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Snowe Pessimistic About Triggers
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Yesterday Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said he'd filibuster a health care bill if it contains a public option. Many reporters and analysts took this as a sign that an alternative political strategy of courting Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who prefers the public option only as a fall back, would re-emerge.
Well, Snowe herself disagrees.
"I don't see how you get to 60 [votes to replace the public option with a trigger]," Snowe told reporters last night.
Having a public option in the bill, she said, will "make it infinitely more difficult to change that on the floor...I just don't see how that works."
For what it's worth, Lieberman also said he opposes the trigger option yesterday, too. So he's not necessarily making a public push to get Snowe back into the game.
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ogliberal
October 28, 2009 10:00 AM
Lieberman even opposes a trigger? Whan an incredible douchebag. Such a child...this all because he's still pissed about 2006, even though Reid and Obama bent over backwards to let the guy remain in the caucus with his seniority and committee chair, even though most of the Dems wanted him kicked to the curb.
He's bluffing. Harry would be wise to call that bluff.
I think what Snowe is saying here is not necessarily that she and some of the conservative Dems won't vote for a trigger-based plan. I think she's concluded that there are enough progressives who would vote against it.
Or, she could be saying that she'd rather see it as an amendment added on the floor, one that she could introduce and have her name attached to. Since Harry isn't including the trigger in the initial bill, that's still a possibility and it could be the bone that the WH and Reid are holding out for her. (if they need her vote) Senators have huge egos and being a part of history is important to them. That's why Baucus is no all "rah-rah" reform, even one with a PO in it. And that's why Olympia may be holding out for a trigger amendment introduced/co-sponsored by her. If Reid includes it initially, it's his trigger, not hers.
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George C
October 28, 2009 1:10 PM in reply to ogliberal
It's really interesting. Let's assume that for whatever reason, Reid can't get 60 votes to break the filibuster of a bill with "opt out" in it. If he then turns to the "trigger", the progressives have no argument with him -- they tried and missed by one or two. If the best the Dems can get is the trigger plus 60, then Reid will drag the caucus with him, something he couldn't do had he done it the way the WH wanted. End up in the same place, of course.
At that point, Lieberman can be shown the aisle.
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rstephen
October 28, 2009 1:51 PM
LIEberman's only goal is the Republican goal - to kill health care reform if he can. So he will necessarily end up voting however Snowe votes. If Snowe votes against cloture and Democrats need LIEberman's vote, he will relish stabbing them in the back. But if Snowe votes for cloture and they don't need his vote, he will vote for cloture too because he doesn't want to give Democrats a good reason to take away his committee chairmanship while not accomplishing his goal.
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