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Mark Udall Joins Call For Public Option
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO)
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Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) today announced his support for passing a public option via reconciliation.
"As part of reform, [Udall] continues to feel that inclusion of a public option to go head-to-head with private insurers could play a significant role in bringing down costs and offering more affordable options to Coloradans," his office said in a statement. "He thinks it's important that such a plan -- like the one approved in the House bill -- negotiate reimbursement rates while competing on a level playing field with the private sector, and if such a plan comes up for a vote under the reconciliation process, he would vote for it."
Udall joins 31 other senators in supporting passing the measure by a simple majority. Of those, 24 have signed a letter written by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) urging the leadership to pass a public option using reconciliation.
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ottis
March 2, 2010 3:09 PM
What was that? McConnell working on a closed door deal. I thought he was opposed to that kind of government. Just when the Democrats do it I suppose.
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ottis
March 2, 2010 3:11 PM in reply to ottis
Sorry, wrong story.
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Michael A
March 2, 2010 3:34 PM
Ok, 32, that means we need 18 more and we got 51, with the vp.
By the way, why can't the public option allegedly be passed by reconciliation? It would be a budgetary issue, funding the option.
Also, why in the f*ck not just expand medicare for all by 51 votes and stop this insanity?
I really don't understand.
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holyhandgrenaid
March 2, 2010 3:54 PM in reply to Michael A
Getting the rest of the way there might be tricky.
If it gets to a vote, we'll see Dorgan, Harkin, Dodd, and (I personally believe, regardless of his statements otherwise) Rockefeller, even if we don't hear firm endorsements from them in advance.
That's 37 (http://whipcongress.com/ says they have 33 right now)
The next folks to watch (I think) are Akaka, Kaufman, Webb, and maybe Begich. 41.
Then it gets tricky. We can write off Ben Nelson, Lincoln, Landrieu, and Lieberman... that leaves us with only 14 other uncommitted senators.
Gettable: (I think): Kohl, McCaskill, Tester, Pryor, Warner. Several of these are pretty iffy though
A reach, depending very much on the momentum of the push at that point, these 5's objections are liable to be procedureal: Byrd, Baucus, Conrad, Feingold, Cantwell (Byrd and Feingld don't like reconciliation in general, Cantwell has made some less-than enthusiastic noises, and I don't need to explain the other 2).
Bayh is a wild card. Very conservative, but retiring. I also think that Bill Nelson, Carper, and Hagan are wild cards.
50 is doable, but we can only afford to lose 5(!) of: Kohl, McCaskill, Tester, Warner, Pryor, Byrd, Feingold, Baucus, Conrad, Cantwell, Bayh, Bill Nelson, Carper and Hagan.
A very tall order, I think
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mans_best_friend
March 2, 2010 4:11 PM in reply to holyhandgrenaid
"50 is doable, but we can only afford to lose 5(!) of: Kohl, McCaskill, Tester, Warner, Pryor, Byrd, Feingold, Baucus, Conrad, Cantwell, Bayh, Bill Nelson, Carper and Hagan."
Baucus and Conrad were responsible for killing the PO in the Finance Committee. The chances they'll support it now are slim and none, and slim just walked out the door. Carper has already said he'd vote no. Bayh (D-Wellpoint) - not a chance. Pryor and Hagan - nope. That's six already, and the others are all longshots. At best you might get 3 or 4 from this list.
"A very tall order, I think"
An understatement of the first order.
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holyhandgrenaid
March 2, 2010 4:40 PM in reply to mans_best_friend
I was trying to be as optimistic as possible when I worked that through, but I'm inclined to agree with you in general.
However, I am rather less pessimistic about Pryor than you are. Sure hes conservative, but hes seldom, if ever, been a liability this congress, partly because he has so long before his next election, and he ran unopposed in 2008.
I'm also less pessimistic about Bayh, but again, not especially optimistic either.
That said, the only *likely* pickups in that list are Kohl, McCaskill, Tester, Cantwell, maybe Byrd (although unlikely), and Feingold (he wouldn't stand in the way if it came down to it). Warner and Bill Nelson remain wild cards IMHO.
So, absolute best case scenario, that's 49. In the unlikely scenario we get that far, I believe one of Bayh, Pryor, Baucus, Conrad, or Hagan could be persuaded to flip- either Baucus or Bayh I think (the latter only because of retirement).
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mans_best_friend
March 2, 2010 4:49 PM in reply to holyhandgrenaid
I'd call your *likely* pickups more like *remotely possible*. They'd have to run the table on all of them and even then they'd have to count on persuading one of the recalcitrant remainder to bend. Not happening. The votes just aren't there and yet people keep insisting they are. Why do people think they can count votes better than the White House and Reid/Durbin?
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holyhandgrenaid
March 2, 2010 4:55 PM in reply to mans_best_friend
I don't this was intended as an academic exercise. I'm probably wrong on a variety of fronts here. I used the asterix's for a reason.
I think its all a distraction, but I do enjoy seeing who signs onto the letter, or at least endorses it.
I trust the powers that be on the vote count issue, I assure you. I just also like to speculate.
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mans_best_friend
March 2, 2010 5:06 PM in reply to holyhandgrenaid
Oh, I agree it's useful to count votes. I just wish more people would do so before announcing that they're "almost there". So far the only one who's announced for the PO that wasn't wholeheartedly for it before is Amy Klobuchar. She was more or less a fence-sitter. When one of the people on your list announces they're for the PO it will be news. Until then...*YAWN*.
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AJM
March 2, 2010 5:13 PM
Hmm, how many other states out there have potential Halters?
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rhytonen
March 11, 2010 5:44 AM
I am OUTRAGED at Durbin's attitude on the Public Option, and VERY wary of POTUS-->Biden on overruling the Parliamentarian - which he has the power to do with 50 votes on ANY issue during Reconciliation.
In such an event, I'm afraid I would have to admit our Pres. is in the pockets of Big Insurance. And I would then embark on a full time campaign (I'm retired - so, all day, every day) to get him un-elected.
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