Nelson Ready To Bust Pharma Deal: 'They Need 60 Votes, Don't They?'

[babylonsister]

Nelson Ready To Bust Pharma Deal: 'They Need 60 Votes, Don't They?'

First Posted: 12- 6-09 01:42 PM | Updated: 12- 6-09 02:26 PM



Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said on Sunday that if leadership doesn't work with him on his amendment that would break the White House deal with Big Pharma, he won't be there to support the bill.

On Saturday, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said that his drug re-importation amendment was the only one so far guaranteed by leadership to get a floor vote.

HuffPost asked Nelson if he had gotten a similar guarantee. "I haven't gotten a guarantee, but they're going to have to," he said.

And why is that?

"They need 60 votes, don't they?" said a smiling Nelson. Democrats need 60 votes -- precisely the size of their caucus -- to break a filibuster and move to a final vote. The precarious nature of the super-majority gives individual senators veto power over the bill.

Nelson said that he could be willing to settle for less than a full floor vote if leadership included a version of his measure in the "manager's amendment" that will come toward the end of the floor process. "I'm a reasonable man," said Nelson.

The manager's amendment will largely replace the current bill and make changes desired by senators that might not be able to get 60 votes or don't warrant the floor time that would be needed.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/06/nelson-ready-to-bust-phar_n_381812.html

[alfredo]

1. Quit fucking with us Blue Dogs. It's our lives you are playing

games with.

[notesdev]

2. What exactly is the amendment?

Does it permit or forbid re-importation?

[Warpy]

3. It's time to go nuclear with a 6 month sunset clause

meaning that if Blue Dogs and Republicans haven't learned to play nicely and work with others, then the majority can vote for another 6 months of filibuster suspension.

My guess is that the end of the filibuster won't survive more than a year, but a lot can be done in that year, a lot that needs to be done that shouldn't be held hostage to corporate whores and antiabortion crusaders.

The Senate needs potty training badly and this is the way to accomplish it. They're simply not doing the jobs they were elected to do without it.

[alsame]

4. "They need" - he uses 'they' when speaking of

what is supposed to be his own party. Very telling, IMO.

[w4rma]

5. It's actually a good amendment. But, it's also a possible attempt to scuttle the entire bill. (nt)

[Cleita]

6. Rule by the minority again.

They need to change the filibuster rule to 51 votes or majority rule. It's what's destroying the state of California, well what's left of the part Arnold couldn't.