Scott Walker—Another Day, Another Lie

Scott Walker in free fall, latest Aug-Sept 2015
Quinnipiac University Poll

It did not take long for Scott Walker to get up and lying today.

Appearing from Detroit on the Morning Joe program, Walker offered his own version of the legislative history of ObamaCare.

After first explaining his campaign meltdown as mere "shaking things up," Walker paid homage to dear leader Ronald Reagan and other Republican nostrums, before answering other questions.

"Democrats used 51 votes to pass ObamaCare," said Walker dodging a question asking if
Walker's supporting congressional Republicans' threats to close down the government if Congress does not defund Planned Parenthood.

Walker's point was not responsive, and is factually incorrect, another Walker lie.

Reality Land 

In reality land where the bold Wisconsin governor rarely visits, on December 24, 2009 the U.S. Senate passed ObamaCare (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)) 60-39 with one senator, (Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky)), not voting (New York Times). See also Library of Congress legislative history.

The ACA is also one of the most marked-up and deliberated pieces of legislation to ever pass Congress.

The 60 votes were necessary to stave off a Republican filibuster, in which only 41 votes dictated the fate of legislation.

The Democratic-led bill also included many Republican amendments and requested changes.

"The Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passe[d] The Affordable Health Choices Act [on July 15, 2009). The bipartisan bill includes more than 160 Republican amendments accepted during the month-long mark-up, one of the longest in congressional history," notes Emily Smith at CNN.

ObamaCare would have included the public option, defeated in the Senate Finance Committee in September 2009 after two Democratic senators who took massive donations from the health insurance industry defected and voted against the public option. (Pear and Calmes, NYT)

Sen. Joe Lieberman like Scott Walker, heavily supported by money from the health insurance industry, promised to filibuster any legislation with a public option that made it to the senate floor. (ThinkProgess)

After Senate Republicans refused an up-or-down vote on this historic legislation, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) acted.

In 2009, Senate Republicans plotted to obstruct not just health care reform, but any piece of legislation that would have helped the American people, the Republican rationale being if anything helped people, it could also politically benefit Obama. (MacAskill, The Guardian) (Grunwald, Time Magazine)

No one could reason with Republicans sabotaging America for political gain.

"In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader Harry Reid says Democrats will use 'reconciliation,' needing only 51 votes, to pass the health care bill," notes Smith at CNN.

Again, to emphasize, the 60 votes were necessary to stave off a Republican filibuster, in which only 41 votes dictated the fate of the legislation.

The preeminent social historian of American medical care, Paul Starr, calls the ACA a "stunning historical achievement and the most important liberal reform since the 1960s." (Mal Contends)

ObameCare was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.

Does Scott Walker read?