Sunday, October 18, 2009
Health Care Legislation From The Horse’s Mouth
WASHINGTON DC - Maine Senator Olympia Snowe says her long-standing admiration of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans influenced her position on national health care legislation. “As a child I loved their shows on radio and television and my favorite character was Roy’s horse Trigger,” she reflects.
“With all the horse trading going on in the Senate Finance Committee it dawned on me to propose a trigger mechanism for the public option,” she explains. “Horses, mane, and Trigger all go together like love and marriage,” says the Maine senator.
While many political pundits predicted the Maine pol would switch parties following the election of President Obama, Snowe points out the advantages of staying with the minority. “As a Democrat I would be a little fish in a big pond; as a Republican I’m a big fish in a little cesspool,” she argues.
Snowe insists a trigger mechanism in the health care legislation would be sufficient to prod the insurance companies to change their ways. “If in five years these companies fail to offer quality health insurance at affordable rates we will line up all the CEOs at the Arlington National Cemetery and pull the trigger,” she explains.
The Maine Senator says she has already supported runaway spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and fears there is now little money left to provide health insurance for all Americans. “It’s just like people from my State spending all their money on snowmobiles and four-wheelers and not having anything left for food, health care and shelter,” she points out. “When they come to the government for help we should teach personal responsibility and tell them to eat cake.”
Snowe has never been accused of being trigger-happy and admits being influenced by another western heroine, Annie Oakley, who proclaimed “you can’t get a man with a gun.” “I told then governor John McKernan he was acting like the rear end of a horse concerning gun control and he immediately proposed marriage,” she recalls. “Now he’s hoofing around the State while I take care of business in Washington.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Snowe’s disloyalty is another good reason to ban women and minorities from the white-man’s party. “We don’t need some female gun control supporter taking potshots at our strategy to discredit the Obama Administration,” he declaired.
As the only Republican to consider voting for an overhaul of the country’s health care system, Snowe has received more media attention than any Democrat and even the president himself. After years of relative obscurity she is now the focal point on health care legislation in the Senate. “As Roy would say, I’m back in the saddle again,” she announced. “Or was that Gene? All these conservative westerners now look the same to me.”
“With all the horse trading going on in the Senate Finance Committee it dawned on me to propose a trigger mechanism for the public option,” she explains. “Horses, mane, and Trigger all go together like love and marriage,” says the Maine senator.
While many political pundits predicted the Maine pol would switch parties following the election of President Obama, Snowe points out the advantages of staying with the minority. “As a Democrat I would be a little fish in a big pond; as a Republican I’m a big fish in a little cesspool,” she argues.
Snowe insists a trigger mechanism in the health care legislation would be sufficient to prod the insurance companies to change their ways. “If in five years these companies fail to offer quality health insurance at affordable rates we will line up all the CEOs at the Arlington National Cemetery and pull the trigger,” she explains.
The Maine Senator says she has already supported runaway spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and fears there is now little money left to provide health insurance for all Americans. “It’s just like people from my State spending all their money on snowmobiles and four-wheelers and not having anything left for food, health care and shelter,” she points out. “When they come to the government for help we should teach personal responsibility and tell them to eat cake.”
Snowe has never been accused of being trigger-happy and admits being influenced by another western heroine, Annie Oakley, who proclaimed “you can’t get a man with a gun.” “I told then governor John McKernan he was acting like the rear end of a horse concerning gun control and he immediately proposed marriage,” she recalls. “Now he’s hoofing around the State while I take care of business in Washington.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Snowe’s disloyalty is another good reason to ban women and minorities from the white-man’s party. “We don’t need some female gun control supporter taking potshots at our strategy to discredit the Obama Administration,” he declaired.
As the only Republican to consider voting for an overhaul of the country’s health care system, Snowe has received more media attention than any Democrat and even the president himself. After years of relative obscurity she is now the focal point on health care legislation in the Senate. “As Roy would say, I’m back in the saddle again,” she announced. “Or was that Gene? All these conservative westerners now look the same to me.”
