Senator Susan Collins wants assurances that a "trigger" won't be pulled in a public option

[Better Believe It]

- It appears that Senator Collins might support a public option with a so-called "trigger" if she's given assurances from the White House that the trigger won't be pulled. -


Collins, Lieberman doubtful on public option; more supportive of 'trigger'
By J. Taylor Rushing
September 8, 2009

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) both cast doubt Tuesday on their support for a public-option component to the Democratic healthcare reform effort, which suggests that the Obama administration is still struggling to win over key Senate centrists.

However, Collins and Lieberman both told The Hill they are more supportive of a “trigger” concept floated by Collins’s Senate colleague, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, which calls for a public option to be implemented if insurance companies fail to fix the current system’s cost inefficiencies.

“I’m opposed to a Washington-run public option,” Collins said. “I believe it would cause many people to lose health insurance that they’re currently happy with now, and that’s contrary to the assurances that advocates of the public option have been giving. I’m also concerned about the cost and control issue.

“A trigger is certainly a better approach, but I’m not convinced that we could rely on this administration to resist the lure of triggering the public option.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/57669-collins-lieberman-doubtful-on-public-option

[DJ13]

1. If the cons are for a trigger the trigger must be worthless

[Skittles]

9. they're for the trigger because it is a con

[dflprincess]

21. +1

[BeyondGeography]

2. Sounds constipated to me

Take two Maalox and call us in the morning, Susan.

[rwheeler31]

3. Joe and Susie got to go.

[saltpoint]

4. Politics aside a moment, does anyone else besides me think that Susan Collins

is the U.S. Senator with the whiniest voice?

[Catshrink]

5. Whinier than Lieberman?

Holy Joe's voice is worse than nails on a chalkboard.

[saltpoint]

7. Maybe it's some kind of ideological throat fungus.

[Zenlitened]

6. When is a trigger not a trigger?

:shrug: :crazy: :eyes: :crazy: :shrug:

[izquierdista]

10. When Roy Rodgers is riding him?

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. *head thunks desk* Then why bother to have it if we can't use it?! Screw it. I didn't want

one anyway. Medicare for all or for all who want it. That's what I want.

[BootinUp]

11. They want to put a toy gun in the legislation? hilarious or sad

take your pick.

[BootinUp]

12. Senators make it a play ray gun, they're more cool.

[Thrill]

13. So this piece of shit wants a public option trigger, that you can't trigger?

Do you believe the crap that comes out of the mouths of these people.

Its clear reconciliation is the only way this is going to get done.

[Better Believe It]

16. You can pass it with 50 votes and without using reconciliation.

Let the Republicans filibuster against it. All filibusters end. Just make them filibuster on the Senate floor, don't allow them to engage in a fake "call it in" filibuster.

[joeycola]

14. what a bunch of crapola!!

[grantcart]

15. No assurances and no fucking trigger

This is pathetic. I mean its not as if she is going to bring in 20 votes with this crap.



If they had 25 Republicans that would vote for it with a trigger then fine.



They want to have a trigger, give up one lousy fucking vote and then run against all of our Senate candidates for being socialists.



No fucking way. Snowe if you want to save your self respect and vote for the most important legislation of your career fine, if not maybe we can get another reasonable Senator from Maine - up to you.

[quantass]

24. +1000

[fadedrose]

17. I can just see McCain bending over to please us if he had won..nt

[depakid]

18. Anyone who stil worries with (or consults) Susans Collins after her epic fail on the stimulus bill

is deserving of every sensible person's derision. This woman proved herself to be every bit as much of an embarrassment as any fundamentalist quack from the southern states.

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. She should be forced to vote on a straight public option

Full stop.

[Blasphemer]

20. Which is the very point of creating a "reform" package which includes a trigger

They all know it would never be pulled.

[NYC Democrat]

22. best part of this is that she doesn't even understand how the trigger would work in theory.

the Trigger as currently proposed states that the PO is activated should the Insurance companies fail to bring down cost and increase access in a 5 year period but Collins seems to believe l that the White House would be able to pull the Trigger when ever they saw fit which makes no sense at all.

[ej510]

23. There will be no public option.

It is obvious.

[quantass]

25. So the Insurance companies had like 50 years to get things right but now we offer a trigger? WTF?

Why bother with a trigger...they had 50 years already...now they want to give them another 5-10 years to clean up their act ...or is it to give them time to use their lawyers to find loopholes to get around the trigger like M-part D.

Now that everyone is on the same page that the PO will be in i see that the only hope to destroy it is now to focus on getting in the trigger....hmmm...not good. i wish the president would say he would veto a bill that had a trigger but signs strongly suggest he will not be that forceful

[BlueIdaho]

26. Absurdist nonsense...

Senator Collins wants a trigger that will never be pulled on a public option run by private industry? Yeah, we need us some more of that.