Bunning Falls Asleep During Health Care Negotiations

Washington Post:

The Senate Finance Committee was barely an hour into its consideration of health-care reform on Tuesday morning, but Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) already knew where he stood.

"I do not support a government takeover of the health-care system," he railed. The proposal "confiscates more money from the taxpayers," he went on. "It tramples on American freedom and liberties."

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Raccoon1]

Someone with some talent with photoshop should put "open eyes" (like those on Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean) on Bunning's eyelids and circulate it like the Joker image of President Obama.

[mamalisa38]

In 2004, George W. Bush and the Republican party gave $950 million to Iraq for universal health care.

[NuAgeDok]

Its the bottom of the ninth for ol Jim

He's reached his pitch count

Baseball euphemisms aside it is time for the esteemed Senator from KY to sit on his porch, sip on a mint julip and watch the sunset . . .

[beac]

Good gawd, WHEN are we going to have mandatory retirement from the Senate just like every other profession?

[kid5rivers2]

Supreme Court judges?

[mockley]

It's bad news Jim Bunning fell asleep. It's worse news, however, that he woke up!

[kid5rivers2]

Good one! Like a former boss once said to me, "Kid! It's not half as much noticed where you drop to sleep as where you awake!"

[linzy]

He's retiring (i.e., not running in 2010) because he doesn't "like what his fellow Repubs are doing in the Senate/House or in their private lives. Sort of reminds me of the old Kinston Trio song, "the Merry Minuet" where the best line is: "...and I don't like anybody very much." Just dawned on me how relevant the lyrics in this ditty are still apropos even though they brought it out in the late 19950's. Does anything ever change?

[mimigrammy]

I have been listening to hearings today. When you do this, you know first hand who said what and in what context it was said, whether it was Dems, Repubs, or CBO. Then, you listen to 5 minutes of FOX and you know without question who is intentionally distorting facts to suit their networks bias opinion. There is no way FOX is stupid on all this. They know exactly what they are doing when they present their accounts of the hearing. Case in point; The cutting of subsidies to supplemental Advantage Plans as they relate to Medicare benefits. FOX reports Dems cutting benefits to seniors! when they cut 14% subsidy to Advantage. WRONG say CBO. The Senate bill cuts 14% of funding now going to subsidize Advantage. REALITY IS, the decision by UnitedHealthCare as to whether benefits are cut is theirs alone. TRUTH, UnitedHealthCare can choose to use some of the huge profits they make from Advantage and continue to provide the benefits, but Seniors without Advantage will no longer have to subsidize a plan they do not participate in.

[indi1216]

We should forgive him, after all most of the GOP'ers are pretty darn old.

[Raccoon1]

Is this the best use of our tax dollars?

[tnkeating]

Who wouldn't

[WilliamProc]

Isn't narcolepsy a pre-existing condition?

Shame we cant rescend his health insurance.

[wildedge]

Another useless, dishonest Republican politician - no news here (did anyone realy expect them to listen to the truth?

[donnabella]

yet another republican toady . . .

[MyOwnPerson172]

He has to catch up on his sleep when he can. Besides, he probably doesn't get a lot of sleep at night because of the nightmare that his favorite Insurance Companies might have to take less profit and may cut him off of his gravy train.

[jrmarsh]

Let's see, twittering on your blackberry during Obama's speech to joint session of congress, falling asleep during negotiations.

Doesn't seem to me like Republicans are too interested in this topic now does it?

Maybe they shouldn't have a say.

[Billar]

It happens, the older you are the easier it becomes to fall asleep in various places.