Coburn Asks For Reading of Sanders Amendment- UPDATE: Sanders Withdraws Amendment

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It's a bedtime story really; a painfully long bedtime story.  Senator Coburn asks for a reading of Bernie Sanders amendment that would establish a single payer health care system despite the fact this amendment had absolutely chance of passing. As Ed Morrissey points out this move obviously makes hay of efforts to ram this through before Christmas. Moreover, it calls to the attention of the American people how insane this entire process has been. There's no transparency, and even with a reading of this 767 page amendment Max Baucus doubts the Senators, who would be expected to vote on it, will understand what's been read to them:



Jim DeMint issued a release backing Coburn in the procedural move, via The Hill:

"This bill allows the federal government to take over our health care system, and it must be stopped. We will use whatever procedural tools are necessary to defeat this bill," DeMint said.

Ed Morrissey has more from DeMint:

“Democrats are playing a bait and switch trick — wasting our time debating a bill they’ve rejected while writing a new one in secret. Right now, behind closed doors, Democrats are writing a brand new bill, thousands of pages long, and want to rush it through before Christmas.”

“Americans are tired of watching their leaders in Washington pass bills they haven’t even bothered to read,” said Senator DeMint. “If Senator Reid won’t slow down this debate, we will do it for him. This bill allows the federal government to take over our health care system, and it must be stopped. We will use whatever procedural tools are necessary to defeat this bill.”

This is 1/6th of our entire economy, which is hurting as we speak, this group is playing around with. It's outrageous that Reid is rewriting the bill behind closed doors while planning to still force a vote on this unfinished bill before Christmas. Not only does this reek of desperation, it's galling they would consider themselves capable of restructuring such a large segment of the economy when they can't get a bill written after spending most of the year on health care. Who knows what nonsense would be included.

DeMint is threatening to force a reading of the entire bill before a final cloture vote, and I pray that he does. The American people are opposed to this health care reform and someone must do something to stop this horrific reform from becoming law.

UPDATE:
The Hill reports Sanders withdrew his amendment:

"The day will come, although I recognize it’s not today, when the U.S. Congress will have to vote to stand up to … all those who profit every single year off of human sickness,” Sanders said. "That day will come."

The amendment would have extended Medicare coverage to all who wanted it. The program currently serves people from the ages of 65 and up.

The program is also on track to bankrupt the United States of America but who can worry about little details like that.