"And I will stop getting those tasty donations from Corporate America if I support the people instead. I know who keeps me in Washington getting all the perks of Senatorhood."

Yes, the sainted, principled Olympia Snowe job cares more about the health of the insurance industry than the people she's supposed to be representing. For that matter, she also revealed she cares more about the insurance industry than the budget deficit, since the public option will lower the cost of health care reform. What a wonderful influence on this debate she's having!

"A public option at the forefront really does put the government in a disproportionate position with respect to the industry,"

If she believes this then how can she support her own trigger? In theory, if the insurance cos. don't comply, the trigger will kick in. But that public option would, by her definition, destory private insurers.

She's talking out of her ass. She wants to be a player and she's worried that the Dems no longer need her vote. If they are bluffing, she is trying to call their bluff. If they aren't bluffing - ie, they don't need her vote - she wasn't going to get her trigger anyway and her vote wouldn't mean squat - nobody gets credit for being vote #61 on cloture. So she can vote against it on the charge that she doesn't like the public option. Folks in Maine will re-elect her regardless and she won't be as hated by the base crazies and the rest of her party as she would be if she were the deciding vote. But she risk that if she looked like the hero - ie, her trigger idea and cloture vote saved healthcare reform. (again, because folks in Maine will re-elect her regardless and getting her name in the history books is worth facing their ire of her GOP colleagues and the crazy GOP base - almost none of whom live in Maine)

I'll try that again. Blockquotes didn't seem to work.

...she's opposed to any public option's inclusion in a health care bill because it gives the government too much control of the health care industry...

How so? The public option will insure those people whom the private insurers are rejecting. Why should those non-customers of the insurance companies make any difference to them?

It sounds like "We won't insure them and we won't let anyone else insure them either." Is that what you stand for Sen. Snowe? How fucking noble of you.