Comments on: Why the public option is not dead just because it’s in Reid’s hands http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/ Obsessive political analysis Sun, 19 May 2013 02:59:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Taniel http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37733 Taniel Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:30:43 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37733 Cliff, I don't believe anything in the bill right now is the sort of thing that would make pro-life Democrats balk and vote against it, so that 70 figure doesn't look like it will have an impact on vote-counting. There are a number of Blue Dogs who have expressed opposition to the plan - but then again there have been some Democrats who've bucked their party on pretty much every vote except the one for Speaker. Here again, this doesn't look like it will be decisive for now. The third group of Democrats Pelosi will have to win over are progressives, and here there is a very large group - about 60 - who has pledged to vote against any bill that doesn't have a robust public option. If the Senate wins the day in the conference committee, Obama will have to make a lot of threats and phone calls to convince about 2/3rds of that group to go back on their word. Cliff, I don’t believe anything in the bill right now is the sort of thing that would make pro-life Democrats balk and vote against it, so that 70 figure doesn’t look like it will have an impact on vote-counting.

There are a number of Blue Dogs who have expressed opposition to the plan - but then again there have been some Democrats who’ve bucked their party on pretty much every vote except the one for Speaker. Here again, this doesn’t look like it will be decisive for now.

The third group of Democrats Pelosi will have to win over are progressives, and here there is a very large group - about 60 - who has pledged to vote against any bill that doesn’t have a robust public option. If the Senate wins the day in the conference committee, Obama will have to make a lot of threats and phone calls to convince about 2/3rds of that group to go back on their word.

]]> By: fritz http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37710 fritz Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:35:42 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37710 As I mentioned in the last post the best way the so called anti PO Democrats can stop the Public Option is to band together to support one of the PO light options (trigger, op-in, op-out etc.)The fact they haven't done this yet says to me that they are not going to vote against cloture in the end. I don't think anyone knows what Reid's PO position really is. He seems to be all things to all people and would be a great poker player. How he plays this hand will dictate how he does in 2010. As I mentioned in the last post the best way the so called anti PO Democrats can stop the Public Option is to band together to support one of the PO light options (trigger, op-in, op-out etc.)The fact they haven’t done this yet says to me that they are not going to vote against cloture in the end.
I don’t think anyone knows what Reid’s PO position really is. He seems to be all things to all people and would be a great poker player. How he plays this hand will dictate how he does in 2010.

]]> By: Cliff http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37709 Cliff Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:35:28 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37709 My question isn't so much the Senate, where it probably can get through, but the House. It's my understanding, there are a substantial number of democrats who are against the public option, and at least 70 that say they won't vote for anything that funds abortion. Since the bill is unlikely to get any Republican votes in the House, how are they going to bridge that divide? My question isn’t so much the Senate, where it probably can get through, but the House. It’s my understanding, there are a substantial number of democrats who are against the public option, and at least 70 that say they won’t vote for anything that funds abortion. Since the bill is unlikely to get any Republican votes in the House, how are they going to bridge that divide?

]]> By: Bob Fulkerson http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37686 Bob Fulkerson Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:51:30 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37686 Reid is fighting hard for the best health care bill possible, including a public option. He knows better than the PCCC how to accomplish this. Reid is fighting hard for the best health care bill possible, including a public option. He knows better than the PCCC how to accomplish this.

]]> By: Guy http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37676 Guy Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:04:56 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37676 It seems that there are others who share my view (as expressed on here a few weeks ago) that Reid is on thin-ice. If he continues to let a few conservative Dems decide what happens then he will go. I saw in another post somewhere "Rather 58 Dem senators and Chuck Schumer as Majority Leader than 60 Dem senators and Reid as leader". That sums up the choice at this moment. Will be interesting to see what Reid chooses to do. It seems that there are others who share my view (as expressed on here a few weeks ago) that Reid is on thin-ice. If he continues to let a few conservative Dems decide what happens then he will go. I saw in another post somewhere “Rather 58 Dem senators and Chuck Schumer as Majority Leader than 60 Dem senators and Reid as leader”. That sums up the choice at this moment. Will be interesting to see what Reid chooses to do.

]]> By: Taniel http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37668 Taniel Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:58:15 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37668 Panos, I haven't seen anything to indicate the opt-out or an opt-in plans have been ruled out. So we might very well see some version of that come out of the merger committee. I think Carper is more closely associated with the opt-in than the opt-out, by the way, and progressive groups would far more satisfied with the latter - especially as one version of Carper's proposal would not allow for states to create a "robust public option," tied to Medicare rates. Panos, I haven’t seen anything to indicate the opt-out or an opt-in plans have been ruled out. So we might very well see some version of that come out of the merger committee.

I think Carper is more closely associated with the opt-in than the opt-out, by the way, and progressive groups would far more satisfied with the latter - especially as one version of Carper’s proposal would not allow for states to create a “robust public option,” tied to Medicare rates.

]]> By: Panos http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/10/19/reid-and-the-po/comment-page-1/#comment-37667 Panos Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:53:33 +0000 http://campaigndiaries.com/?p=10256#comment-37667 Just a few days ago it seemed like Tom Carper's proposal of a public option with an opt-out choice for the states was gaining steam, even among conservative Democrats like Ben Nelson. Whatever happened to that? Just a few days ago it seemed like Tom Carper’s proposal of a public option with an opt-out choice for the states was gaining steam, even among conservative Democrats like Ben Nelson.
Whatever happened to that?

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