Cenk Uygur had Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on the Young Turks yesterday. Now that only 50 votes are needed to pass a public option in the Senate, guess what? They magically disappear:
She was also pessimistic about the idea of including the public option in the new proposed reconciliation bill in the Senate:
“We don’t have the votes for the public option in the Senate.”
Now, remember we were told earlier that the Senate easily had 51 votes for the public option but that we needed 60 votes in the Senate because of the big, bad Republicans. Now, all of a sudden we don’t have 50 votes. If it only needed 40 votes, or 30 or 20, we still wouldn’t have it. Why? Because the corporations run the place. The rest is all smoke and mirrors.
Remember too that these “fiscal conservatives” are supposedly worried about the cost of the bill, but they would rather pass the wildly unpopular excise tax than vote for a public option which actually saves money (even Schumer’s weak “level playing field” saves $25 billion). And now that we’re all worried about losing seats in swing districts? Well, a bill with a public option in it is more popular than the Senate bill without one — even among Republicans.
So, the Senate wants what the lobbyists tell them to want, and all the rest is kabuki. One more time, here is the list of 51 Senators who say they want a public option. Biden would make 52. What’s stopping them now?
Here is a list of the 51 Democrats who said they support a public option:
# | Senator | State | Comment |
1 | Akaka | HI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
2 | Baucus | MT | Said reason for voting against on Senate Finance was the need for 60 votes |
3 | Bennet | CO | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
4 | Bingaman | NM | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
5 | Boxer | CA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
6 | Brown | OH | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
7 | Burris | IL | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
8 | Byrd | “In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.” | |
9 | Cantwell | WA | Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance |
10 | Cardin | MD | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
11 | Carper | DE | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
12 | Casey | PA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
13 | Dodd | CT | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
14 | Dorgan | ND | I do believe that some sort of public option needs to be part of the proposal, along with a focus on bringing down health care costs and prevention. |
15 | Durbin | IL | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
16 | Feingold | WI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
17 | Feinstein | CA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
18 | Franken | MN | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
19 | Gillibrand | NY | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
20 | Hagan | NC | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
21 | Harkin | IA | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
22 | Inouye | HI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
23 | Johnson | SD | I asked, “What about the bill are you opposed to?” He replied, “That it doesn’t have a robust public option”.a |
24 | Kaufman | DE | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
25 | Kerry | MA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
26 | Klobuchar | MN | “I would prefer a public option that would be a competitive option that would allow people to buy into a Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which is a series of private plans.” |
27 | Kohl | WI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
28 | Lautenberg | NJ | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
29 | Leahy | VT | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
30 | Levin | MI | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
31 | McCaskill | MO | Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance |
32 | Menendez | NJ | Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance |
33 | Merkley | OR | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
34 | Mikulski | MD | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
35 | Murray | WA | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
36 | Nelson (Bill) | FL | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
37 | Reed | RI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
38 | Reid | NV | “I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option.” |
39 | Rockefeller | WV | Voted for Schumer Level Playing Field public option on Senate Finance Committee |
40 | Sanders | VT | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
41 | Schumer | NY | Sponsor of Schumer Amendment |
42 | Shaheen | NH | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
43 | Specter | PA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
44 | Stabenow | MI | Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance |
45 | Tester | MT | “We need competition, and if we get a public option that will help Montana. I will support it.” |
46 | Udall | CO | “I support the President’s plan to include the public option as a tool help reform our broken health care system. But above all, any reform must be done in a deficit-neutral way and must provide choice, stability and security for those who have insurance.” |
47 | Udall | NM | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
48 | Warner | VA | “It’s not a make or break thing–he wants to see a health reform bill that contains costs, and if it includes a public option…he would vote for it.” |
49 | Webb | VA | Told the Huffington Post he is open to a public health care option. |
50 | Whitehouse | RI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
51 | Wyden | OR | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
Cenk Uygur had Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on the Young Turks yesterday. Now that only 50 votes are needed to pass a public option in the Senate, guess what? They magically disappear:
She was also pessimistic about the idea of including the public option in the new proposed reconciliation bill in the Senate:
“We don’t have the votes for the public option in the Senate.”
Now, remember we were told earlier that the Senate easily had 51 votes for the public option but that we needed 60 votes in the Senate because of the big, bad Republicans. Now, all of a sudden we don’t have 50 votes. If it only needed 40 votes, or 30 or 20, we still wouldn’t have it. Why? Because the corporations run the place. The rest is all smoke and mirrors.
Remember too that these “fiscal conservatives” are supposedly worried about the cost of the bill, but they would rather pass the wildly unpopular excise tax than vote for a public option which actually saves money (even Schumer’s weak “level playing field” saves $25 billion). And now that we’re all worried about losing seats in swing districts? Well, a bill with a public option in it is more popular than the Senate bill without one — even among Republicans.
So, the Senate wants what the lobbyists tell them to want, and all the rest is kabuki. One more time, here is the list of 51 Senators who say they want a public option. Biden would make 52. What’s stopping them now?
Here is a list of the 51 Democrats who said they support a public option:
# | Senator | State | Comment |
1 | Akaka | HI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
2 | Baucus | MT | Said reason for voting against on Senate Finance was the need for 60 votes |
3 | Bennet | CO | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
4 | Bingaman | NM | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
5 | Boxer | CA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
6 | Brown | OH | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
7 | Burris | IL | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
8 | Byrd | “In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.” | |
9 | Cantwell | WA | Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance |
10 | Cardin | MD | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
11 | Carper | DE | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
12 | Casey | PA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
13 | Dodd | CT | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
14 | Dorgan | ND | I do believe that some sort of public option needs to be part of the proposal, along with a focus on bringing down health care costs and prevention. |
15 | Durbin | IL | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
16 | Feingold | WI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
17 | Feinstein | CA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
18 | Franken | MN | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
19 | Gillibrand | NY | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
20 | Hagan | NC | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
21 | Harkin | IA | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
22 | Inouye | HI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
23 | Johnson | SD | I asked, “What about the bill are you opposed to?” He replied, “That it doesn’t have a robust public option”.a |
24 | Kaufman | DE | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
25 | Kerry | MA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
26 | Klobuchar | MN | “I would prefer a public option that would be a competitive option that would allow people to buy into a Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which is a series of private plans.” |
27 | Kohl | WI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
28 | Lautenberg | NJ | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
29 | Leahy | VT | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
30 | Levin | MI | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
31 | McCaskill | MO | Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance |
32 | Menendez | NJ | Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance |
33 | Merkley | OR | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
34 | Mikulski | MD | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
35 | Murray | WA | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
36 | Nelson (Bill) | FL | Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance |
37 | Reed | RI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
38 | Reid | NV | “I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option.” |
39 | Rockefeller | WV | Voted for Schumer Level Playing Field public option on Senate Finance Committee |
40 | Sanders | VT | Voted for HELP Committee public option |
41 | Schumer | NY | Sponsor of Schumer Amendment |
42 | Shaheen | NH | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
43 | Specter | PA | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
44 | Stabenow | MI | Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance |
45 | Tester | MT | “We need competition, and if we get a public option that will help Montana. I will support it.” |
46 | Udall | CO | “I support the President’s plan to include the public option as a tool help reform our broken health care system. But above all, any reform must be done in a deficit-neutral way and must provide choice, stability and security for those who have insurance.” |
47 | Udall | NM | Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May |
48 | Warner | VA | “It’s not a make or break thing–he wants to see a health reform bill that contains costs, and if it includes a public option…he would vote for it.” |
49 | Webb | VA | Told the Huffington Post he is open to a public health care option. |
50 | Whitehouse | RI | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |
51 | Wyden | OR | Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option |