Reid Bribed Senators To Support ObamaCare

Isn't it strange that bribery is SUPPOSED to be a bad thing, and yet it happens every day in the United States Congress? When Democrat leaders were trying to get votes to pass their ObamaCare bill, they bribed Representatives with funding and special provisions. Anything to get it passed.

Now the Senate has done the same thing. Senators Nelson, Sanders, and Levin all received special considerations (i.e. bribes) to switch their votes.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30815.html

Ben Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback,” as the GOP is calling it, got all the attention Saturday, but other senators lined up for deals as Majority Leader Harry Reid corralled the last few votes for a health reform package.

Nelson’s might be the most blatant – a deal carved out for a single state, a permanent exemption from the state share of Medicaid expansion for Nebraska, meaning federal taxpayers have to kick in an additional $45 million in the first decade.

But another Democratic holdout, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), took credit for $10 billion in new funding for community health centers, while denying it was a “sweetheart deal.” He was clearly more enthusiastic about a bill he said he couldn’t support just three days ago.

Nelson and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) carved out an exemption for non-profit insurers in their states from a hefty excise tax. Similar insurers in the other 48 states will pay the tax.

Vermont and Massachusetts were given additional Medicaid funding, another plus for Sanders and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Three states – Pennsylvania, New York and Florida – all won protections for their Medicare Advantage beneficiaries at a time when the program is facing cuts nationwide.

All of this came on top of a $300 million increase for Medicaid in Louisiana, designed to win the vote of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Under pressure from the White House to get a deal done by Christmas, Reid was unapologetic. He argued that, by definition, legislating means deal making and defended the special treatment for Nelson’s home state of Nebraska.

Reid may call it "legislating," but I call it bribery. From the dictionary, a bribe is:

1. money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person, esp. in that person's performance as an athlete, public official, etc.: The motorist offered the arresting officer a bribe to let him go.

2. anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good.

Now, keeping in mind what Reid gave those three Senators, all of whom had previously opposed the bill at one point or another, you be the judge. Did Reid bribe them?

I think he did. But what do YOU think?