Not even the weak Schumer bill, the 3 Democrats voted with 10 Republicans to kill the public option in the Finance Committee bill. Give Ben Nelson and Tom Carper credit for coming through in the end despite months of vascillation. At least we know where the Democrats stand, and the question is whether any of these three Democrats or Lieberman will join a filibuster should the final bill contain a public option.
Rockefeller has pledged not to vote for a bill sans a public option, so the question is whether he’ll vote to send this bill to the floor or just kill it (with Republican help) so the Senate can simply move forward on the HELP bill.
But there will be no public option in the Baucus bill.
Baucus has all but ensured that he will face a primary challenge next time around. If progressives in Arkansas sit out in her election, Lincoln’s as good as gone. All three have taken huge insurance industry campaign donations.
The Rockefeller amendment went down 8 to 15. Nelson and Carper of course.
Addendum: Schumer on the vote.
“To come up only two votes shy in the Finance Committee, the most difficult terrain for this proposal in the whole Congress, makes us increasingly optimistic that we can pass a bill with a good public option in the end. We had more votes at the end of the day than we did at the beginning, and many members who aren’t yet for a public option are still approaching us to seek out areas of agreement.”
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September 29, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Anonymous
What this means is that the weaker bill will not be the starting point. The public option will not be able to set prices. That will be the end result since no option is now the starting point and the lame assed provision will be the compromise. Baucus did well by the insurance companies.
At least the coop thing and the trigger are out.
September 29, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Anonymous
On the up side, bagging Nelson is a big deal.
September 30, 2009 at 10:22 am
Zeno
Joan Walsh at Salon.com did a nice job describing Max Baucus’ vigorous defense of the corporate profits of large US insurance companies. You can see her piece here
September 30, 2009 at 10:49 am
Anonymous
He’s the problem now. Bigger than all of the Republicans combined.
September 30, 2009 at 10:56 am
Lauren Lane
My concern with this health care reform, as an Independent, is that it’s all over the place, there are not enough specifics and it must be put into writing and as if “written in stone” so that not every illegal that comes to the US will get free healthcare and those that work hard all their citizen life in US pay for every “Tom, Dick and Harry”
September 30, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Anonymous
Baucus and Nelson are stalking horses for the GOP and always have been.