Chicago Style $300 Million Payoff Secures Obamacare Debate
By Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Sen. Mary Landrieu secures 300 Billion Dollar Pay-off
Staffers on Capitol Hill were calling it the Louisiana Purchase.
On the eve of Saturday’s showdown in the Senate over health-care reform, Democratic leaders still hadn’t secured the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of the 60 votes needed to keep the legislation alive. The wavering lawmaker was offered a sweetener: at least $100 million in extra federal money for her home state.
And so it came to pass that Landrieu walked onto the Senate floor midafternoon Saturday to announce her aye vote — and to trumpet the financial “fix” she had arranged for Louisiana. “I am not going to be defensive,” she declared. “And it’s not a $100 million fix. It’s a $300 million fix.”
It was an awkward moment (not least because her figure is 20 times the original Louisiana Purchase price). But it was fairly representative of a Senate debate that seems to be scripted in the Southern Gothic style. The plot was gripping — the bill survived Saturday’s procedural test without a single vote to spare — and it brought out the rank partisanship, the self-absorption and all the other pathologies of modern politics. If that wasn’t enough of a Tennessee Williams story line, the debate even had, playing the lead role, a Southerner named Blanche with a flair for the dramatic.
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Tags: Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Louisiana, Mary Landrieu, Obamacare
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
PATHETIC. SIMPLY PATHETIC. Sell your soul and that of your country for cash. You have lost all integrity and have led your constituents and this nation down a path of socialism. God may forgive you if you ask – but AMERICANS never will.
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Louisiana needs to vote this air head out. Flighty is another word. She had said she would not vote for this bill. Money speaks I guess. What she's done to the people of her state, far outweighs what she was bribed with.
This kind of crooked bribing with our tax money should not be allowed.
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
This is a shame and disgrace but they have probably been doing this for a long time I believe theyall are bought out I talked to my Senators and they say they have seen obama real Birth Certificate but I do not belive it so they have been bought off if obama gets impeache we will have to do it without the Senators
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Bribe: 1 : money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
2 : something that serves to induce or influence
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I must apoligize for the vote Mary Landrieu cast Saturday. Being a resident of Louisiana, I am first embarrassed and then angered for what she did. Unfortunately she is not up for re-election until 2014, but I will do my damndest to get her out of office. She is a disgrace to the state.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Isn't it convenient that the crooked politicians just spent $300 million of our tax dollars to bribe someone for a vote.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm
J C 1042 isn"t this illegal to do this why can we not prosecute all of them??
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
any politician that would allow their vote to be bought must be immediately removed from office. the will of the people cannot be for sale at any price. when are we the people going to wake up to the unaduterated corruption in dc and clean house? we the people will continue to get just what we deserve until we band together and remove this bunch from office. we must stop this insanity by whatever means required. if you are not willing to fight for what is right then you will live with corruption and destruction of the american way of life. let's get together and march on dc demanding that these people be removed from office, if they won't resign and leave then let's walk them out by force. wake up folks this is our country not theirs.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Money always talks….Kennedy paid his way out of the death of Koppechny and was allowed to continue in governing in the Senate of our nation on the Ethics Committee even! How crazy is that? Know the history of these people…Chris Dodd, Charlie Rangel, Obama, Reid, Pelosi….they are all corrupt…and now blantantly so. They hide behind the 'lamestream media' who has now been bought by this present administration. We are in big trouble unless good people do something to clean house……this is indeed our country and we need to take it back!
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
WHAT DOES THE GOVERNOR HAVE TO SAY WHEN HIS SENATOR GETS A $300 MILLION BRIBE FOR THE STATE AND HE WILL GET STUCK WITH RAISING TAXES TO PAY FOR WHAT SHE VOTES FOR! I AM HAPPY TO SAY I LIVE IN A STATE (KY) WHERE WE HAVE 2 SENATORS WHO VOTED AGAINST THE BILL. KY CANNOT AFFORD (AS MOST ALL THE OTHER STATES) TO PAY THE TAX INCREASES THAT WILL COME!
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Senator Mary Landrieu is nothing but a whore; and we all know her PRICE!!!!!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:37 pm
This should be no surprise to anyone in Lousiana where corruption in politics is not just a way of life, it is admired by the native "Coon Asses." Politicians and those behind them still express admiration for Huey Long who upon being confronted with not following through with a bribe he accepted as part of his reelection said, "Well I lied." In this case Mary Landrieu lied to the media and lived up to what she promised in return for the bribe and gained the admiration of typical Lousianans. Lousiana politics makes Chicago look like rank amatures.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Sorry to say, I am seldom surprised anymore at what those in D.C. do and have been doing for a long time. As some other contributors have been saying, it's our country, not theirs! I firmly believe that the people will have to rise up and physically take our country back from these corrupt crooks and they know who they are, and the Senators and Reps that support them. We've allowed this problem to go on far too long and we could literally lose our country if we don't take some steps to protect it and do it fairly soon. The Constitution is hanging by a thread as I write and it won't take much to finish it off.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 pm
WELL…SO MUCH FOR "CHANGE". The more things "change", the more they stay the same.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:40 pm
And Harry Reed is her PIMP!!!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
La has always gotten more than any other state – which is one reason why when Katrina came and things blew away it was rediculous when their illustrious mayor blamed everyone but themselves. They had been given funds to maintain the levies – but I expect the funds went into pockets….but then that's Louisiana and other states too. It seems as though most everyone in office (inc. Rep.) are corrupt. I hate to say it but I think the U.S. is going to hell in a handbasket.
November 24th, 2009 at 12:51 am
I called her office Saturday night to ask her to vote NO, her staff member was rude. I said I understand Senator Landreiu has taken 100 million for the state, her staff member said to me, that is a lie and it is illegal and unconstitutional, I said I know that was the reason for my call, she hung up on me. Here is the phone # if anyone else wants to call 1-202-224-5824
November 24th, 2009 at 1:17 am
If this occurred under any previous administration Hell would break loose. This indicates what a dangerous level we are at in this country and we must reach for a survivor position quickly or there will no longer be country founded as a Republic .
November 24th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Before Obama was elected my friend asked me how I felt about Obama as president…I told her that Obama is a very evil, corrupt and dangerous person. She was not happy with my comment but I strongly defend my opinion. I think that Obama was "the chosen one" because he was black which entitled him to "play the race card" whenever needed. I think he was groomed by the Chicago Machine and thats not a compliment. The corruption in America is way out of line and us good & honest citizens need to take our country back.
Senator Landreiu is just one of the very many Senators that is as dishonest as this awful President. Do you ever notice that when Obama is on TV and someone disagrees with him the look he gives that person is enough to kill….he is a dangerous man and he scares the crap out of me. We need to start getting all these corrupt and scary people out of our America.
Micki in California
November 24th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Vote her out! Hell they need to ask her to resign today!!! We can not wait until elections! Obama is going to create some sort of disaster in order to pospone elections on 2010. That is why he does not seemed to be worried about any thing the democrats do.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:25 am
What would happen if Ioffered a bribe to a govt official ?
January 27th, 2010 at 10:15 am
[...] Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is best known for her $300 billion backroom health care deal. [...]