The Prof
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The link for the article referenced in the headline, from The Post, appears at the bottom of this page.
1. Reid declared today he will proceed proudly with a PO comprising a states right to opt-out proviso.
2. He's quite confident, he says, that he can hold together his 60 required to deliver reform to his floor.
3. Of course, this is the same "wizard head counter," as liberal leader Schumer called Reid on yesterday's MTP, who was wrong by a most unfortuitous 13 on last week's "doc fix."
4. Feingold, Bayh, Conrad, McCaskill, Lieberman, Wyden, Dorgan, Byrd, Tester, Kohl, Bill Nelson and both Virginians, Warner and Webb---a choice cross section of libs, mods and cons---resisted Reid's arithmetic on his cynical stand-alone sop to surgeons, $247B, sliced off Obamacare, unaccounted for, unpaid for, and charged instead against the general fund.
5. The White House today says it's pleased with the opt-out, settled upon after months of tortured twists and tergiversations, all publicly performed.
6. But just yesterday the administration was signaling the exact opposite, all to induce uber-important Senator Olympia Snowe.
7. The White House wanted Ms Snowe's trigger---"If you don't have Snowe on board you end up losing the votes of a handful of conservative democrats, so the White House is pushing an alternative proposal that would have the public plan triggered," reported Sunday's Huffington Post.
Feingold: No Public Option A "Strong Reason" Not To Support Reform
8. "The White House thinks Reid's whip count is too optimistic," reported the same source.
9. Rahm's right, Reid does NOT have 60, not even close.
10. Confronted with a choice between Snowe's trigger and Schumer's opt-out, Reid today decided in favor of the preeminently progressive approach which preordains the party's Sisyphean failure.
11. Snowe's trigger had a chance, Schumer's opt-out is hopeless.
12. Whip Durbin, briefed this afternoon about Reid's sudden direction, recounted to a room full of reporters: "Progressives forced our hand."
Durbin: Progressives Forced Our Hand On Public Option
13. "It's a zero-sum situation," said Durbin, who is in charge of counting votes in the Senate, "if we thought that just putting the trigger in meant that we'd end with 61 votes," he explained, then that's what leadership would have done.
14. "But there were some that felt that that just didn't go far enough moving toward a public option," whispered the whip.
15. "We have 60 people in the caucus," reasoned Reid, "we'll all hang together and see where we come out."
16. Does that sound confident to you?
17. Ms Snowe, meanwhile, called the leader's decision "deeply disappointing," she's indicated decisively that she will support nothing but her obstinate trigger.
18. Ms McCaskill, one of the nose-thumbing thirteen on the doc fix, asserted on yesterday's Stephy that the Maine maverick was key to the swing of crucial Senators without whom movement is impossible, moderates like Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh and jibing Joe Lieberman.
19. Nebraska's Ben Nelson on Sunday's CNN elucidated unequivocally he would never support an opt-out.
20. Indeed, the moderate made clear, he would not even commit to bust an opposition-backed filibuster.
21. "I have made no promise," said the centrist Sunday, "I can't decide about the procedural vote until I see the underlying bill."
Reid announces push for public option - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com
22. Last week, Evan Bayh of Indiana spoke similarly: requiring reps to interrupt Republican procrastination "is asking some of us to enable passage of legislation that we think would be harmful to the people of our states, I don't think that's a fair thing to ask."
Some Senators Wary of Obama's Health Care Appeals - ABC News
23. Blanche Lincoln: "I've ruled out a government-funded and government-operated plan."
24. Mary Landrieu: "I'm not for a government-run, national, taxpayer-subsidized plan, and never will be."
25. Reid says he will send his set piece to CBO this week for scoring.
26. But yet another controversy accosts his caucus.
27. Some Senators are suddenly insisting the more salient sweets of health care kick in sooner than their scheduled 2013 start date.
Democrats push for health benefits to start by 2010 - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com
28. You'll recall that CBO buddied up to Baucus for $81B in net savings by accounting a full ten years of revenues against only five to seven years of disbursements.
29. Partisans are now perturbed that their voters will perceive the punishments contained in the plan long before appreciating any of the plusses.
30. Debbie Stabenow, sponsor of the failed doc fix: “We want to be able, within the cost framework and the implementation framework, to have as much start as early as possible, even though we know all of it can’t.”
31. Indeed.
32. The rub is---such rubrics will bust CBO projections by adding acutely to health care's costs.
33. Stabenow is not looking forward to heading into the 2010 off-year with voters vexed by a trainload of taxes offset by an empty wagon of wishes deferred.
34. “Anything that we can do to realize reforms that won’t take money upfront and at the same time create real relief for families, we are for,” said New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
35. Reid doesn't know what he's doing, he's careening over the same cliff he crashed under just last week.
36. Reports Politico: "In a hastily called Oval Office meeting Thursday, Reid presented his idea for a state “opt-out” to a skeptical Obama, who didn’t balk at the idea but questioned whether Reid could truly round up enough votes, according to two sources familiar with the Oval Office meeting."
Reid announces push for public option - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com
Capitol Briefing - Reid says he will bring a health-care bill with public option
The Prof
1. Reid declared today he will proceed proudly with a PO comprising a states right to opt-out proviso.
2. He's quite confident, he says, that he can hold together his 60 required to deliver reform to his floor.
3. Of course, this is the same "wizard head counter," as liberal leader Schumer called Reid on yesterday's MTP, who was wrong by a most unfortuitous 13 on last week's "doc fix."
4. Feingold, Bayh, Conrad, McCaskill, Lieberman, Wyden, Dorgan, Byrd, Tester, Kohl, Bill Nelson and both Virginians, Warner and Webb---a choice cross section of libs, mods and cons---resisted Reid's arithmetic on his cynical stand-alone sop to surgeons, $247B, sliced off Obamacare, unaccounted for, unpaid for, and charged instead against the general fund.
5. The White House today says it's pleased with the opt-out, settled upon after months of tortured twists and tergiversations, all publicly performed.
6. But just yesterday the administration was signaling the exact opposite, all to induce uber-important Senator Olympia Snowe.
7. The White House wanted Ms Snowe's trigger---"If you don't have Snowe on board you end up losing the votes of a handful of conservative democrats, so the White House is pushing an alternative proposal that would have the public plan triggered," reported Sunday's Huffington Post.
Feingold: No Public Option A "Strong Reason" Not To Support Reform
8. "The White House thinks Reid's whip count is too optimistic," reported the same source.
9. Rahm's right, Reid does NOT have 60, not even close.
10. Confronted with a choice between Snowe's trigger and Schumer's opt-out, Reid today decided in favor of the preeminently progressive approach which preordains the party's Sisyphean failure.
11. Snowe's trigger had a chance, Schumer's opt-out is hopeless.
12. Whip Durbin, briefed this afternoon about Reid's sudden direction, recounted to a room full of reporters: "Progressives forced our hand."
Durbin: Progressives Forced Our Hand On Public Option
13. "It's a zero-sum situation," said Durbin, who is in charge of counting votes in the Senate, "if we thought that just putting the trigger in meant that we'd end with 61 votes," he explained, then that's what leadership would have done.
14. "But there were some that felt that that just didn't go far enough moving toward a public option," whispered the whip.
15. "We have 60 people in the caucus," reasoned Reid, "we'll all hang together and see where we come out."
16. Does that sound confident to you?
17. Ms Snowe, meanwhile, called the leader's decision "deeply disappointing," she's indicated decisively that she will support nothing but her obstinate trigger.
18. Ms McCaskill, one of the nose-thumbing thirteen on the doc fix, asserted on yesterday's Stephy that the Maine maverick was key to the swing of crucial Senators without whom movement is impossible, moderates like Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh and jibing Joe Lieberman.
19. Nebraska's Ben Nelson on Sunday's CNN elucidated unequivocally he would never support an opt-out.
20. Indeed, the moderate made clear, he would not even commit to bust an opposition-backed filibuster.
21. "I have made no promise," said the centrist Sunday, "I can't decide about the procedural vote until I see the underlying bill."
Reid announces push for public option - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com
22. Last week, Evan Bayh of Indiana spoke similarly: requiring reps to interrupt Republican procrastination "is asking some of us to enable passage of legislation that we think would be harmful to the people of our states, I don't think that's a fair thing to ask."
Some Senators Wary of Obama's Health Care Appeals - ABC News
23. Blanche Lincoln: "I've ruled out a government-funded and government-operated plan."
24. Mary Landrieu: "I'm not for a government-run, national, taxpayer-subsidized plan, and never will be."
25. Reid says he will send his set piece to CBO this week for scoring.
26. But yet another controversy accosts his caucus.
27. Some Senators are suddenly insisting the more salient sweets of health care kick in sooner than their scheduled 2013 start date.
Democrats push for health benefits to start by 2010 - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com
28. You'll recall that CBO buddied up to Baucus for $81B in net savings by accounting a full ten years of revenues against only five to seven years of disbursements.
29. Partisans are now perturbed that their voters will perceive the punishments contained in the plan long before appreciating any of the plusses.
30. Debbie Stabenow, sponsor of the failed doc fix: “We want to be able, within the cost framework and the implementation framework, to have as much start as early as possible, even though we know all of it can’t.”
31. Indeed.
32. The rub is---such rubrics will bust CBO projections by adding acutely to health care's costs.
33. Stabenow is not looking forward to heading into the 2010 off-year with voters vexed by a trainload of taxes offset by an empty wagon of wishes deferred.
34. “Anything that we can do to realize reforms that won’t take money upfront and at the same time create real relief for families, we are for,” said New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
35. Reid doesn't know what he's doing, he's careening over the same cliff he crashed under just last week.
36. Reports Politico: "In a hastily called Oval Office meeting Thursday, Reid presented his idea for a state “opt-out” to a skeptical Obama, who didn’t balk at the idea but questioned whether Reid could truly round up enough votes, according to two sources familiar with the Oval Office meeting."
Reid announces push for public option - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) announced Monday that he will seek to bring a health-care bill to the Senate floor that includes a government insurance plan, a major reversal from just two weeks ago, when Reid was leaning against the idea.
He also called for the bill to include a version of the so-called public option with an clause that would allow states to decide by 2014 not to participate in the government plan.
"The best way to move forward is a public option with the opt-out provision for states," Reid told reporters, adding that he "clearly" believes that such a bill would have "the support of my caucus."
Other public-option approaches on the table include an "opt-in" provision for states that many Democratic moderates prefer; and a "trigger" that would create a government plan if private insurers do not offer policies at affordable prices.
The latter has been promoted by Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), the lone Republican to vote thus far for health-care reform in the Senate, and the White House has been anxious to enlist Republican support for the health package.
But Reid indicated Monday that he would not be swayed by her opinion.
"I spoke to Olympia on Friday. I've talked to her on a number of occasions. And at this stage she does not like a public option of any kind," he said. "And so we'll have to move forward on this."
Reid later returned to the question of Snowe's vote, and those of Republicans.
"I'm always looking for Republicans. ... It's just a little hard to find them, and we've had to do a lot of this on our own," he said.
A little later, he added, "You know, one of the things that's been so astounding to me is, when I came here to the Senate, we had a lot of moderate Republicans who worked with us on everything, and we worked with them. ... But this modern Senate Republican [caucus] -- who, in my opinion, don't represent the thought process of Republicans throughout the country -- haven't been willing to help us on anything. So we hope that Olympia will come back. "
Capitol Briefing - Reid says he will bring a health-care bill with public option
The Prof
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