Appearing on Fox News' Hannity following his arrest for charges relating to an alleged plot involving Sen. Mary Landrieu's phones, James O'Keefe repeatedly falsely suggested that Landrieu had received a $300 million bribe in return for a vote on health care reform legislation. In fact, Landrieu did not receive $300 million; rather, the Senate version of the health care bill included a provision that could give $300 million to Louisiana Medicaid to deal with the fallout from Hurricane Katrina.
Pipsqueak James (The Pimp) O'Keefe is getting on my nerves. Who would ever believe that he is a pimp, anyway?
Republican Senator David Vitter said:
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said Landrieu's actions and the controversy that followed it hurt the merits and prospects of state congressional members to securing future federal Medicaid dollars.
"I'm afraid that legitimate arguments in favor of the Louisiana hurricane-Medicaid fix will never be focused on now because of the deal-making over the Obama health-care bill," Vitter said.
Republican Governor Bobby Jindal said:
Without Landrieu's language, Louisiana's federal assistance for Medicaid will be cut because the state's post-Hurricane Katrina economic surge temporarily drove up average income in the state because of government aid and high-paying reconstruction jobs. The federal share of Medicaid aid is higher for states with lower average incomes. State officials have argued the state shouldn't be penalized for an artificial, temporary per-capita income boost.
"Louisiana only asked to stay where we were; to have the same payment schedule that we've always had," Landrieu said.
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration and much of the state congressional delegation have publicly sought a fix to the temporary drop in federal Medicaid match money for Louisiana, though Jindal and most of the state's congressmen oppose the Democrat's health care bill.
Republican Louisiana Secretary of Health and Hospitals said:
While the Republican National Committee immediately charged that Landrieu has made a "backroom deal with (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid for her support of the government takeover of our health care system,'' Alan Levine, Louisiana secretary of health and hospitals in the Jindal administration, said that even those who oppose the bill ought to be grateful that Landrieu used her leverage to try to fix the state's so-called "FMAP'' problem.
"Look,'' said Levine, who has been lobbying the administration and Congress on the FMAP issue for eight months, "it's good to have a senator in a position to be able to make demands like that.''
"While I don't support the bill, she is doing the best she can to help the state, and she should be applauded,'' he said.
No bribe, Jimmy. An earmark maybe, but an earmark that Mary Landrieu did right to insist upon. My necessity is your earmark and vice versa. I'm just saying.
From MediaMatters
Jimmy is a real piece of work. I do hope he gets a good bit of time in jail.
ReplyDeleteU S Attorney Jim Letton recused himself from the Landrieu phone tampering case. One of the four who was involved, Robert Flanagan, is the son of the acting U S Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
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