memeorandum: Cloture vote foreshadows conference tussle over final healthcare bill (Kevin Bogardus/The Hill)

1:50 AM ET, December 21, 2009

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Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:

Cloture vote foreshadows conference tussle over final healthcare bill — As the Senate prepares for the dead-of-night cloture vote on its healthcare reform bill, lawmakers in both chambers have already begun jockeying over what the final bill should look like.

Discussion: The Politico

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

CBO pegs Nelson's deal for Nebraska at $100 million — Nebraska will receive $100 million in assistance for its Medicaid program under provisions in the Senate's healthcare bill negotiated by Sen. Ben Nelson (D). — The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) informed lawmakers on Sunday night …

Discussion: Associated Press, Michelle Malkin, YID With LID and Weekly Standard

Sue / ChattahBox News Blog:

Stupak Ready to Pounce, Vows to Kill ‘Unacceptable’ Nelson Abortion Deal — (ChattahBox)— Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) is not finished making trouble for his Democratic colleagues, as the Senate's health reform bill makes its way to the House to be reconciled with the House bill.

Discussion: The Politico, Hit & Run, The Moderate Voice, American Power, The Washington Independent, Wake up America and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Wall Street Journal:

Pivotal Senate Health Vote Looms — WASHINGTON — The Senate is marching toward a Christmas Eve vote on the biggest health-care legislation since the passage of Medicare 45 years ago, and its version is likely to form the template for the final bill that President Barack Obama hopes to sign next month.

Discussion: Think Progress and ChattahBox News Blog

Riverdaughter / The Confluence:

The abortion “compromise” doesn't make the health care reform bill good — Nebraska: Allowing gender inequality one state at a time! — Time has the lowdown on what Harry Reid had to offer Ben Nelson in order for him to sign on to the health care reform bill:

Discussion: Reclusive Leftist and Swampland

Michelle Malkin:
Sunday showdown: The Senate's Demcare treachery

Discussion: Congress Matters, News from www.nptelegraph.com, Omaha World-Herald, Gateway Pundit, And So it Goes in Shreveport, The Other McCain, Small Business …, Riehl World View and Weekly Standard

msnbc.com:
Dec. 20: Axelrod, Dean, roundtable

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Washington Note and Think Progress

Timothy Noah / Slate:
The deal that won Sen. Harry Reid (we think) a filibuster-proof …

Discussion: Commentary, The New Republic and Daily Kos

ABCNews.com: ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ Transcript: Axelrod, Durbin, Kyl

Chris Frates / The Politico:
House Dems cool to Nelson compromise

Discussion: Wonk Room and The Page

The Huffington Post:

Feingold: Obama Responsible For Loss Of Public Option — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) formally announced on Sunday that he would support the Senate's final version of health care reform. But in doing so he cast blame for the loss of a public option …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Politico and New York Times

Jacob S. Hacker / The New Republic:

Why I Still Believe in This Bill — Jacob S. Hacker is the Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science at Yale University. An expert on the politics of U.S. health and social policy, he is author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books and articles, both scholarly and popular …

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Daily Dish, The Huffington Post, Raw Story, The Politico and Jack & Jill Politics

Jon Walker / Firedoglake:
The Insidious Myth Of The Progressive “Bill Killers”

Discussion: Hullabaloo, FiveThirtyEight, Politico Live's Blog and Open Left

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Can Stupak Kill Obamacare in the House?

Discussion: Don Surber and Scared Monkeys

Joe Biden / New York Times:
Why the Senate Should Vote Yes on Health Care

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, The Impolitic, This ain't Hell …, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog News, RedState, Washington Monthly, The Page, The Hill, Prescriptions, Jules Crittenden, Talking Points Memo and Outside The Beltway

The Note:

A Whodunit: The $100 million mystery hospital — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: — The health reform Christmas gifts for Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska are well known . But somewhere out there is another good little legislator who got funding for a hospital in their state.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Corner on National … and Power Line

BBC:

Stolen Auschwitz ‘Arbeit macht frei’ sign found — Hundreds of thousands of people passed under the sign to their deaths — The “Arbeit macht frei” sign stolen from Auschwitz in southern Poland has been found in the north and five men have been arrested, police say.

Discussion: Political Byline, YID With LID and Truthdig

Douglas Elmendorf / Director's Blog:

Correction Regarding the Longer-Term Effects of the Manager's Amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — CBO has discovered an error in the cost estimate released yesterday related to the longer-term budgetary effects of the manager's amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Discussion: TPMDC and The Politico

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
CBO issues correction: Health bill nixes deficit less than thought

Discussion: NO QUARTER, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Michelle Malkin and Prairie Weather

TMZ.com:

Brittany Murphy Dies — Brittany Murphy died early this morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, multiple sources tell TMZ. — She was 32. — A 911 call was made at 8:00 AM from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband …

Discussion: Political Byline, People.com, Shakesville and /Film

Annalee Newitz / io9:

When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like “Avatar”? — Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it's about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy. Spoilers...

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money, The Agonist, Whatever, The Reaction and Liberal Values

Manu Raju / The Politico:

Cooped-up senators turn cranky — Senators are suffering from cabin fever — and it has nothing to do with the snowstorm that socked Washington over the weekend. — A marathon session of early-morning, late-night and weekend votes — all coming after senators are typically home for the holidays …

Discussion: Wonkette and Raw Story

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

POOR CHESS PLAYERS.... If it seemed as if the vast majority of Senate Democrats were acting with a stronger-than-expected commitment to getting health care done this year, it wasn't an accident. … Now, I happen to like that sentiment quite a bit, but let's pause to appreciate who made it: Evan Bayh?

Discussion: Liberal Values, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, DownWithTyranny!, Donklephant and TalkLeft