HolyCoast: Joe Lieberman: "No."
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Joe Lieberman: "No."

The word "no" is my favorite word coming from Joe Lieberman these days:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, speaking in that trademark sonorous baritone, utters a simple statement that translates into real trouble for Democratic leaders: "I'm going to be stubborn on this."

Stubborn, he means, in opposing any health-care overhaul that includes a "public option," or government-run health-insurance plan, as the current bill does. His opposition is strong enough that Mr. Lieberman says he won't vote to let a bill come to a final vote if a public option is included.WSJ's Jerry Seib discusses his exclusive interview with Sen. Joseph Lieberman, in which the lawmaker says he will stubbornly oppose any public option for U.S. health care.

Probe for a catch or caveat in that opposition, and none is visible. Can he support a public option if states could opt out of the plan, as the current bill provides? "The answer is no," he says in an interview from his Senate office. "I feel very strongly about this." How about a trigger, a mechanism for including a public option along with a provision saying it won't be used unless private insurance plans aren't spreading coverage far and fast enough? No again.

So any version of a public option will compel Mr. Lieberman to vote against bringing a bill to a final vote? "Correct," he says.
Add to Lieberman potential opposition from Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln, and Harry Reid has a tough job ahead to craft a bill that can get out of the Senate. And without a public option, passage in the House is iffy too.

The GOP can't really do much of anything except hold together in opposition to the whole thing. Any defections in the Senate could end up getting this monster passed.

1 comment:

Sam L. said...

From what I've read, Landrieu has taken the bribe.