House's healthcare debate: Oratory by Twitter

There are chairmen who run a meeting with an iron fist, but in Congress such control often requires the ready compliance of those ruled.

And in the healthcare debate, that will be a rarity.

Sitting in the top chair, Rep. Jose Serrano, a Bronx Democrat, had to remind a Republican colleague from Tennessee that she had to stop after she had used up her one minute for debate.

One minute to speak on the most pressing issue facing Congress? Think of it as oratory by Twitter.

The debate will be four hours divided among committees, so time is precious. Many of the comments will never be heard, just reported in the transcript.

Of course, today’s debate isn’t likely to change any minds, because the issue has been discussed in the party caucuses. Rather, the comments are for media and public consumption.

--Michael Muskal
twitter.com/LATimesmuskal

Comments

[james]

I can not understand how a Rep Ken Calvert can vote against the Health Care Reform Bill. I can do a better job. Health care can not be off shored. I have not heard of his plan. Again, another Rep. who can think. Does he understand the Health industry spend about $220 billion every year in paper work, the adminstration cost our health plan. This is not over ten years, but a yearly cost. I can believe this person has not heard of how IT could be used lower cost. There applications using role-base accesc control to help secure Electronic Medical Records. Also, when is the Rep. going to fix the Bank/Financial business. We gave these folks more money and they are holding onto this money. I want to know when he plan to use SOX law to put away some of these bankers. In these Rep. distract we have high unemployment and hight foreclourses. Yet, I have not heard of any plan or bill that this Rep has supported.