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Sen. Whitehouse: Beware of 'tomfoolery' in prolonged healthcare debate

By Jordan Fabian - 12/01/09 10:51 AM ET

A Democratic senator on Monday night warned that the Senate's healthcare debate beginning this week will "eventually degenerate into tomfoolery."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), however, said he believes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) should allow debate to continue should he marshal the 60 votes necessary to break a GOP filibuster earlier than expected.

"I think the debate will eventually degenerate into tomfoolery," he said on MSNBC Monday night. "But while it's going on I think it would be wise for the majority leader to let that play out even if he has 60 votes in his pocket."

Whitehouse said that senators of expressing different viewpoints "deserve" to be heard on the Senate floor.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a key centrist vote, predicted on Monday that the Senate debate would end once Reid has 60 votes. 

Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) kicked off the Senate's formal debate on healthcare reform on Monday, which is expected to last most of, if not all of, December.

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/69939-sen-whitehouse-beware-of-tomfoolery-in-prolonged-healthcare-debate
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Comments (3)

Why is Senator Reid still trying to enlist the Republicans to vote for the health care bill? Everybody knows that the Republicans have no intention of providing citizens with health insurance. However, they are very comfortable with their health insurance. Moreover, they have no quams with using deficit spending for the war effort. Use the reconcile procedure and pass the health bill.BY robert7989@hotmail.c on 12/01/2009 at 12:11
Kill reidgate healthcare and obamagate healthcare before it KILLS AMERICABY jake2 on 12/01/2009 at 12:58
@robert7989He's trying to enlist Republicans so he can claim it was a bi-partisan effort with support from both sides of the aisle when the American citizens paying for this garbage call for blood in the wake of the destruction following its passage. If this is so spiffy for the rest of us, why do the bills being floated in both the house and the senate exempt themselves from the plan? Don't shove something down my throat you don't have to participate in yourselves.BY Barry McCockiner on 12/01/2009 at 13:13

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