Kerry, Slaughter agree on health care: get it to conference.

[ProSense]

Dem healthcare infighting intensifies

<...>

But some Democrats think Baucus and Conrad are wasting their time negotiating with Republicans. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a member of the HELP Committee, suggested GOP senators are stringing the negotiations along in hopes of killing Democrats’ healthcare reform initiative.

“I think delay has been the Republicans’ friend,” said Brown. “That’s how these things are always defeated: delay, delay, delay, and then it’s too late.”

Even after Reid gets the bill out of his chamber, some expect the real work will begin when House and Senate negotiators hash out a final agreement in conference.

“This is inevitably a process of compromise,” said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a member of the Finance Committee who supports the public option and is expected to offer amendments to Baucus’s draft. “The most important thing to me is to get a bill to the Senate floor and get a bill that passes the Senate to conference.”

House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) agreed with Kerry.

“They pass what they do, we pass what we can do and we go to conference,” Slaughter said.

[Pirate Smile]

1. Exactly - Get.It.to.Conference.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8556291&mesg_id=8556291

[ProSense]

2. We are going to

get a public option despite the heel-dragging gang of six.

[Eric J in MN]

3. compromise

We should have a system like the UK in which the majority of doctors are employed by the government.

Single-payer like Canada is a compromise on that.

A public option available to everyone is a compromise on that.

A public option which employers with 25+ employees can't choose without special permission (the House bill) is a compromise on that.

Senator Kent Conrad's (D-ND) non-profit co-ops idea is a compromise on that.

[ProSense]

4. Public option.

It's going to happen.

Not everyone views the UK model is the pinnacle. In fact, the Netherlands ranks slightly higher.

A strong public option can be improved upon.

[Eric J in MN]

10. What is the approach to health care in the Netherlands? NT

NT

[ProSense]

11. Here

Krugman

[TayTay]

5. Just as an aside

I love Louise Slaughter. She is one of the very best Dems in the country.

[karynnj]

6. I think that they are right - nothing can be fixed within the committee

This comment from Conrad is eyeopening. I was completely fooled by the fact that he looked and spoke in such a mild mannered way, this is beyond arrogant:

"Conrad said Reid and fellow Democrats “are going to have to hew pretty closely” to what Republicans have agreed to in Finance Committee talks, or risk losing their support."

We don't need their support as long as every Democrat can vote and none vote to filibuster.

[Jennicut]

7. Two jerks holding the public option back.

Primary them...please someone run against them on the left. Give the voters in those states a chance to choose.

[karynnj]

8. Baucus is not up until 2014, Conrad is 2012

I think both are pretty entrenched in their states - Conrad has won by progressively bigger margins - 68.8% in 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Conrad#2006_re-election_campaign He may have some problem from the Countrywide mortgage but he really is seen as a competent Senator and he is chair of the Budget Committee.

Baucus just won with 73% of the vote - and he is not up until 2014. He is beyond safe

[MarjorieG]

9. Simply, how do we get it out of committee, as they've locked out their members. Baucus can wait

indefinitely? I know we're trying to get appearance of being open to suggestions, so when we pass it as all Dems it's accepted, but Baucus totally stopped momentum to kill it.