Sen. Michael Bennet: "Where's The Bill?"

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by: Colorado Pols

Here’s an excerpt from Sen. Michael Bennet’s speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate today, lambasting Republicans for breaking all of their own rules to pass legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act–and contrasting the opaque process Republicans are engaged in today with lengthy public debate in 2009-10:

But really…where’s the bill? pic.twitter.com/ozXKJdW2cJ

— Michael F. Bennet (@SenBennetCO) July 27, 2017

BENNET: I don’t understand the impulse of writing the bill in secret, not having–listen to this, folks–not having a single committee hearing! Not one committee hearing in the Senate! Talk about “read the bill,” how about have a bill that’s written down on paper so we can read it? Where are my brethren in the Tea Party that wanted to read the other bill? There was a bill then! There had been a bill for a year and a half. There’s no bill!

At this point, both sides in the Senate are talking past each other–but you’ve got to agree that Bennet has a strong point. After complaining for years about the supposed “closed-door” secrecy in which the ACA was debated, Republicans have embarked on a process so secretive that there haven’t even been committee hearings on the legislation. If Democrats had tried to pass the ACA with the same non-process, Republicans would have called for a revolution. You’ll recall they very nearly did anyway.

Watch the rest of Bennet’s speech below. Who will take issue with him on the merits? We’d like to see it.

12 thoughts on “Sen. Michael Bennet: “Where’s The Bill?””

gertie97 says:

July 27, 2017 at 4:09 pm

Zappy?

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RepealAndReplace says:

July 27, 2017 at 4:12 pm

We can have pride in at least one of our senators. Well, all of us except Zappy.

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Gilpin Guy says:

July 27, 2017 at 5:31 pm

I watched the entire 14 minute segment of the two term senior senator from Colorado and was moved by his comment about how healthcare intersects with the lives of the people he represents. It was a BRUTAL takedown of McConnell using the Majority Leaders own words from 2009-2010 to expose what a raging fucking hypocrite McConnell is. Too bad the only person that the press reports on is the equally hypocritical McCain. The Mc brothers shit on the floor of the senate and are a disgrace to the body politic. The local press should report on Bennet's speech.

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1. Voyageur says:
  
  July 28, 2017 at 2:39 pm
  
  When you do 1 percent as much for your country as John McCain did, you'll be entitled to call him a hypocrite. I haven't met that standard and don't think you have either.
  
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mamajama55 says:

July 27, 2017 at 6:32 pm

Bennet's getting to be a better communicator. I do like what he did here.

We still need to push him on single payer and to stop his support of the (arrest people who call for a boycott of Israel) bill.

Although Bennet did cosponsor a public option bill,in September 2016, he skated by with not voting on today's "Medicare for All" bill. We need to push him to vote for Sanders' Medicare for All bill, which will be introduced once this Senatorial health care repeal charade is over.

The Israel anti-boycott act (S720), which Bennet co-sponsored, would make it a felony to publicly advocate for boycotting Israel. Several Palestinian protesters have already been arrested in the good old USA for daring to advocate for a boycott of Israel. This obviously has grave implications for the first Amendment in our country.

Senator Bennet: Contact Us

Senator Gardner: Contact Cory*

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1. Zappatero says:
  
  July 27, 2017 at 7:52 pm
  
  mj, who I trust, makes the best case for what's going on.
  
  MB, who I do not trust, might be communicating better, but surely lacks in commitment to solutions that best suit Colorado's citizens rather than his mega donors. Why is he never pressed to co-sponsor something with Brown or Bernie or Warren?
  
  And I won't watch it since I'll likely regret wasting those 14 minutes.
  
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  1. RepealAndReplace says:
    
    July 27, 2017 at 8:48 pm
    
    lacks in commitment to solutions that best suit Colorado's citizens rather than his mega donors
    
    I'm a Colorado citizen who likes Mike's solutions and I'm not a mega donor.
    
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    1. Zappatero says:
      
      July 28, 2017 at 12:08 pm
      
      that's 1.
      
      He’s proving he’s going to be a conventional Senator-for-Life in the mold of McCain, Hatch, Feinstein, etc…….an expert manipulator of Senate Protocol and Press Relations, and a Tepid Legislator afraid to fight for anything but the most bland solutions.
      
      This is the last thing we need with a Republican Party willing to blow up all conventions and destroy the fabric of our democracy while lying about it, uncountered by those like Bennet, every single day.
      
      Hate to burst your bubble, but Colorado and everyone deserves much more from a Democratic senator.
      
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      1. unnamed says:
        
        July 28, 2017 at 12:24 pm
        
        And so you focus on him with Ahab like obsession willing to risk getting a Republican in there who is liable to vote like Cory Gardner does because you want purity.
        
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        Diogenesdemar says:
        
        July 28, 2017 at 12:54 pm
        
        Bennett : Zappy
        
        ::
        
        Parking meter : Crazy Homeless Guy
        
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        RepealAndReplace says:
        
        July 28, 2017 at 1:06 pm
        
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      2. RepealAndReplace says:
        
        July 28, 2017 at 1:06 pm
        
        afraid to fight for anything but the most bland solutions
        
        Bland solutions are within the realm of the possible. We saw last night how successful people are when they push extreme solutions which are only supported by a fringe element in one party.
        
        What makes you think the extreme left is any more palatable than the extreme right?
        
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