Senate whip count: reconciliation reaches 53, public option reaches 40

by: Chris Bowers

Wed Mar 10, 2010 at 06:00


According to Whipcongress.com, Senators Daniel Akaka, Byron Dorgan, and Jon Tester, have stated their support for a public option through reconciliation.

This brings the number of signatories up to 40.  With Tom Harkin, Herb Kohl, and Claire McCaskill as definite "maybes," 50 votes in the Senate is starting to seem plausible.  Of course, given ongoing vote troubles for Democrats in the House, that chamber needs to be monitored and whipped at least as closely in any public option campaign.

Oh, and there are now 53 Senators on record publicly open to using reconciliation on health care.  That should help increase confidence in the viability of the "sidecar bill" reconciliation fix strategy.

Chris Bowers :: Senate whip count: reconciliation reaches 53, public option reaches 40

Tags: , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email

Senate whip count: reconciliation reaches 53, public option reaches 40 | 24 comments
We've been here before. (4.00 / 4)
We had 51 votes for the public option last fall, and Obama made clear he didn't want it. We almost had the votes for a robust public option in the House, and Obama made clear he didn't want it. This is not going to happen without Obama's support. I think we should fight for Medicare buy-in instead which Obama seems more open to considering.
I agree. Pressure for (in my opinion the cleverest, smartest) Grayson's 4 page Medicare Buy-in Bill (4.00 / 2)
would be perfect.

How can you argue against allowing American Moms buying healthcare for their children from the universally admired and loved medicare system?

How can you argue that dad can't have a Medicare insurance program for his heart condition if he's willing to pay for it.

How can you say that the federal government will subsidize health insurance payments, but those payments cannot go to supporting the federal Medicare system?

Grayson, and our own Matt Stoller, are the best thing in Congress sometimes. Watch:


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
tip to (0.00 / 0)
http://downwithtyranny.blogspo...

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
Ditto!! (4.00 / 2)
There are 59 Senators in the caucus.  Why can't they meet once, and announce what the counts are for the Public Option or Medicare buy-in?  For gosh sakes, at this one or two per day pace by the time we get to 50 it is going to be too late to make any difference.

I agree, and have for months, that this all being made much harder than it has to be by lack of any support from Obama, and his administration.  He has the perfect opportunity to undue much of the negative "work" of Lieberman, Nelson, Landrieu, and Lincoln and they won't take the opportunity.  

Totally frustrating!

[ Parent ]
I agree with everything (0.00 / 0)
except blaming Obama for the weasels on the Senate. His speechifying now "to pick the phone, talk to your neighbours" is fine, (yes fine isn't praise) the betrayal is oin the Senate, the pressure needs to be on Senators.

The flip and flop and flip again of Landreau and Lincioln is due to pressure, pressure of public anger.

Thats where we need to fight, struggle and organize.

If we want democracy, we have top fight in the Senate, or more correctly, we have to fight the Senate.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
You want to fight.......... (4.00 / 1)
this is a better example of how to fight for this issue.

"I'm going to fight for a public option until we get one. It really is that simple.

The American people want the choice of a public option. I'm going to stand up for what the majority of the American people want again and again and again and I'm going to keep doing it until we win.

Now is not the time to give up and accept less. With 40 Senators on the record in support of passing a public option by majority vote, we've proven that the majority of Senate Democrats are ready to get the job done. All it takes now is leadership. It only takes one senator to offer an amendment from the Senate floor to bring the inclusion of a public option to a vote this year.

We will prevail in this fight this year.

And if Democrats in Washington don't deliver, we will not stop because of their failure of leadership. We will not stop because Democrats in Washington say it's done. We will not wait 20 years -- 10 years -- we will not wait a single year -- because we will not stop until every American has the option to voluntarily buy into a program like Medicare
We will not stop until we win and it's up to us to make sure Democrats in Washington get the message."

Howard Dean

 

[ Parent ]
Senator Dean from a blue dog state would be great. (0.00 / 0)
Sanders is even better, and Leahy isn't going anywhere.


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
I would have to agree with you (0.00 / 0)
It is impossible for the Senate to act on Progressive amendments when they are told by the White House that they are to make concessions to Lieberman, Landrieu, and Nelson.  When there is obvious anti-progressive pressure coming from the top, don't expect the minions to suddenly make a sharp left turn.   One has to only look to yesterday and see the sharp threatening warnings to Kucinich by Obama toady sychophant Markos Moulitsas to understand why no one in the Senate is standing out in front of the capitol trying to raise support for a public plan.

"Oh. My. God. .... We're doomed." -- Paul Krugman
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...">http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...">http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...
[ Parent ]
What about primaries? (0.00 / 0)
When there is obvious anti-progressive pressure coming from the top, don't expect the minions to suddenly make a sharp left turn.

Perhaps you are right, but then again, many of these people (like Bennet for example) are facing some heat in the primaries and because of that they are certainly much more likely to take a quick turn to the left.  Maybe that trumps an apathetic White House.  Lets face it, Obama isn't going to get any pressure from the left in 2012 when we're faced with Romney, Huckabee, or Palin(!) on the Republican ticket.

[ Parent ]
My point was about pressure from the right (0.00 / 0)
Which I disagree with and therefore consider bad. (thus my opinion)   But you are right, pressure from the left could be good and be supportive of my political hopes.  

I would not be so sure that Obama will not feel pressure from the left.  I think there are many, such as myself, who simply cannot bend their principles enough to vote again for Obama.  Under any circumstances.  I come from a mindset that I fear an intelligent, deceptive Trojan Horse on the left more than a loony on the right.

"Oh. My. God. .... We're doomed." -- Paul Krugman
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...">http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...">http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c...

[ Parent ]
Pressure ion Obama is useless (0.00 / 0)
Pressure on individual Senators and individual House members is not. Its also cheaper, easier to target and there are plenty of help to be had.

I want pressure on Reid and a few others.

Let's determine which ones top shove and threaten and embarrass.

THAT is what will work.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
Pressure ion Obama is useless (0.00 / 0)
Pressure on individual Senators and individual House members is not. Its also cheaper, easier to target and there are plenty of help to be had.

I want pressure on Reid and a few others.

Let's determine which ones top shove and threaten and embarrass.

THAT is what will work.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
If think Senators are "minions " waiting for the WH to give them direction, (0.00 / 0)
you dont understand the american politcal system very well.

Senators are after the president, by far the most powerful people on the planet. Period. They are so effing full of themselves as to be completely unbelievable.

Just nonsense.

Twaddle.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
re: whip count (0.00 / 0)
but in the fall we operated under a 60-vote environment that gave a lot of leverage to liberman, nelson, lincoln, landriu, whereas now we're in a reconciliation 50-vote environment

does anyone give a damn lincoln is a no now?

but I would have liked the whip count to have 3 parts instead of two:

1. reconciliation?

2. public option?

3. buy-in?

Medicare buy-in instead which Obama seems more open to considering.

where did you get that impression?

[ Parent ]
Another Meaningless Whip Count (4.00 / 1)
Whip counts for either a "reconciliation fix" or the Public Option/Medicare Buy-In/Annexation by Canada To Solve All This Country's Problems Bill mean little when the Senate has a chronic habit of not passing what the House sends it.

(Are we up to 300 examples yet or not, as I've lost count?)

Public Option or no Public Option, this is still shaping up to be a snow-job.  "Pass the damn bill" and get screwed on the reconciliation fix.

And your call for action would include? ....? (0.00 / 0)


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
Kill This Bill... (0.00 / 0)
and pass a Medicare Buy-In with a meaningful relaxation of the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, along with a sizable expansion of federal aid to the states to pay for that.

Nothing major.

[ Parent ]
I am very confused by your post...... (0.00 / 0)

in the last few posts on this subject it is clear you
have given up fighting for a public option's inclusion in the reconciliation "fix" in the senate. You have directed us to join PCCC for this fight and have declared that...

"the senate reconciliation whip count has ended"

http://openleft.com/diary/1769...

I see that you have actually continued this crowdsourced project by bringing up the count today and by updating your google spreadsheet
http://openleft.com/diary/1769...

So I dont get it. Are you still fighting for it or are have you given up?
Or is this just your need to stare at the car wreck that is the WH/Senate HealthCare Reform.

We have enough of those in DC telling us that they "support" a public option or medicare buy-in but dont ever actually fight for it. You have pointed us to the few that will fight and they are being trashed...
I understand that you dont want to bring that fate upon yourself. If this is true then why then did you start this effort in the 1st place and ask us to help.

So now it is becoming clear that the Senate
can deliver a public option, as the House has already.
Now that we are are so close to the pinnacle of sucesss
you declare that the effort is over, (pack up the tents and we'll see you next year).....
or do you still want to lead the cheers???

By "over" he meant that the votes _are there_ for having reconcilliation.. (0.00 / 0)
he did not intend to imply that the votes for a PO are present. He did not intend either to say that the fight to make the reconciliation ha[ppen is over. Just that they cannot say that the votes for reconciliation are not possible. We have counted, it can happen. It now takes pressure and leadership.  

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
Im glad you are clear about what the intentions are behind the actions and words by this poster. (0.00 / 0)
then maybe you can answer why the call for an army of volunteers and all the long hours invested by them and the many,many more hours in the maintenance of the google count site and contacts that Chris has made in this effort,
and we reach the point of imminent success and he announces that the count is over ?? We know that isnt true because he still counting... in this post and the next one downblog. So which is it.. is this army still fighting and do we have a leader here or should we really try to find another. Its not a slam... Im just asking??
[ Parent ]
an amendment to the reconciliation bill needs 50 votes right? (0.00 / 0)
or not? or we don't know what rules will be adopted for this reconciliation bill yet?
I dont think they are amendable. (0.00 / 0)
I could be wrong.
I have been before, will be again.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
you can offer amendments in reconciliation (0.00 / 0)
just not unlimited

Debate on reconciliation bills, as with budget resolutions, are time-limited by statute -- 50 hours for a budget resolution, 20 hours for a reconciliation bill, 10 hours for a conference report on a reconciliation bill. But yes, technically any amendments still pending at the end of the time period could be eligible for a vote -- just with no debate. It's a situation that comes up often at the end of budget resolutions, called a vote-a-rama, believe it or not.
http://www.congressmatters.com...
[ Parent ]
Thanks a lot. (0.00 / 0)


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
Senate whip count: reconciliation reaches 53, public option reaches 40 | 24 comments
USER MENU

Open Left Campaigns

SEARCH

   

Advanced Search

QUICK HITS
STATE BLOGS

Home | RSS/XML Feed | Register | Contact

  © OpenLeft 2007-2010, Powered by SoapBlox

Powered by: SoapBlox