and right before -- before the -- this party took the floor, we have the senator, the senior senator from minnesota talking about the mayo clinic and the wonderful care that is given there, and it is wonderful care. but the mayo clinic has also said they don't want any part of this bill, nothing to do with it, to the point that they have sent doctors in my home state and states surrounding the mayo clinic who refer patients -- and i practiced medicine in wyoming for 25 years, taking care of families there as a physician, and we sent patients to the mayo clinic. they just said stop sending patients on medicare or medicaid. we want nothing to do with it because the government is the biggest deadbeat pair. the government doesn't pay. and the mayo clinic said, you know, every time we get one of those patients, we have to charge the people that pay their own way, the people that pay their own bill, the people that have insurance, we have to charge them more and we don't want to take any more of these patients on medicare and medicaid. the hospitals in the communities of maine, and i see th

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable patrick j. leahy, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: robert c. byrd, presidet pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: mr. president, on this saturday, the senate in one of its unusual sessions, it's very good to see one of the more senior members of the senate presiding over the senate. a lot of presiding is left to the more junior members, and it's indicative of the teamwork of the senator from vermont, one of the most senior members of the senate, the chairman of the judiciary committee, and someone who is always there when there is a need for something to be done, as is today to open the senate. i have such fond memories of my friend from vermont. i can remember the first time that we met. we were in florida. i was running for the senate. it was 1986. you were running for re-election , the senator from vermont was running for re-election. even then a senior member

the senate -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. conrad: i would ask for 30 seconds. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. conrad: the senate democratic plan extends medicare solvency by four years, the house republican plan has no extension of medicare solvency. finally, the senate democratic plan reduces the deficit according to the c.b.o. b by $130 billion. twice as much as the republican plan from the house. i thank the chair. i thank my colleagues. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican deputy leader. mr. kyl: thank you. mr. president, we're going to focus for the next hour on perhaps one of the most pernicious aspects of leader reid's bill. the fact that it cuts medicare by almost $500 -- half of a trillion dollars, almos almost $500 billion in medicare cuts. there are a lot of seniors in my state of arizona. and in the states represented by my other republican colleagues here. and those seniors are scared of these cuts. it's not because of anything the republicans have said to try to scare them

rights, 82% in the senate, in the house 80%. medicare would have passed in 1965 the senate republicans 41%, the house 50%. so those were significant bipartisan support. because it engendered a process of a consensus based approach, mr. president. those are not only impressive numbers illustrating the strong bipartisan support that landmark legislation garnered in the past, but it would be nothing short of myth logical in today's political environment. at a time when we're supposed to be in a world of post partisan politics, we're facing a vote along partisan lines. when it comes to the subject at hand, the most consequential health care legislation in the history of our country and reordering $33 trillion in health care spending over the coming decade, surely we can and must do better. in a recent column, david broader captured the path we should follow, he wrote that scholars will make the point when complex legislation is being shaped, the substance it likely to be improved when both sides of the aisle contribute ideas. end qu

the senator from maine. and maine and wyoming are similar in a number of ways and the engine that drives our economy is small business. we just heard this bill right here, the large bill that is the bill but the senate is considering right now over 2,000 pages, i hear the small businesses of a maine and wyoming will be penalized when they try to hire another employee her 10.2 percent unemployment right now and the people and our states are well aware of the numbers. it seems to be neglected but maybe trying to hire people. i believe the health care bill makes a much tougher. certainly to provide insurance and make it tougher to give raises and it is unfortunate in my opinion we're looking at the senate floor that will raise the premiums for the american people who like their insurance and their biggest concern is the cost. would get a bill that will cut medicare for seniors who depend on medicare and looking at the bill, the numbers are huge, almost 500 billion and one that will raise taxes on american people

. >> i am in thrall by the senate chamber. if the walls could speak. >> as you look at the statuary's, it is the history of this nation. >> we saw the capital as a place of hope. >> the irony is that it was slave labor that built this temple. >>>> standing at the eastern ede of the national mall, the u.s. capital has been home to the american congress and say 200. -- since 1800. 1,770 feet long and almost 300 feet high, it has grown over the centuries as the country has grown. it is here where visitors have always come to hear the timeless function of congress going on. while it is open for tours, its private spaces far outnumber those that the public can see. built with an architectural style based on ancient greek and roman principles, it is a working building. and a museum with statues of notable americans sit here by each of the 50 states. historic old rooms and corridors ornately decorated with painted walls and ceilings. the rotunda is where the senate and house shares it is here that the ceremonies of our nation take pla

after senators had the time -- only after senators had the time to read and understand this bill. o do so and that is because of the chairman of the agriculture committee, senator blanche lincoln of arkansas. mr. president, as i have done many times this year, privately and personally, as well as publicly, i again invite my colleagues, my republican colleagues, join on the right side of history. i again invite them to join us at the very least in a debate about our future. around dining room tables in nevada and across the nation, families are agonizing over what to sacrifice next to buy health insurance. they're questioning whether to fill a prescription or go without it and hope for the best. employers are wondering whether they can afford to provide health care to their employees. they're asking how their businesses can survive while health care costs grow faster than ever. americans need health insurance reform. debate is constant between television commentators, the editorial pages of great newspapers and magazines, but, mr. president, the only place where silence is even cons

and right before -- before the -- this party took the floor, we have the senator, the senior senator from minnesota talking about the mayo clinic and the wonderful care that is given there, and it is wonderful care. but the mayo clinic has also said they don't want any part of this bill, nothing to do with it, to the point that they have sent doctors in my home state and states surrounding the mayo clinic who refer patients -- and i practiced medicine in wyoming for 25 years, taking care of families there as a physician, and we sent patients to the mayo clinic. they just said stop sending patients on medicare or medicaid. we want nothing to do with it because the government is the biggest deadbeat pair. the government doesn't pay. and the mayo clinic said, you know, every time we get one of those patients, we have to charge the people that pay their own way, the people that pay their own bill, the people that have insurance, we have to charge them more and we don't want to take any more of these patients on medicare and medicaid. the hospitals in the communities of maine, and i see th

to the left is the no., senate wing of the capital.ay to the right is the southern, house wing of the building. as you make your way south to the old hall of the house, today called statuary hall, you leave the boundaries of the chamber that was used from 18 07 to 1857 and coming to the south wing extension, directly toward the door of the current house chamber, originally opened up in december, 1857. >> the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> this congress must not walk away from its role. >> this is a bill that deals with constitutional rights. >> i urge my colleagues to support this bill. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> will the members please remove their conversation from the floor. >> mr. speaker, we meet today at a location actually selected by george washington. >> we teach about this place, what happens inside of this building, the people who interact here. the things that happen here are unique around the world. >> the legislative body is like a heart beating. it comes and goes, comes and goe

united states senate. and the two senators that led the way in this whole process and debate are standing with me tonight. we're sorry max baucus isn't here, but there are elements of this bill that senator dodd has worked on for years, issues that you have worked on for many, many years are now part of this legislation that is now before the senate. we can see the finish line now, but we're not there. we haven't yet crossed that and that's an understatement. the road ahead is a long stretch, but we can see the finish line. we have the momentum that is going to keep this process moving. i have no doubt. we know that not all 100 senators agree on how to move forward, but everyone agrees that we must move forward. we know not all 60 senators in my caucus agree on every aspect of this bill, but they agree on the vast, vast majority, probably more than 90% for sure. but all democrats do believe now is the time to make sure all americans have access to affordable health care. when this debate begins on the floor, the d

after senators had the time -- only after senators had the time to read and understand this bill. senators all have now had ample time to do so and that is because of the chairman of the agriculture committee, senator blanche lincoln of arkansas. mr. president, as i have done many times this year, privately and personally, as well as publicly, i again invite my colleagues, my republican colleagues, join on the right side of history. i again invite them to join us at the very least in a debate about our future. around dining room tables in nevada and across the nation, families are agonizing over what to sacrifice next to buy health insurance. they're questioning whether to fill a prescription or go without it and hope for the best. employers are wondering whether they can afford to provide health care to their employees. they're asking how their businesses can survive while health care costs grow faster than ever. americans need health insurance reform. debate is constant between television commentators, the editorial pages of great newspapers and magazines, but, mr. president, the

the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: madam president, even though america has the best doctors and the best nurses, our nation spends too much on health care for what it gets. because the problem in american health care will not cure itself, i rise in support of this motion to proceed, beginning the debate about how to fix american health care. before i lay out the many provisions in majority leader reid's bill that constitute real reform, i want to talk for just a couple of minutes about how the senate can come together, democrats and republicans, to fix american health care. i've had a chance to visit with almost every member of the senate in their office on this issue, to listen to them. and it's very clear to me, madam president, that both democrats and republicans have valid points. i believe my party is absolutely right in saying that you cannot fix american health care unless all americans get good-quality, affordable coverage. if you don't cover everybody with that kind of coverage, what happens is those wh

the senate is a very special place. i served in the house, i served in the senate. walk into the house chamber and it is almost like rockets basketball -- raucous basketball gymnasium to an extent. the senate, you are walking into your den, the living room. before c-span covered the senate, it was very dimly lit. they did not have the lights that they have now in the senate. it was a cozy place to become a very comfortable. today it has changed, i must say. i think the stability -- civility, or lack of civility, i am afraid has made it a little more cold. host: kentucky, republican line. caller: good morning, ma'am. good morning, sir. i just want to say, what do you all think about sarah palin? fort bragg, whatever, down in texas -- host: okay, fort hood and sarah palin. guest: there is a funny thing going on in the country. when you said the name sarah palin, i sort of left, and i should not have left, becau -- laughed, and i should not have laughed -- people are biting her book. people seem to be searching for authenticity. some people think that sarah palin offers

but the taxes which the senator from wyoming, the senior senator from wyoming was just talking about d the fees and the reductions in medicare, they start pretty much in the first year. so they've taken ten years of taxes, fees, and cuts in medicare and they have matched them against four or five years of actual spending. they claim that they are in budget balance and that the bill only costs $890 billion, only. in fact, c.b.o. has scored this over the real period when all the programs are in place, and over that period, over that ten-year window, when all the programs are functioning that are created under this bill, all of them being federal programs, brand-new entitlements, extraordinarily expensive initiatives, well, when that occurs, this bill costs by c.b.o.'s estimate $2.5 trillion. $2.5 trillion. in order to pay for that, you would have to cut medicare by over $1 trillion. in order to pay for that, you would have to raise taxes, fees, by over $1.5 trillion. massive increase in the size of government. massive increase in tax burden. massive effect on medicare. now, the senator

the clerk: the senator from arizona, mr. mccain, moves to commit h.r. 3590 to the committee on finance with instructions to report the same back to senate with changes that do not independent clued the following: one -- mr. mccain: madam president, that further reading of the motion be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: madam president, simply put this motion to commit would be a requirement that we eliminate the half a trillion dollars in medicare cuts that is envisioned by this bill. a half a trillion dollars in cuts that are unspecified as to how, and half a trillion dollars in cuts that would directly impact the health care of citizens in this country. medicare advantage cuts totali totaling $118 billion. an independent medicare advisory board that would cos cost $23 billion. expansion of medicare hospital penalties totaling $7.1 billion. home health care cuts totalin totaling $42.1 billion. hospice -- of all of the things, hospice, some $8 billion. and the list goes on and on. all of th

the fight over health care reform now moved to the senate. so, what's in the health care bill that the house passed? well, perhaps the most controversial part of the bill that it does contain the so-called public option. the government would sell insurance to those who can't find it elsewhere. the congressional budget office predicts those premiums would be more expensive than insurance from private companies, but many people would be eligible for government subsidies to help pay for that coverage. other provisions of the bill would ban insurers from denying coverage to people just because of pre-existing conditions. the house bill also contains strict bans on using federal money to pay for abortions. congressman john dingle, a longtime proponent of national health insurance, projects that the bill will extend health care coverage to 96% of americans. >>> this morning, supporters and opponents of the house health care bill hit the sunday morning talk shows. the narrow vote in the house is indicative of even tougher fights looming in the senate

they did it as leaders of the senate. they are helping us do it now at the bipartisan policy center, where we run projects on energy and climate, health care, transportation, national security, homeland security, on the principle that if we bring people from a diverse array of viewpoints together, provide them with the best research and analysis, a forum to discuss the pros and cons of issues, and achieve principled bipartisan compromise, that we can help congress and the administration to do their job better. now in order to get those part sons to sit down at the table, we need to elect them in the first place. i was talking to charlie cook last night, like a lot of folks my ange in washington, d.c., i owe my career to him. as a young pack manager back in the 80's and 90's, there weren't a lot of resources to help us make decisions about races around the country, and the cook report was the best tool we had available. that was the highlight of my career. if charlie was a book, he would have some bushes on his back from pe

the late senator moynihan -- the late senator moynihan often warned about the perils of a majority partys and changes in a partisan way. it's a well-founded warning that democratic leadership has not heeded this time at least. if a bill like this one can't get support more broadly, then something is wrong with it. moreover, grass roots america has spoken out against this legislation. it's alarming how those voices have been disregarded by congressional leaders. president andrew jackson made it clear that our duty is to tune in to common sense of the american people who sent us here. i quote president jackson -- "our government is founded upon the intelligence of the people. i, for one, do not despair of the republic. i have great confidence in the virtue of the great majority of the people, and i cannot fear the result." end of president jackson's quote. friends and colleagues, listen to what president jackson said. listen to the concerns of the people. they are telling us to reconsider this massive, complicated legislation and take a path that leads to less spending, less taxes, and les

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the senate will come to order. are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if are 60, the nays are 39. three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to. ♪ host: it was a procedural motion but a key hurdle in the health- care debate. by reaching that 60 vote margin the senate will be back the monday after a thanksgiving to begin a full debate on health care bill. good morning. some of the headlines include "harry reid seeking passage before christmas." "republican governors and said that the plan to opt out of the public option is not workable. -- workable." all of the issues that we will be talking about this sunday morning. we will begin first with your reaction to the floor debate yesterday and the senate debate that is about to begin. for democrats, 202-737-0002. for republicans, 202-737-0001. for independents, 202-628-0205. we will also get to your e-mail comments and you can s

how is the senate bill different? guest: the house bill would move it beyond the current laws into the hyde amendment, prohibiting the receiving of abortion services. the critics describe the house that passed the amendment would prohibit insurance plans from covering abortion at all. a debatable point, but that is how it has been portrayed. some senators are planning to offer language similar to the house, which would tighten up abortion restrictions. we can fully expect to see this as a flash point over the next few weeks. host: david, from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. good morning. caller: i have not been able to get in since last february. please allow me just three quick points. i am a 60-year-old uncompensated vietnam veteran. i have multiple problems with my body that might stem from agent orange. i had a hernia, a liver disease, bone spurs, arthritis, and it goes on and on. this is complicated by my blood pressure. i do not have medical coverage and the va will love process might claim. what good would it do me to

who were shut down the senate for the american people? single payer forces all over the country are quickly moving against the democratic legislation. earlier this month, a coalition of labor unions and other single payer activists adopted a resolution at a national standard tree -- a strategy conference in st. louis calling on congress to defeat the democratic legislation. mikuak rdr. marcia angell earlis month called on congress to do nothing instead of passing the democratic bill. it simply throws more money into a dysfunctional and unsustainable system, with only a few improvements at the edges, and it augments the central role of the investor-owned insurance industry. the danger is that as costs continue to rise and coverage becomes less comprehensive, people will conclude that we tried health reform and it did not work. but the real problem will be that we really did not try it. i would rather see us do nothing now, and have a better chance of trying again later and then doing it right. last greek, robert reich clinton's former secr

ann, the senate is set to move forward on the debate on health care. as a conservative, do you agree that there are problems, that the health care system needs change? >> yes. mostly caused by government intervention. for one thing, two main problems with government intervention, one is going back to world war ii when fdr imposed wage and price controls. they offered them health care for employees. because of that, it's hard and now there is a tax deduction. now in law. it's very hard to get health insurance outside of your employer. and you always want to be the one holding the credit card for good service. and the second problem is mostly state regulation, making insurance very expensive by requiring it to cover all sorts of things like viagra and restless leg syndrome and marriage counseling and drug counseling and gambling counseling that, for a young kid out of college who someone who wants to buy health insurance on his own, you want to ensure against catastrophes. you don't want to pay for everybody else's marriage counseling. it should be an op

we were in the senate finance committee hearing room. it was the beginning of three days of hearings to kick off the health care debate in congress. the room was packed with industry lobbyists of all stripes, health insurance, pharmaceutical, medical, the ama, you name it, they were there. senator max baucus the chair of the committee had scheduled three days of hearings on health care reform. bachus asked 41 health care experts to testify. not one was an advocate for single payer national health insurance. single payer is a simple, clear reform. the house single payer bill, h.r. 676 is only 30 pages long. bachus, obama and the democrats have taken off the table. and they've replaced it with a 2,000 page monstrosity. single payer by contrast is simple, and it works. under a single payer system, the day that you are born you get a medical card. with this card to get free choice of doctor and hospital anywhere in the united states. you pay no health care premiums to private health insurance corporations. you receive no bills. instead of the

rahm emanuel is at the senator to at the invitation of the senate and what laws to make. we make laws with secret memos, with jay bybee's memo's. and we have a new administration coming in and say, we will give him your date to the lord who wrote the memos and of course, bills at the top, president and vice president who ordered these things done and no go on television and confess to torture. is torture a crime in this country, in our code? no, it used to be. it is a crime in this country, and during that whole eight-year charade, can the president undo that with a statement, should they get an exception for the cia? torture was a film in all instances, any acts of complicity in torture throughout that whole charade. ronald reagan signed against torture. it became a felony when bill clinton was president. and so the current administration said were going to get immunity to all of these people. what we're going to do is consider the possibility of considering the possibility of prosecuting some low ranking bad apples who strayed from the illegal policy in the secret memos.

we were in the senate finance committee hearing room. it was the beginning of three days of hearings to kick off the health care debate in congress. the room was packed with industry lobbyists of all stripes, health insurance, pharmaceutical, medical, the ama, you name it, they were there. senator max baucus the chair of the committee had scheduled three days of hearings on health care reform. bachus asked 41 health care experts to testify. not one was an advocate for single payer national health insurance. single payer is a simple, clear reform. the house single payer bill, h.r. 676 is only 30 pages long. bachus, obama and the democrats have taken off the table. and they've replaced it with a 2,000 page monstrosity. single payer by contrast is simple, and it works. under a single payer system, the day that you are born you get a medical card. with this card to get free choice of doctor and hospital anywhere in the united states. you pay no health care premiums to private health insurance corporations. you receive no bills. instead of the

. >> with that vote, the senate moves its health-care bill to the floor. starting today and through december, follow the entire debate and how the bill would affect access to medical care, the public option, taxes, abortion, and medicare, why are companion network, c-span2, the only network that brings you the senate gavel-to-gavel. >> our discussion now on issues facing airline pilots, from

the senate votes tonight. as you see, what do you think happens as far as all that has been going on to start this debate on health care? guest: i think everybody in the capital will be watching every step. is coming down to one vote. the senators are from conservative states. the package is not particularly popular in their states. it is up to those of two women at this point. host: what is motivating those two women? guest: senator lunken is up for reelection and she will have to explain this boat. there is a lot of pressure on these women not to be the ones that stop debate. there will be people running against them that they are voting with president obama and voting for a tax increase/health care package. the pressures are political. they are policy driven. both of these women are more conservative than the rest of the democratic caucus. it will come down to how senator lincoln is calculating 2010. host: what do you make of that? guest: i agree that it is insider lobbying. it cannot yesterday that blanche

it seems to me, and i said this on the floor of the senate. if an institution is too big to fail it seems to me it is too big to exist. but since the bailout we have not seen a breakup of these. quite the contrary. what do you think? >> said think we should be goig back to the current. we should be separate in these banks back out. we should not have gone from a crisis into a situation where there are fewer banks controlling more assets which goes back to what the fed was doing in terms of those mergers. we have a situation where we need to separate them out. we need to separate the consumer deposits and loans and assets. because what we have right now, not only of those big banks bigger a lot of mergers to begin with. but then having achieved the acquisition of bear stearns, a really risky investment bank. washington mutual, a consumer deposits. now it is this bigger animal. again, no secret about this. the only reason they made money is not because consumers are doing better. consumers continued to post losses. where they made money was in tr

we are looking forward to the time that senator baucus comes back to resume the chairmanship of this committee. we have a hearing this morning for a number of nominees, and we will get to that momentarily. i'm going to make a brief opening statement. then senator grassley will have an opening statement. at some point i want to alert people here and prap programs who are listening, that if we are able to achieve a quorum. we will break from this proceeding in order to approve mom niece that have previously been heard. so no one take offense if we interrupt this proceeding once we achieve a quorum, if we are able to do that so that we are able to take action on previous nominees. i would like to begin with a brief opening statement. we have today experienced the worst global economic crisis most of us can remember. it has had a profound effect on this country's fiscal health both long-term and short-term. i want to remind everyone of the dramatic deterioration we have seen in our nation's budget picture. the final deficit total in 2009 was $1.4 trillion. not million, not billion, but tr

if the senate passes the bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed in to law. >>> it will be a tough day tomorrow for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke down last night. bus drivers and trolley and drivers walked off the job yesterday. an independent audit to make sure pension funds are secure and it says it will not start talk fs a national health care plan is passed. ed rendell urged members to vote on a contract proposal. no new talks are scheduled. >> a shooting at a bar near a resort town killed one man and left three others injured near vale, colorado, last night. a man was being escorted out of the bar when he pull a gun and started shooting. he went back inside the bar, fired several more shots. a 63-year-old man was arrested in the case. >>> we are getting new information now about the people who were wounded in the ft. hood massacre. a texas sergeant says more of them are doing better. 42 people were injured in a shooting at the army post in texas thursday. army officia

the average member of the senate or the average american cambyses me. maybe we need a 1800 number. >> exactly. but i'll tell you one thing, the yard is extending more money and had more open plans to banking systems. altman the there was about 6 trillion worth of facilities created much of went to the new york. they don't ever get them all. >> to knows about this? >> some of it is a clause that public. not what collateral has been posted. that we are trying to get to the bottom of. but when those facilities were open, when they were created, there is the information that you can kind of see to digging through the web sites. i did that. >> you could do it. >> you can't do it normally. what did you spend? where did these bandits to back there is no report that exists like that. >> i'm going to put you on the spot. based on his record do you think president obama reappointing bernanke was a good decision? >> made a lot of mistakes. leading up to it in terms of not looking at the information. there were economist telling him. .. may be deleted ale lovette t

i hope we'll be able to preserve the provisions in the senate. there's another provision that relates to increased funds for different kinds of financing. it's one that i worked on a lot. i offered an amendment to establish what we call a green bank. the technical word is a green energy employment authority. it would allow the creation of a financing authority by selling bonds, capitollize to the bank, and then who provide for loan guarantees and low-interest rate loans which helps the clean energy and energy efficiency, but it also helps on the consumers end. as you know, the package contains a number of provisions, for example, the energy or electricity portfolio that creates a demand. obviously, the cap and trade that cuts a price on the dirtiest kind of fuels, the most carbon intensive. and the green bank helps that transition from a consumer perfective. so that's a big provision of the bill along with the one you mentioned. we're going to fight hard in the senate. >> thank you. >> over here. >> foreign policy council. it's becoming increasing

now the united states senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. i am absolutely confident it will and i look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year." now, a senior aide says that the president did watch the vote as it happened in the house there from camp david. president obama set to return to the white house from camp david for the afternoon. >> the bill now moves on to the senate where it must also pass if it is to become law. as in the house, senate democrats are having a hard time winning over republican support for the bill. if the senate passes a bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed into law. >>> it's going to be a tough day tomorrow for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke done last night. bus drivers and subway and trolley operators just walked off the job last tuesday p. the union is demanding an audit to make sure pension fnds are secure and it says it will not start talks if a na

i only ashost: i only ask that because of the senate debate. guest: i'm a lifelong feminist and am all for woman power. i remember when geraldine ferraro was given the deep slot on the democratic ticket. i think the problem with moderates -- yes, and i think we all miss the moderate republicans, is that it is hard to get up a lot of enthusiasm for moderation. enthusiasm generally goes to people who have a bone to pick, who were not seeking the middle path. i think it would be good for america even though i would not be voting for olympia snowe most likely, good for america to have a moderate choice. our politics are cyclical. one side wins, the other side wins. the more extreme, the more difficulties arise. guest: that is right. there are not many moderates. some of those mentioned are likely not to be in the party anymore come hegel, the boss of my boss at the olympic council is in the private sector. he is probably as likely to work in the democratic administration as to seek office again. bill iis right that it is hard for them to get the gen

host: the senate still in debate on saturday. do the announcements today by senators landrieu and lincoln mean for tonight's vote? >> it means the democrats have 60 votes to move forward. it is the first big legislative hurdle they have had to pass. it means that health care is moving forward in the full senate, it looks like. >> a third senator, senator ben nelson of nebraska had concerns about going forward with the debate this past week. what generally were the concerns of these democrats, and why is the vote more difficult for them than others? >> i think we have seen a variety of concerns, some specific to each senator among these three members of the democratic caucus. they are definitely all more conservative than a lot of their colleagues. they come from louisiana, arkansas and nebraska, definitely more purple or red states. senator nelson of nebraska, he mentioneded a lot of the abortion language was something he had a problem with. he said if it is the same language that is in the bill now, when it comes to further proce

who will shut down the senate for the american people? once again, the people are ahead of the politicians. as the date reaches the end game, single payer forces all over the country are quickly moving against the democratic legislation. earlier this month, health care now, a coalition of labor unions and other single payer activists, adopted a resolution at its national strategy conference in st. louis, calling on congress to defeat the democratic legislation. dr. marcia angell early this month called on congress to do nothing instead of passing the democratic bill. as the house bill better than nothing she asked? i don't think so, she answered. it simply throws more money into a dysfunctional and unsustainable system with only a few improvements at the edges, and it augments the central role of the investor-owned insurance industry. the danger is that as costs continue to rise and coverage becomes less comprehensive, people will conclude we've tried health reform and it didn't work. but the real problem will be that we've really didn't

harry reid is the pivotal person in the senate. people are watching his role here. if he facilitates of bailout of the insurance industry, that people will hold him accountable. host: how effective has your phone bank then? guest: i think it has been very effective. at one point harry reid -- it was his decision to include a public option in the final senate bill. he was trying to say he would let the white house, or he cannot do because people will filibuster -- we said no, you cannot allow silent filibuster in the back room of the senate to determine the content. if there are people who say they will filibuster, let's hear who they are. i dare them to do it. host: what do you plan to do if there were to filibuster this on the floor? guest: it is not me who plans to do anything. if you join with the republicans there will be public consequences. the senators know this and that is why none of them did. all the democrats fell in line. harry reid did not for the public option out. host: let's go to our first phone call from buffalo,

rudd said it was held up in the senate. he finally made some concessions in the form of giving up more free permits to oversubsidized heavy emitting industries and reached agreement on those lines with the leader of the opposition. and the opposition parties are probably in the process of getting rid of him for accommodating the opposition -- the government's legislation. in the united states, you're much closer to that than i am. and i look forward to learning more about that today. the announcements last week were, i think, historic. the president committing himself to a version of the bills which have passed through the house but not the senate that must increase the chances of something like that becoming law. i'll say a few more words about that later. and in china, we also had announcements last week not accidentally in the immediate wake of the american announcements. china was always going to show its hand more clearly than the united states had. it has committed itself to 40 to 45% reductions in the emissions intens

. >> the bill now moves on to the senate where it must also pass if it is to become law. as in the house, senate democrats are having a hard time winning over republican support for the bill. if the senate passes a bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed into law. >>> it's going to be a tough day toerl for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke down night. bus drivers walked off the job last tuesday. the union is demanding an independent audit to make sure pension funds are secure and it says it will not start talks if a national health care overhaul plan is passed. governor even rundell had been negotiating the talks, urging union members to vote on a contract proposal. no new talks are scheduled. >>> a shooting at a bar near a resort town killed one man and left three others injured. it happened last night near vail, colorado. witnesses say a man was being escorted out of the bar when he pulled a gun and started shooting. he went back inside the bar, fired several more

without though, the senate visit health care to the floor. starting monday into december, follow the entire debate and how the bill would affect access to medical care. the public option, taxes, abortion, and medicare. life here on c-span 2, the only network that brings you the senate gabble to gavel. >> the oil minister says now is not the time for opec to increase production because the global economy is still weak. he spoke at an event hosted by the u.s. energy association. this is almost 50 minute. >> i'm very worthington executive director of the united date energy association and it's my pleasure to welcome you to our newsmaker with dr. lukman, the minister petroleum resources for the federal of nigeria. i must also welcome c-span for covering our event this morning. dr. lukman was one of the most respected energy experts, oil and gas experts, anywhere in the world. a few of his key appointments have included serving as secretary general of opec for six years, serving as president of opec for nine sessions, a special advisor to the mini

every six years in the senate. there is enough people, 1% of the people who feel they should turn out, they can exercise their will and do it. it is up to the people to make the decision. that is how the founding fathers

some through the u.s. senate and house and other places, but we need to evaluate the technology and really look for solutions that work on this, but i think the answer is all of the above. >> thank you. >> i just want to add on behalf of u.s. dot. we agree 100 percent at education is a huge part of this issue. we didn't talk about yesterday but we will talk about it at our 11:30 a.m. panel today on public awareness and education. we feel that certain what the most important discussions we are going to have your. >> thank you, peter. >> senators, my name is jeff larsen. thank you very much for being here. i'm not really one who knows very much about the political atmosphere in washington. i know the sessions later on we'll talk about more local things but can you talk about the legislation that the texan legislation that is in front of you know, and what the political pitfalls are, where is the opposition? do you get a sense as to how much support there is for it? and what we can do to try to push that legislation

republican senator lindsey graham said the house bill would be dead on arrival in the senate. harry reid refused to give a timetable passing a bill, signaling he may have trouble getting enough votes. >>> philadelphia's mass transit strike is over. the transit system and its largest union agreed to a new contract overnight, ending the six-day strike. about 5,000 workers walked off the job last tuesday over a dispute about pension benefits. the strike affected philly's subways, buss and trolleys. >>> 11 women were found dead at a house in cleveland. people marched with candles to the house where the women were found. anthony sowell lives there. he is accused of murder and rape. one of seven bodies identified so far is talisha fordson. her mom was there last night. >> as we stand here in front of this home where they found your daughter, what is that like for you? >> it's hard, because i want to burn it down. i really would like to. it's very hard. that's why i won't look at it. >> reporter: why won't you look at it? >> because i know my baby was in there and she got killed in th

that vote the senate moved its. live starting monday and through december follow every minute of doe bait and how bill would affect access to medical care. the public option, taxes, abortion and medicare the on the only network that brings you the senate gavel to gavel. c-span 2. >> coming this thanksgiving on c-span, american icon, three nights of c-span original documentaries on the iconic homes of the three branches of american government. beginning thursday night at 8:00 eastern, the supreme court, home to america's highest court, reveals the building in ex quiz it detail through the eyes of supreme court justices. friday at 8:00 p.m. eastern -- our visit shows the grand public places as well as those rarely-seen spaces. and saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern, the capitol. the history, art and architecture of one of america's most symbolic structures. american icons, three memorable nights, thursday, friday and saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. get your own copy of american icons. a d.v.d. set. order online at

host: at the senate level, it is $23,000 per year. thing over $23,000 per year premiums, you end up with that party% excise tax. -- 40% excise tax. $1,000 per member is paid right now for the uninsured. the plan has $1,000 tacked onto it because of uninsured people. to tax them again is a double hit at the same people. will not result in lower cost. will result in the people getting less health care and still have been the costs go up. for instance, if i get a heart bypass, the cost of the bypass will not go down. the only thing that will happen is that my plan will pay less and i will have to pay more. we do not think that is the way to do it. that is rationing everything in the country but health care. host: next up for richard trumka, alexandria, ky. caller: do you think it is feasible to keep giving unemployment after so long a time -- to keep individuals for not looking for work? what about immigration? guest: i do think we need to expand unemployment benefits. they're about to expire. if they do, millions of people -- probably 5

the presidency. but this is not true. truman was a very powerful senator by the time he was nominated in 1944, and he had been on the short list of the powerful figures for the democratic party in 1944. i don't really know of an example where a vice president was a liability. in some cases, may be a non- factor. but again, we talked about lyndon johnson and kennedy. it would be hard to come up with an negative for a vice- president. it is a good question, one i had not thought about before. host: if not negative, is there a vice president who made no impact at all? guest: truman's vice president in 1948 probably was in non- factor. trying to think -- there are probably others in that 20th- century that were non-factors. but again, if you look at it closely, maybe some of the vice- president would mean estate or two. i do not know of many examples that were actually negative. host: republican line, amarillo, texas. caller: i think the vice presidency as an evaluation of the president -- if they will step up, they should have the qualification and the knowle

they do, formal debate on the senate health care bill could begin after the thanksgiving break. watch live senate coverage today on c-span2. you can watch what your centers are saying about health care online at c-span.org. you will also find hearings and news conferences, read the health care bill, and follow our twitter coverage online at c- span.org. >> julius genet chelsea has been chairman of the federal communications commission -- to use janikowski -- julius genachowski. this week he is our guest on "the communicators." mr. chairman, give us some of those agenda items that we just listed. would you outline for us your basic philosophy when it comes to the fcc and regulations? >> it is such an important time with respect to communications. our communication infrastructure is increasingly essential to the is increasingly essential to the daily lives of every american,

fast forward a year to the debate with senator kennedy for the presidency. edy called nixon on that and said it is unacceptable to me, senator kennedy, that we would say this because clearly missile thrust is more important and what is amazing to me as an economist is what vice president nixon said. nothing. the correct answer. an economic counselor would have told him is the superiority to have united states is you can have both colored television and eventually better missiles because of a small number that is critically important and it is called productivity growth. t growth. vice-president nixon's error was a simple one, but it really was the key to why the race between the united states and soviet union was vastly different. there was also an essential air -- error. crucial for got a simple number. the no. i'm about to say is a constant. it never changes. it is called 100%. the tierney of 100% is that the shares of government spending must add to 100%. why do i raise an obvious fact of arithmetic? what crucial for got -- khrushchev forgot was that an al