That didn’t take long, did it? I figured that Reid would make an offer Lieberman couldn’t refuse:
Sen. Joe Lieberman has reached a private understanding with Majority Leader Harry Reid that he will not block a final vote on healthcare reform, according to two sources briefed on the matter.
[...]
But sources said Reid’s staff is telling liberal interest groups that Lieberman (Conn.) has assured Reid he will vote with Democrats in the necessary procedural vote to end debate, perhaps with intentions to change the bill.
But Lieberman’s spokesman says his position hasn’t changed:
Lieberman’s spokesman said Monday that nothing has changed from last week, when the senator said he would support calling up the bill but would block a final vote.
“Sen. Lieberman has made it clear that he will vote for the motion to proceed to the healthcare bill but will oppose cloture on a final bill if it contains a public option because he believes that it would worsen our national debt problem,” said Lieberman aide Marshall Wittmann.
Lieberman is holding out for goodies and if he doesn’t get them, he might vote against final cloture (or not, he’s a Democrat at heart after all).
Here’s where they are on “yes” votes in the House. Wonder if any of this will change if the Republicans win their trifecta.
BTW, those House members who vote “yes” on the House bill will be voting for 111 new “bureaucracies.” Thanks, Dems! Just what we needed, a more bloated, ineffective federal government. They can’t even handle the bureaucracy they already have.
Update: At least one Blue Dog Democrat is willing to admit that a Republican trifecta would impact the healthcare vote:
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) argued that an election night rebuke for Democratic candidates across the nation could lead some in the party to rethink their plans on healthcare reform and other issues.
“It looks as though the anger that has been boiling up the last couple of months is going to lead to a pretty high turnout from Republicans and from people who are concerned about increased spending,” Altmire said Monday evening during an appearance on Fox Business Network.
“And I do think that if the results show Republicans have a pretty good night, that probably is going to lead some Democrats to think that, going into next year, we need to take a second look at the way that we’ve done a lot of bills we’ve addressed up to this point,” the Pennsylvania congressman added.
posted November 3, 2009 at 11:52 am
BTW, those House members who vote “yes” on the House bill will be voting for 111 new “bureaucracies.” Thanks, Dems! Just what we needed, a more bloated, ineffective federal government. They can’t even handle the bureaucracy they already have.
What galls you more, Michele? That the dems are spending your tax dollars to push paper around or that they’re doing ito to make sure regular people 9you know, the unwashed masses) have access to health care?
I know you repugnantcons would prefer they spent your tax dollars dropping more bombs instead of pushing more paper, but I guess that’s the price you pay for backing a bunch of wackos and losing your power base, nu? Seems to me when your side was running the show, you had no problem with unilateral action that impacted half of the nation in ways they found unconscionable. At least we’re not facing another couple hundred thousand brown bodies blown up for the sake of TV posturing.
“Oh no! My tax dollars are going to help people get access to medicine! What are we going to do??? We should just blow them up like we did in Iraq – that’s always worked for our side!”
Sucks to be out of power, doesn’t it? Thanks be to God that the Rightist nightmare machine’s batteries have run out of crazy-juice.
posted November 3, 2009 at 1:01 pm
If the republicans or even Lieberman had a good viable alternative that would actually help those without insurance, lower costs, reign in the power and greed of big insurance, and give incentives for smart people to continue taking up medical careers to increase the number of primary care providers, then I might, just might, take them seriously.
But no. They have none of this. They just want to be the party of No. No health care. No compassion. No limits to power and greed for their rich and powerful friends.
As for their sudden alleged sense of fiscal prudence, I’m not buying it. Bush gave us huge deficits and started appallingly expensive and destructive wars while enacting tax cuts. If they were truly fiscally prudent, they would have made some noise then.