Important news – thanks Jason

Arlen Specter! Way to go, dude. Where’s Schumer???

.

Rockefeller, Stabenow, Wyden, Kerry – all members of the finance committee, and more than enough votes to block the bill. If only these four will commit to vote against the Baucus Bailout Tax, then we can stop this mess in committee and send a powerful signal that the Baucus-Gang-of-Six approach was flawed. The committee can then mark up a new bill (perhaps using the HELP bill as a model) and begin anew to give us something that actually works – under the leadership of someone whose name is not Baucus. If Baucus refuses to play along with such a new effort after failing to move his bill out of committee, then Reid must move to strip him of his chairmanship.

Where is Tom Harkin?

I am dialing now!

Leadership on health care or in the Caucus was specifically not asked to sign this letter, it was just for the rank-and-file, so folks like Schumer, Dodd, Harkin, etc… are absent but are supporters. So 30 is a lowball number.

I hope to God they will make more converts and not cave as is the Dems practice.

See my last comment. In fact, Harkin repeated that the final bill will have a public option today: http://thehill.com/homenews/se…..lic-option

Wow, Boxer AND Feinstein? Amazing.

Just offhand, are Congressioncritters constitutionally prohibited from alphabetizing their names when they sign a letter? Bad enough when they only sign and don’t print their names (like the Blue Dogs did) but why not alphabetize? It’s as if they intentionally obfuscate who is missing.

Great news!

I notice the conspicuous absence of Bill Nelson (DINO-FL) on the list.

perhaps they just pass it around to whomever wants it, or have their aides pass it onto to other aides. dunno.

How many of these Senators are on Finance?

and the Great Troll of Stamford? Where’s he at? Never mind…

Durbin, Reid missing for the same reason.

But there aren’t twenty additional members of the caucus missing for those reasons. Thirty plus committee chairs plus leadership yields a majority of the majority. But does it get Public Option over 50? I don’t see it here.

see #4 (Stabenow, Kerry, Wyden, Rockefeller), plus Cantwell, whom I don’t fully trust. Five in total.

All we need is for three of them to commit to vote no and this thing is stopped cold and we send a powerful message to the conservadems as they start anew, two if Snowe drops out.

DFA thinks we’ve got 50 votes. I’m inclined to agree, when it comes down to it.

Dianne Feinstein? I’m stunned.

Where’s Senator MilqueToast Reid of the great state of Nevada? This hack has got to go…

Yes, it’s article 37, I believe.

Seconded.

Byrd, Bingaman?

See http://seminal.firedoglake.com…..ment-83028

Reid is leadership, so wasn’t asked to sign.

thanx for the info jason

the democrats keep missing an important point;

the republicans keep bringing up “medicare is running a trillion dollar deficit” or some other number

no progressive ever answers with, “if it weren’t for the tax gifts for the wealthy marketed as some kind of “economic stimulous” which clearly failed, that deficit wouldn’t be there

they could also answer with;

“if not for medicare our economy would be that much worse off, those people would have paid private industry prices for health insurance and we would be in a far worse condition then we are now”

progressives just don’t go with their guns loaded

Baucus can’t even carry his own committee?

To be fair to Wrong-way-Harry, I think there’s an informal Senate custom/tradition for the Majority Leader to avoid signing these types of things, ostensibly taking sides in his capacity of leader. Same goes for the House Speaker (Pelosi) as well. Nobody else has an excuse though. And that includes Schumer and Harkin…

Reid is leadership? Who knew? (Thanks.)

Dorgan? Hagan?

Johnson? Klobucher?

Come on guys, Arlen signed it for gosh sake…

only if they commit to vote no. We just need three to commit and two if Snowe ends up voting with her own species, as she often does at the last minute, and, yes, Baucus will have failed to carry his own committee – something that I think we should be pushing for to happen, as it will remove any doubt that reform sans Public Option is a non-starter, period.

Notice my sweet Claire (McCaskill) does not have her name on that list. Not surprising. She wants a handcuffed public option that would be prohibited from turning into a comprehensive government program. Heaven forbid that they design a program that works for real people.

Is Levin considerd leadership?

Shit, they show up at a gunfight with spitballs.

Thanks Jason,
Just got off the phone with his office and got the same explanation.

We are the rapid response team/s

Murray? Shaheen?

Ha! Yes we are!

I appreciate the fact that there’s a tradition here. However, in my mind (such as it is) this is a question of basic human rights. Accordingly, the tradition should be jettisoned in this case. Anything less is just an excuse to act like the Caspar MilqueToast that he is. Same as for Pelosi.

But that’s just me.

None of the Third Way senators signed on.

Blanche Lambert Lincoln
U.S. Senator, Arkansas
Evan Bayh
U.S. Senator, Indiana
Tom Carper
U.S. Senator, Delaware
Mark Pryor
U.S. Senator, Arkansas
Claire McCaskill
U.S. Senator, Missouri

Colorado Mark Udall?

Talk to Tom. He signed.

I thought the Third way was the future of the Democratic Party?

Warner? Webb?

Guys, you can’t just say you support a public option, and refuse to put your name on on the letter.

Since I’m from MA, I’ve been calling Kerry almost daily urging just that. We need a concerted movement to get these four on board with this plan.

BTW: Anyone know if Baucus can be removed? What are the organizing rules for this session?

Rahm’s greatest fear that this is a popular position and if its going to pass anyway every Dem thinking about reelection will vote for this.
And they will vote for a bill Left of what he convinced the President was capable of being passed in the Senate.
A senate revolt and being proved wrong publicly on a big issue.

This is very good news. The WH must be feeling the heat because there are some very powerful Senators in that group.

I think Baucus’ fate is probably a moot point if he proves unable to move this bill out of Finance. He’ll pretty much have to resign his chairmanship (”for losing the confidence of the leadership”) or be reduced to a lame duck as chairman if he insists of staying in that role. They’ll probably offer him another senior position somewhere else, to allow him to save face, if that happens, though. Remember, he’s only useful to the WH if he delivers. If he can’t, then he’s political toast, and Rahm will cut him loose, as will Reid.

btw, it looks like the Hill is quoting Rep. Woolsey (D-CA) as saying that the Dems have 208 of 218 votes they need to pass the strong PO with rates linked to Medicare+5%, and that she’s on the brink of getting to 218. http://thehill.com/homenews/ho…..8-in-sight

Yay! Thanks ever so much, Jason, for keeping us up-to-date.

Afterthought: DiFI? Must be pigs flying around in CA today.

Actually, it is TOM Udall from NM… thank God.

Yeah boy.. funded and run by big insurance and their lobbyists.. among Dog knows who else.

Lord help us to get to 218… this would be the best news ever. Of course there would still be the conference to combine House and Senate bills… but it would be hard back down from the Medicare + 5%… maybe that would the opt-out option.

I’ve been visualizing a miracle somehow someway.

Are there 29 on the list?

I called Patty Murray’s office to ask why she hadn’t signed the letter. Her staffer said it’s because she’s a member of the leadership and doesn’t sign letters to the leadership.
I asked if Murray supported a robust, Medicare-like public option. Was told she supports public option as one of the many options. I asked,” What does that mean? Is she supporting a robust public option or is this her taking a stand with the Blue Dogs?”.
Apparently, that was an affront. I was reminded firmly that Murray helped write the Kennedy bill.
Hope that translates to 31.

Where did “Medicare-like” come from? That isn’t at all obvious or even responsibly inferred from the text of the letter itself.

I have been under the impression that the HELP committee version of the Public Option is all but useless, as according to the CBO its structure renders almost nobody eligible for it, making it a non-starter?

So… to somebody who know more than I…

Are there 20 more Senators who would vote for a public option?

From what I remember, a person with employer-aided health insurance would have to pay more than 12.5% of their gross pay for insurance premiums in order to “opt-out” of the employer version and sign on to the public version.

That’s an unrealistically high standard that virtually no one will exceed.

If accurate, that gives weight to my concern that this is a victory of rhetoric, not substance. Unless Reid is going to craft a new Public Option proposal from whole cloth that hasn’t been vetted by any Senate committee, then what are we realistically talking about here?

A Public Option that I can’t use doesn’t help very much, I’m already not eligible for TriCare, the VA, or Medicare.

“I called Patty Murray’s office…”

Menendez and Stabenow signed it, and THEY’RE part of the leadership.

Delightful, huh? Guess DiFi has been hearing from enough of us…

Were republicans given a chance to sign?

Uh oh…you’re right. There’s no mention of Medicare-like.
This could be a false flag of optimism.
The more I reread the letter, the less substance I find. Why can’t these people just say what they mean and mean what they say, asks little Pollyanna.

with “X’s,” for those with insufficient literacy to ink out their own names?

Which Republican would have signed it if given the chance? The closest any one of them came was Snowe, and the closest she came was a “trigger” for a public option. Not a lot of support among the Republicans.

I think it’s the signalling that’s important here. “Medicare-like” has never really been in the Senate lexicon, and the only time I’ve heard that term used by anybody important has been in the House. I think the signal-word here is “Strong Public Option,” and it is the RIGHT signal word. That’s not to say these people won’t flake out on us under pressure, but this letter is definitely a step in the right direction, even if it is loaded with rhetoric.

Despite the CBO’s half-baked scoring, this is turning out to be a good week for reform afterall – Wyden and Rockefeller showing spine and giving us a hint of a chance to stop the Baucus Bailout Tax in committee, the House getting closer to passing a decent bill with a “Medicare-like” PO (that term being appropriate for the House but not yet the Senate), and now Senate progressives starting to articulate something that looks like a coherent stance for the Strong Public Option.

I don’t expect any would have signed. But it’s important to know if they were asked. A huge statement in itself if asked and they refused.

I’d actually prefer it if Senate Dems just stopped talking to the thugs about this matter altogether.

Isn’t DFA affiliated with Howard Dean?

DFA might be a bit overly optimistic, as Dean usually is.

The 30 signatures on the letter to Reid is great, but I have to admit that I’m disappointed that there aren’t more. Where are the Democrats among the Democratic super-majority Senate?

Murray has never committed to a forthright statement on an issue in all the years I’ve been calling her offices. At first I thought her “Mom in tennis shoes” persona was kind of folksy but now I realize it just helps her run from her constituents quicker.

I understand your point. It just seems like they’ve been asked and asked to engage in serious discussions re health care reform for months. The Republicans were given so much more than anything they ever should have hoped for in the face of the Democratic super-majority, and still Grassley and Enzi went out and complained and twisted the truth and simply lied about the Democratic proposals. Not sure what yet another gesture like asking them to sign this letter would have accomplished.

After eight years of shrubbish autocracy and the national joke that is Bible Spice, folksy politicians should be banned.

Speaking of signing letters, have you all signed the Bold Progressives’ petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid?

According to Rachel Maddow, “two major powerbrokers on the left…are encouraging a Senate strategy in which the leadership would revoke chairmanships and other leadership positions from any Democrat who sides with a Republican filibuster to block a vote on health reform.”

See the clip of Rachel breaking the news and SIGN the petition!

Thanks to the PCCC for sending out emails with a link to this petition.

Link to the petition also here: http://boldprogressives.org/majorityvote/p-e1

And here: http://boldprogressives.org/majorityvote/p-e-typ

I emailed Tester of Montana. I sent him money to win……now I want him to care about his constituents who desperately need medical insurance help.

Just heard from DiFi:

The message comes through loud and clear: most Californians would like to see change in our current system. But it is very difficult to accomplish this and reduce long-term healthcare costs. Please know that I am working hard to make healthcare affordable to all Americans. If you would like to know my most up-to-date views on healthcare reform, my position paper is available on my website at http://feinstein.senate.gov. I will be updating it as the healthcare reform debate continues.

I always call them them Republican-Assholes, inspired by Van Jones. The R-assholes are busy at Cokie Robert’s house. They are having a weenie roast.

Some Senators that I considered obvious supporters of the PO are missing. Did they refuse, or this a letter where names will be added in the days to come?

Just saw your note about me sounding angry! Who, me, angry? Nah! ;>)

Either that or she remembered she’s running for gov.

I’m not sure, I can ask around.

This is great news. Finally some action in the Senate in support of the PO. My question is, do we have enough votes for cloture on a bill with a PO?

I am guessing you will soon be getting mad as a hornet. The Health Insurance companies and Pharmaceuticals and Goldman Sachs are getting angry at some of these vicious bloggers. But they are waiting. And then they will counter attack.

yeah.. being to the right of Arnie on healthcare reform is probably not where a Dem needs to be if she wants to be governor.

Add Cantwell to your short list there.

Both of my senators are on that list.

I must send them each a love letter.

So what?
These are the so-called Masters of the Universe who didn’t know WTF they were selling when they were swapping derivatives contracts.

They’re formidable, but so what?
They are economic predators who rely on bailouts, subsidies, and corrupt officials to maintain most of their wealth.

Why on earth would you be afraid of such gutless weenies?!

We’re not making deceitful claims, nor are we serving up bullshit share prices or other accounting thuggery. They’re only scared shitless that their Curtain of Infallibility has a lot of holes and is wearing so thin as to be more comical by the day.

Take a deep breath and enjoy this whole, long-overdue tussle.
I’m having a wonderful time watching them squirm and sweat ;-))

Courage!
And enjoy the hell out of this — I sure am!

I am not afraid at all. But I do not wish to fly in airplanes at this time. And I do not want my Congresspeeps flying in single engine planes either.

Has she filed her papers yet? Jerry did.

So to summarize:

* 30 senators signed the letter (Sherrod Brown missing from the first version)

* 8 “fence sitters” who didn’t sign, but voted for at least the watered-down Schumer public option in committee (Schumer, Bingaman, Carper, Dodd, Hagan, Harkin, Murray, and Bill Nelson)

* 2 “fence sitters” who claim a leadership exemption from signing, and have not yet voted (Reid, Durbin)

* 9 senators who have been supportive of a public option, but didn’t sign the list, and have not yet voted (Byrd, Dorgan, Johnson, Klobucher, Levin, Shaheen, Warner, Webb, Mark Udall)

THAT’S 49 ON RECORD FOR AT LEAST A WATERED-DOWN PUBLIC OPTION.

Surely SOMEONE could lean on at least ONE of these Senators: Baucus, Bayh, Begich, Conrad, Lieberman, Lincoln, McCaskill, Ben Nelson, Pryor, Tester.

This PROVES that if the public option doesn’t pass, it’s because OBAMA bargained it away…

Don’t know. Just heard she was planning to run.

So 30 (or maybe between 30 for a strong PO) versus 49 (for any PO). The question for me is, are there any of the 19 between 30 and 49 who would vote against the Strong PO if that was the consensus from the House, and how can we find at least 1 more to get to 50 (assuming that the VP will vote for it). Basically, if this analysis is accurate, we end to bring the 19 into alignment with the 30 and recruit 1 more. Then we could pass this under reconcilation.

That was typical for him.
I was wondering where LIE berman is slinking on this.
And WHY he’s even still breathing, for that matter………….
i digress.

aahhh guys, it takes 60 votes to pass on the senate floor and 50 votes in reconciliation; 30 votes plus 6 from chairmen will not get it. i think it is time to face facts, we’ve lost this one. would love to think this is not the case, but the numbers aren’t adding up.

Why the missing names? Brown, for instance, not mentioned in 1st list, yet quoted; then listed first down the page. Other names lacking at 1st.
Could this be cleaned up in a final version of the article?

As per my post (#84) I count 49 people on record for at least the weaker negotiated-rates version of the public option. This is the same as the count in the Washington Independent (they had 47; later Carper and Bill Nelson voted for the Schumer plan).

We’re assuming of course that people haven’t defected from their last known positions and that no one would filibuster their own caucus.

I do agree that it looks like the robust public option based on Medicare rates is not going to pass. It’s a shame. I feel it could have passed if Obama had been willing to make some adjustment to bring rural Senators on board. His unwillingness to fight for it strongly suggests that he gave away the robust public option in a backroom deal.

they will fold like a deck of cards like they always do

follow the money they know who butters their reelection bread

they have to pretend to care to get the votes for reelection

it is all about reelection not about the american people

it is a farce join jefferson and what he knew needed to happen every 200 years or sooner

quit thinking your party represents you they dont

corp lobbyists owns wash at least the repubs are honest enought to admit to that with their actions that they are controlled by wash lobbyists.

the demos are the con artists here not the repubs

nancy will walk away and say I tried and then collect her millions from the medical insurance industry. wait and see

as will reid

follow the money always

WOW!! You guys have a long way to go to hit that magic number of 60…

Reid is spineless! he’s got to go

We don’t need 60 unless someone will filibuster against their own caucus, which would be outrageous.

If Open Left is correct and John Tester will vote for the Schumer amendment, then we have 50 Senators on record in support of the Public Option. That’s enough. There is no reason the final bill should not contain the public option.

eeyore,

your pessimism is insurmountable.

cyanide is the only answer.

I am “wow” over Hawaii’s two Senators [Inouye & Akaka]. They are usually such toads on so many issues.

Interestingly, when I donated today to the National Association of Free Clinics [KO’s suggested organization] and then searched for Free Clinics in Hawaii, answer, NONE. Not a one, for this dirt poor, third world state.

I hope these two continue to be shamed into maintaining their support for a public option. I’ve written.

Patty Murray was one of the ten women Senators that Larry King spoke with at the close of last night’s show. She and Mikulski, Boxer and Stabenow were asked good questions about their floor speeches that were aimed at insuring that the new legislation will not discriminate against women. Murray spoke first, and very forcefully. King complimented them all. King was stunned to hear how poorly some insurance companies, in some states, treat (mistreat) the fair sex with their policy restrictions.

McCaskill and Lincoln were not there from the Dems, plus the 2 Repubs make up the 14 women in the Senate as far as I recall.

hehe. watch the Great Troll of Stamford try…