and their congressional leadership.

They almost did. There were only 210 yes votes after an hour (long past the usual time for House roll calls), against 224 no's. A weary George W. Bush, just returned from Europe, was awakened at 4 a.m. to make personal calls to House members.

Republicans voting against the bill were told they were endangering their political futures. Major contributors warned Rep. Jim DeMint they would cut off funding for his Senate race in South Carolina. A Missouri state legislator called Rep. Todd Akin to threaten a primary challenge against him.

Intense pressure, including a call from the president, was put on freshman Rep. Tom Feeney. As speaker of the Florida House, he was a stalwart for Bush in his state's 2000 vote recount. He is the Class of 2002's contact with the House leadership, marking him as a future party leader. But now, in those early morning hours, Feeney was told a ''no'' vote would delay his ascent into leadership by three years -- maybe more.

Feeney held firm against the bill. So did DeMint and Akin. And so did Nick Smith. A steadfast party regular, he has pioneered private Social Security accounts. But he could not swallow the unfunded liabilities in this Medicare bill. The 69-year-old former dairy farmer this week was still reeling from the threat to his son. ''It was absolutely too personal,'' he told me. Over the telephone from Michigan on Saturday, Brad Smith urged his father to vote his conscience.

However, the leadership was picking off Republican dissenters, including eight of 13 House members who signed a Sept. 17 letter authored by Toomey pledging to support only a Medicare bill very different from the measure on the floor Saturday. That raised the Republican total to 216, still two votes short.

The president took to the phone, but at least two Republicans turned him down. Finally, Bush talked Reps. Trent Franks of Arizona (a ninth defector from the Toomey letter) and Butch Otter of Idaho -- into voting ''yes.'' They were warned that if this measure failed, the much more liberal Democratic bill would be brought up and passed.

The conservative Club for Growth's Steve Moore, writing to the organization's directors and founders, said defeat of the Medicare bill ''would have been a shot across the bow at the Republican establishment that conservatives are sick of the spending splurge that is going on inside Washington these last few years.''

Hammering the conservatives to prevent that may have been only a short-term triumph.

It is called "carrot and stick", and is in no way more shameful than what has been happening in our state and national legislatures since the founding of our country. Those whose conscience and sensibilities are most easily affected should never look upon the process of making either law or sausages.

The Medicare prescription drug provision is clearly a monstrosity, and deserves to be revisited in the future. At that time, there should be a means testing provision inserted that would deny no one access to prescription drugs for monetary reasons. But prescription drugs, too easily acquired, lead to either excess use, or other than prescribed use.

Without a framework and foundation, how is it possible to erect any edifice of some degree in support of the Social Contract?

incrementalism

it works

2004+ is zero without GW staying in office

you pick the Grant/Patton approach but judicial confirmations are a new sticking point; until we have a larger more loyal army we will not prevail

the left is now eating it's own and chasing off their base

let them

your argument has much validity but has not proved able to whup the Senate dems so far

tent is changing occupants as we watch

dems have lost much of the AARP and are now knocking it

my father used to take me to Gulfstream Park and bet the long shots

I bet Win, Place, and Show and won what my father lost and more

No big fortune, but I never lost money in a day at the track

I grew up raising Quarterhorses and never needed to break them

I also had a monsterous Brahma steer that only one person could ride

not a science friend

everything is not instant and simple

witness the energy bill

Republicans have voted with dems; Maine pair, RI jerk; others

McCain is still bitter and has a killer ego

2004 Senate and House elections are critical

think chess game

Teddy & KKK & Hillary & Schumer have taken a big hit

I understand your frustration but the McClintock method does not float in the real world

Patience

Economy+ so far

perceived "Social Agenda" (???)

War+ so far

2004

I'd like it to work your way but the last 40+ years does not prove it out

I'm not arguing with your agenda or wishes, just putting my business spin on this

I look over the long term and do not bank on miracles in Congress

also remember Florida 2004

I lived for many years in Pompano Beach and my old classmates at PBHS and Gators swung the vote to GW

losing is not an option

ask Daschle & Pelosi how they feel

"Politics is an art, not a science!"

-- "Wild Bill" Clayton, U of F

("Spell" works purty good Jim!)

we have the same destinations, you just choose an Indy car, I ride my horse and get there in one piece

had a friend in Florida long ago that spun bearings three (3) times in his AC Bristol aluminum block

ex-Indy mechanic/machinest in Fort Lauderdale welded block up and line-bored it three (3) times

Fourth time John Schultz showed me his crippled AC

I asked him for a yardstick and lifted the hood on my Impala with 283 2xCarterAFBs, Duntov, +

I then measured the width of AC engine compartment

(V8s are shorter then straight 6s)
one week later the pre-Cobra was born with a 3 speed truck stick tranny and a 'Vette mill

8 months later Shelby saw it at Opa Locka Field when racing his Birdcage Maserati there

Then Ed Cole at GM turned on engines ('Vettes were racing at Sebring) but Ford told Shelby yes

The Shelby Cobra was born (?) and whupped Ferrari bigtime

Genius solution?

No

a simple practical working solution

and cheap too!

we stuffed Chevy's in AHs, Ferraris, E-Jags, a Lister-Jag, TR3s, Triumph Mayflower (?! YUP!), A-H Sprite (?! YUP!)

they worked

we stuffed an aluminum Olds V-8 in a Lotus 4 cyl rear-engined racer and ran it at Daytona years before Lotus got a Ford to work in a Lotus safely with reliability

Before a Cooper ran at Indy

Before a Lotus won at Indy

ours worked

Factory's did not until the Lotus-Ford won Indy much later

wish your way had worked in years past

it did not

FReegards -

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