House Majority Whip doubtful on overriding SCHIP veto
Rep. Jim Clyburn said overriding President Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill will be "tough."
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - The Democratic House Majority Whip conceded Friday that getting the votes to override President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill will be an uphill battle.
"Well, it's going to be tough to do that," said South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn in an interview with CNN at his office in Columbia. "We got 265 votes for SCHIP, 45 of those votes were Republican votes. They get to a veto, we have to have 290 votes. It will be very very tough to get 290 votes. I think that, a lot of people think that, 45-50 may be the high water mark on the Republican side.
"And if the White House were to weigh in and say we really want this veto sustained, I think that some of that 45, two or three of them may fall off and not vote to override," he said. "I just believe that you got to make the effort and do it one vote at a time."
Clyburn suggested the current bill was "messed up" because it was crafted for easier passage in the Senate. He said if the current veto is maintained, his party should write another "Democratic bill" and send it back to the Senate to face a filibuster.
"But let's do a bill, a bill that we are proud of, and let's send it to the Senate," Clyburn said. "And let's say to them, go ahead, filibuster. Our base will understand what a filibuster is, the American people will understand what a filibuster is. They don't understand this 60 vote rule business. But they remember which party filibustered against all the civil rights bills back in the 50's and 60's, and to have that same party stand up there are start filibustering against health care for children? Man, I would love that picture."
- CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby
My Clyburn – should we also remind the American people WHICH party (in Arkansas) attempted to stop integration – and which (Republican President) sent troops to inforce Brown V Board?
And while you're sharing the truth about Washington DC with the American people – can you also discuss "Vouchers"? How Teachers Unions and Democrats oppose them even though inner-city kids would most benefit from parents being given a choice where to send their kids.
Can you remind the American People, Mr Clyburn, that the democrat party praises and honors a former clan member, Robert Byrd?
Oh there's lots of things to talk about, My Clyburn. However – with the 18% approval rating Congress is enjoying, I doubt more whining from Do-little Democrats will get much attention.
Horrible news for our country's well-being.
This will surely help Democrats in next year's election, and they have plenty of races they can use this in. Check out these House Rankings.
Hey Jim,
Get tough and fight for it! Why are you there? Just for the free meals and good health insurance? It's about time you people fight the tough fights. YOU ARE TOO SOFT...
Send the same bill back to Bush but this time exclude individuals making $80,000 from getting the subsidy. Talk to Representative Dingell, he wants to abolish the mortgage interest deduction. He can tell you how to extract the money you need from every working American that is working at the American dream.
Can you imagine if they stopped playing political games for a minute – and modified the bill to increase it by 20 billion (which I believe the president said he would approve of) – then seek additional appropriations later?? OMG....do you mean not play partisan games with the SCHIP program....and play all these left wing morons into believing they weren't warned that if they increased it to 35 billion...it would get smacked down?? (anyone responding....stay on point....don't give me a canned answer of "but we spent more than that on the war" – just strictly address the Democrats playing games with a kids health bill...and you buying it)
Rep. Clyburn clearly doesn't know his history. The party that fillibustered against "all the civil rights bills back in the 50's and 60's" was the Democrats, not the Republicans. In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1956 was a Republican-sponsored and supported bill, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would not have passed were it not for Republican support. Just because Democrats say Republicans have always been against civil rights doesn't make it so.
Send the same bill back to Bush but this time exclude individuals making $80,000 from getting the subsidy. Talk to Representative Dingell, he wants to abolish the mortgage interest deduction. He can tell you how to extract the money you need from every working American that is working at the American dream.
RIGHT ON! That's exactly the problem. It's become cradle to grave entitlement. That's the Dems new goal. Hell even France has figured out that doesn't work.
Want more out of your life, want more for your kids? GET A JOB. WORK HARD!
If you pay for children's healthcare and education now and for a future one or two more generations they will support the economy, not be a burden on it. They won't collect welfare or look for free healthcare. Them and future generations will have the education and the means to pay for not only their own healthcare but their children's. They will be able to pay for their kids educations and the entire country will prosper.
When I heard 30% of the child recipients of the SCHIP Program were 18 to 25 years old and that people making $86,000.00 a year could get there kids in the program I am for the veto. To the 18 to 25 year olds if you need health insurance the Armed Forces offers a decent medical HMO program free and to those who are above the 200% above poverty give up your cell phone, your SUV and your expensive vacations every year to pay for insurance for your children. When America goes to socialzed medicine any major break athroughs will no longer exist because money is a great motivator.
They might get more support if they funded it by taxing food that contained over a certain percentage of fat. That would spread the cost around a little more fairly and might convince fat people to quit eating empty calorie foods, just like some people have suggested having smokers support the whole program might get them to stop smoking.
Put it out there and let the republicans vote. The same ones who vote against the bill to sustain the veto will be the same ones who have voted to fund the Iraqi war and the national healthcare enjoyed by ALL Iraqis at our expense. I will volunteer to make the campaign commercial for this one.
Now we can understand why the majority of blacks tend to vote Democrat. They have forgotten who it is that was truly supportive of getting civil right legislation passed. He must be getting his facts from Senator Byrd who probably forgot to mention the fact he was against civil rights for black americans.
Leave it to a Democrat to rewrite history. Next they will be saying that Carter didn't destroy the economy.
Good, rewrite it and exclude illegal immigrant's children
Drop the income limits significantly, and drop the definition of a child. Age 25 is not a child.
And I would love for a supporter of the bill to address the income limits, age limits and the fact that you don't have to be a citizen to benefit.
I am confident it won't happen. Why? Because the majority of people live on sound bites. They are still running around saying "Bush hates poor kids"
Pelosi should be ashamed of herself!
Posted By Sam, IA : October 6, 2007 9:54 am
And I in 10 minutes could write the rebuttal that shows Democrats are playing nothing but LYING political games here.
Bush wants to HELP the POOR CHILDREN as he has stated over and over, the Dumocrats expanded this to include more people that frankly don't need to be included in this bill and they are doing it only for political points and votes.
The spineless Repubs that support it are only doing it because the media will spin it the "BUSH and the Repubs are mean" way and they did just that.
WE ARE BLEEPED AS A COUNTRY if we can't even sit down and compromise on this bill which was intended JUST FOR THE CHILDREN and it should have stayed that way.
Shouldnt Jim clyburn be in jail???Oh yea I forgot he is democrat they welcome corruption and shadyness...