30! Five More Democrats--Including Durbin--Say They Support a Public Option Through Reconciliation

[FourScore]

Source: TPMDC

Five leading Democrats--including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin--have publicly announced that they will vote for a public option if it's offered up during the budget reconciliation process, where legislation can pass with a majority vote.

"Sen. Durbin has long been a supporter of the public option," reads a statement from Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker to the progressive groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo. "I don't know whether the votes exist in the Senate right now, but if the House version of the public option came up for a vote in reconciliation Sen. Durbin would vote yes."

Similar statements were also issued from four other senators: Patty Murray (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

To be clear, these are not signatories to a letter--circulated by the three groups--advocating the public-option-through-reconciliation strategy. PCCC co-founder Adam Green put it this way: "We're accepting clear statements that if the public option comes up for a vote, they would vote yes. We're debunking what Gibbs said last week, that the votes don't exist -- they do...we'll prove it..."

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/30-five-more-democrats--including-durbin--say-they-support-a-public-option-through-reconciliation.php?ref=fpb

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[grahamhgreen]

2. It's time for Obama to abandon the insurance lobby and push for Medicare for More or the PO. nt

[tomm2thumbs]

3. someone should ask Blanche Lincoln's replacement as well

Bill Halter

uh, er I mean 'potential' replacement.

[willhe]

10. Tired of conservadems like her...

They forget that say ran as a democrat. They really cant see that no one likes them. The time will come that a majority of dems just won't vote if we see that they are perpetually stuck in stupidity.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. I fear this is just a fig leaf --

something to give certain Democrats to hang their hat on come their next election. :( Ezra Klein said something to that effect last week -- mentioned that many of the Dems who signed really weren't into it but were doing so to "appear" as if they were. :(

Sucks hard if that is the case.

[SlingBlade]

5. "these are not signatories to a letter" Then KEEP calling....

The Democratic Party Suicide Prevention Thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7814462

[bc3000]

6. K&R... Call the DINOs that aren't on the list!

This is our new litmus test.

[thereismore]

7. Would Obama even sign such a bill at this point? nt

[harmonicon]

8. statements for the public option by these senators are meaningless...

UNLESS they state that they WOULD NOT vote for a bill without a public option.

[willhe]

9. Screw vote counting get them on record....

I'm tired of all these cowards saying they don't have the votes. Get an up or down vote on that.

[donheld]

11. I've been nagging Sen. Mark Udall

he still won't commit :grr:

[freddie mertz]

12. So is this real or just more political posturing to keep us distracted?

I won't trust anything anyone says or signs till the votes are held and recorded.

[gkhouston]

14. Kabuki -- House votes will evaporate as Senate ones materialize, would be my guess.

I'd love to be wrong about this, though.

[No Elephants]

13. I'd like to believe.

[Arkana]

15. Has Russ Feingold signed on yet?