Centrist Dem’s spokesman says nixed public option wouldn’t be enough

[babsbunny]

Centrist Dem’s spokesman says nixed public option wouldn’t be enough

http://rawstory.com/2009/09/centrist-dems-spokesman-nixed-public-option/

By Kathleen Miller
Monday, September 28th, 2009 -- 11:38 am

The spokesman for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu told Raw Story Monday that removing the public option from the Senate’s health care reform bill wouldn’t be enough to win her vote.

“The senator’s number one concern is passing a bill that drives down costs,” Landrieu’s Communications Director Aaron Saunders said during a phone interview with Raw Story. “And that’s costs for families, costs for small businesses and costs for the government.”

[Thrill]

1. Does this lady even listen to the CBO?

We can see where this is heading with her. Just check her campaign donations. Shes bought and paid for. She doesn't have to vote for it. But her ass needs to vote for cloture

[Selatius]

4. If she votes for cloture when Repubs filibuster, then she is free to vote against the bill itself.

Because once the filibuster is knocked down, the Dems only need 50 votes to pass the bill.

If there is a tie in the Senate, Joe Biden, being President of the Senate, will cast the tie-breaking vote, and he's going to vote for the bill.

[Thrill]

8. Exactly. Thats why I said she better vote for cloture

[Selatius]

9. That's the problem. Getting her to vote for cloture. That's why people keep citing 60.

All the Republicans need is one senator like Ben Nelson or Bill Nelson to vote against cloture, and the whole process is now hung up unless somebody cuts a deal with him to buy his vote, and the deal could come at a hefty price in another important legislative arena.

For example, suppose Ben Nelson said he'd vote for cloture only if you first introduce an amendment to a bill currently in committee, the Employee Free-Choice Act, to gut that bill and make it toothless. That bill was designed to make it easier for people to form labor unions and to level the playing field between employers and employees as far as the unionizing process goes. Would that be an acceptable cost to endure to get the health care bill passed?

[bluestateguy]

2. Just forget her

We're going reconciliation anyway, and hers is one of the votes we can write off.

[Selatius]

3. Single-payer health insurance reform would drive down costs the most, but the Dems crushed that idea

They conceded that notion at the very beginning of the contest, so they lost their biggest bargaining chip that could've been used to scare concessions out of the right during the negotiations. Instead, they shifted to the center, and the far right took that as an opportunity to begin a counter-offensive to pull the bill even further right.

[Mass]

5. Landrieu is a centrist? Since when?

[tularetom]

6. She's concerned about costs so she opposes a public option?

That don't make no sense at all.

She says she wants to pass a bill that drives down costs for families, for small businesses and the government, but she's willing to vote for a bill that basically lets the insurance companies raise rates virtually uncontrolled by any government action, and to make matters worse, makes it a violation to NOT purchase their crappy insurance at their extortionate rates.

Why does this stupid woman even call herself a Democrat anyway? And WTF would be enough to get her to vote for the bill? Is she waiting for Glen Beck to tell her it's OK?

[MisterP]

7. the next step after this is a demand that all Americans be forced into an organ-donor

lottery, so that insurance execs can live into their 200s

[donco6]

10. And yet I'll bet that standard doesn't apply to defense.

Eh, forget her. She's too stupid to worry about.