Jon Tester Favors Schumer's Public Option

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 21:00

I have just received word that Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) would vote in favor of Senator Schumer's "level playing field" public option.

This pushes the Senate whip count to 51, even without Joe Biden casting a tie-breaking vote.

Since there are now finally 60 active, voting Democrats, it is possible to break any Republican filibuster. Hell, it actually only requires 51 votes to break a filibuster, if Senators were more honest about process. Further, if they didn't even want to both with filibusters, they could always just go with reconciliation, since Tester now gives them enough votes even if Robert Byrd (who is opposed to using reconciliation for health care) defects.

Senate Democrats have the votes. No more process excuses. Pass the public option.

Chris Bowers :: Jon Tester Favors Schumer's Public Option

Tags: public option, health care, Senate, whip count, Jon Tester, (All Tags)

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Jon Tester Favors Schumer's Public Option | 17 comments

Level Playing Field Compromise (4.00 / 1)

For the record, do you actually think the "level playing field" compromise is better than the opt-out compromise? Personally, I think opt-out is much more promising.

by: Mark Matson @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 01:29:25 AM UTC

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As much as I dislike the idea (0.00 / 0)

the opt-out should help progressive Dems at the state level, and make for a great campaigning tool.

by: wobbly @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 01:42:44 AM UTC

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the opt-out will be for a national public option, yes? (0.00 / 0)

by: The Big Hurt @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 01:45:31 AM UTC

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yes (0.00 / 0)

A national public option will be set up, but states can elect to decline having that option available in their markets.

Personally I think that it might be preferable to have a robust public option in some or most states than a weak public option in all states. I think, though, that as long as we're going to "compromise" on this we should go all the way and make the public option a direct Medicare buy-in. Let politicians in the opt-out states run against Medicare.

by: liberalmaverick @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:32:41 AM UTC

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not the same thing (0.00 / 0)

it actually only requires 51 votes to break a filibuster

No, it actually only requires 51 votes to break all filibusters, forever. That's a very different concept. You keep saying one thing when you mean another.

by: along @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 02:16:22 AM UTC

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Feinstein signed Sherrod Brown's letter, too (0.00 / 0)

So it seems like at least couple of fence-sitters are coming around to supporting the position of the majority of Democrats. Might mean they think the public option will happen, and they don't want to look foolish if they end up on the wrong side of their caucus.

I'm particularly glad to see Feinstein make a positive statement, since she has consistently emphasized that she feels answerable to no one on this issue, including her constituents (which includes me.)

ec=-8.50 soc=-8.41 (3,967 Watts)

by: Mark Wallace @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:17:22 AM UTC

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a link (0.00 / 0)

TPM has the letter. An OFA organizer that I met while hanging around Feinstein's office forwarded me the link earlier today.

ec=-8.50 soc=-8.41 (3,967 Watts)

by: Mark Wallace @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:21:54 AM UTC

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As a fellow Californian (4.00 / 1)

I say we start shopping around for a liberal primary challenger for Feinstein in 2012.

I know Feinstein is wildly popular, for reasons I still don't completely understand, but I think there's a lot of latent resentment of her among the Democratic base. I think it's time to tap into that.

by: liberalmaverick @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:35:07 AM UTC

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We still need 60 for cloture (0.00 / 0)

There is no excuse not for every single Democrat to vote for cloture on the bill even if they are not going to vote for the bill itself. The ones who didnt vote for the bill but voted for cloture can say that they thought that it should have a fair vote even though they didnt support it.

by: BobTegas @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:24:17 AM UTC

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I thought Jon Tester was supposed to be a liberal? (0.00 / 0)

by: liberalmaverick @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:35:59 AM UTC

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Yeah, well, we got rolled on that one big time... (0.00 / 0)

That's why Act Blue needs a lobbying arm to keep our guys in line....

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

by: lord_mike @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 05:40:11 AM UTC

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Nice to know MT has one democratic senator (0.00 / 0)

to go along with that festering pile of feces who chairs the finance committee

by: obsessed @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 04:46:08 AM UTC

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Well, Baucus claimed he's OK with Schumer's thing, too... (0.00 / 0)

...but, he says a lot of shit he doesn't mean, so who knows, really...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

by: lord_mike @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 05:40:47 AM UTC

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Confused (4.00 / 2)

When did the "level playing field" version of the public option become the public option?

I have just received word that Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) would vote in favor of Senator Schumer's "level playing field" public option...
Senate Democrats have the votes. No more process excuses. Pass the public option.

by: Mark Matson @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 05:29:24 AM UTC

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Well, this is interesting.... (0.00 / 0)

Even the lobbyists are claming that the Baucus bill is too cheap:

http://news.google.com/news/ur...

Their biggest gripe is that it doesn't cover enough people!!! Can you believe that? When you have the lobbyists complaining about the same things we are, I don't know exactly what universe we've delved into! But, I imagine it's a good sign!

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

by: lord_mike @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 06:58:13 AM UTC

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They're not complaining (0.00 / 0)

about the same thing. The rackets are complaining that, given the specter of increased costs to subsidize the mandates, the Baucus plan would scale back the mandates rather than allow the projected costs to go up.

Of course, the one and only priority of the rackets is to have as large a conscript market rounded up as possible while no cost controls are imposed. So they want a universal mandate with no subsidy limits. It's a standard criminal enterprise.

http://attempter.wordpress.com

by: Russ @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 07:40:28 AM UTC

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Right (4.00 / 2)

Insurers like the idea that everyone must buy their product and the government should subsidize the purchase. Nothing in any weird alternate-reality is going on; just the mighty pursuit of the dollar, as you would expect.

by: Mark Matson @ Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 08:20:46 AM UTC

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