Cantwell becomes 45th reconciliation supporter, 37th public option supporter

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 11:26


Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has signed the Bennet letter on the public option.  That makes 35 signatories.  Here are the updated whip count totals:

Question #1: Open to using reconciliation to finish health reform?
Yes: 45
Maybe: 5
Nope: 1
No comment: 8

Question #2: Include a public option in reconciliation bill?
Yes: 37
Maybe: 4
No: 6
No comment: 12

Question #1 remains vitally important, as the House will not take up the Senate health reform bill until the Senate proves to House leaders that the Senate has enough votes to pass a "fix" to the Senate bill through budget reconciliation.  On that front, Sherrod Brown makes a bold prediction:

Sen Sherrod Brown predicts Dems will get 52-57 votes for reconciliation on health care reform in the Senate

The higher end of that range sounds about right.  So far, only one Senator, Blanche Lincoln, has come out in opposition to using reconciliation to pass health reform.

As far as the public option is concerned, the only chance it has is to be included in the reconciliation bill that will pass the House a couple of days after the House passes the Senate health reform bill.  Tom Harkin has already declared that the Senate will not add a public option to that reconciliation bill if the House does not include one.  So, if the House does not send the Senate a reconciliation bill that includes the public option, the public option is dead once and for all.

The clock is ticking.  Only about two weeks left until the House takes up a reconciliation bill.

Chris Bowers :: Cantwell becomes 45th reconciliation supporter, 37th public option supporter

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Cantwell becomes 45th reconciliation supporter, 37th public option supporter | 14 comments
Will there be any amendments? (4.00 / 1)
I think that the only way for a credible committment by the Senate is to have a finished reconcilation bill before the House votes on the original Senate Bill.

This would mean no amendments, neither in the House nor in the Senate.

What am I missing?

Well, that isn't going to happen (0.00 / 0)
Credible commitments or not, the House will be sending the Senate the reconciliation bill first.
[ Parent ]
Sure, but... (4.00 / 1)
Do you see a majority in the House for the original Senate Bill without 51 Senators declaring that they will vote for the fix?

Do you see Senators declaring that they will vote for the fix without having a (basically) final version?

If the answer for both questions in "No", you will need the fix finished before the first voth on the 19th.

[ Parent ]
I agreee. It's still a quality v. quantity thing. (0.00 / 0)
And rightfully so, in my book.

Nationalism is not the same thing as terrorism, and an adversary is not the same thing as an enemy.
[ Parent ]
process question (0.00 / 0)
If the House votes on a reconciliation bill with a public option and comes up short, can they then vote on a version without a public option and send that to the Senate? Or do they only have one bite at this apple?

miasmo.com
[ Parent ]
House Whip Count? (4.00 / 3)
Do we need to start a House PO Whip Count?  Because I get the feeling some asshole will say -- without any actual data -- that the PO doesn't have the votes in the House this time around and of course every congress critter will nod along as if it were a fact.

I'm asking you, Chris Bowers.

Chris is a step ahead of this Hot Potato (PO) contest... (4.00 / 2)

http://www.openleft.com/diary/...

and you predicted,Chris, (and in some ways contributed to) the Potato falls back into the lap of Madam Speaker. For the Sen.Leadership (Harkin,Rockerfeller cum Conrad and their stammering and stuttering all week) is releived to toss it over and Nancy says "bring it on". Of course it will go into the refrigerator to cool it down until we can heat it up again. This Potato will never die you know, its a matter of who has the greater will. The WH never had it, both the Senate and Majority do have the WILL and we need to encourage them. It may means that you may need to mobilize your volunteer army again with a House Whip Count.
It has worked well so far... so lets keep it up, the potato that is.

[ Parent ]
That whip count is for any sidecar (0.00 / 0)
not specifically one with a PO.
[ Parent ]
Right, and that's what I mean. (0.00 / 0)
However, the link pam49 gave had a set procedure where we first have to get a sidecar bill put together in the first place and we still don't know exactly what will be made into law in the first main HCR bill, so I suppose it would be a little tricky to get Representatives to commit now to a bill that hasn't even been written yet to amend a bill that hasn't even been passed yet.
[ Parent ]
They can lay down a broad principle (4.00 / 1)
like, "I will NOT vote for any sidecar that does not have a public option.  The sidecar MUST contain a public option to secure my vote."
[ Parent ]
The PO is their exploding carrot ..to us.. (4.00 / 1)
Wasn't it strange that both Harkin and Rockefeller, two 'champions' of the PO are the two who've publicly said it will likely not be included?  
They want to pass the bill they've written, the one everyone hates, and don't want to include the one thing everyone wants the PO because they say it will kill their wonderful bill.
Hoyer in the House has been ready to throw it out for months and continues to look for excuses to do just that, from blaming it on first the Senate and now the President
Here's Hoyer last August:
Trust but verify.
 
"A day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that health reform won't get through the House without a public option, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Friday that the public option may have to go in order to get a bill passed."

(http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26335.html)
Here's Hoyer last week:
 
"I think the public option can pass in the House. But it's not in the President's proposal," Hoyer said in response to a question from TPM.
   "I think it is obviously an item the President has decided-he was for the public option as well-decided is not something that perhaps the Senate can buy," he said.

(http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/02/23/steny-hoyer-passes-public-option-hot-potato-back-to-senate-and-obama/)

I don't think this is so much as a game of hot potato as it is a blatant con game by the same players.
Right on cue, Hoyer said today they may not meet the Presidents Easter deadline.  What a surprise.

Nationalism is not the same thing as terrorism, and an adversary is not the same thing as an enemy.

[ Parent ]
2 extra (0.00 / 0)
Who are the extra two senators?  35 signatures, but you say 37 above. What gives?
Its 35 Signatories to the Bennet letter and (0.00 / 0)
add 2 more who support the PO passing thru reconciliation but don't prefer to sign the letter.

The votes are there.. according to public statements by several of Sen. in Decmber Some have more courage to state their support than others.

[ Parent ]
I find it odd (0.00 / 0)
that now that the President has come out in favor of using reconciliation, more on-the-fence Senators have not endorsed that route.  Only Cantwell so far since Obama's speech.

I think it's vitally important to get to 50 commitments.

Cantwell becomes 45th reconciliation supporter, 37th public option supporter | 14 comments
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