Already being discussed. Well, maybe after the game. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=4831826#post4831826
Harry Reid is a buffoon. As a conservative, I am thoroughly delighted to see him in the position of Senate Majority Leader. He and Nancy Pelosi are two of the best reasons imaginable to vote for "change" in 2010 and 2012. Apparently the people of Nevada are not very impressed with him either. He is already well behind in the polls for his re-election bid coming up in 2010. See for yourself: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_tarkanian_vs_reid-1099.html As an incumbent, and more importantly as the Senate Majority Leader, he should be leading by a huge margin.
...Yeah, I'm not really getting how this reverses any of the momentum for the public option...at all.
Various forms of the public option have been called dead many times before. Even if it were to be dead in the Senate, it could easily be resurrected in conference and then only need 50 votes. At the end of the day, I suspect he won't filibuster though. He just wants attention. His "facts" on why he's against it don't even make sense - he doesn't understand the financing of it any more than MojoMan does.
I'm inclined to agree with Major that Lieberman will back down. But, if he doesn't, they can't beat a filibuster without a Republican. And they don't, to our knowledge, have one. If he backs a filibuster and no Republican crosses over, it stops the public option dead. Unless 51 Democrats have the balls to do it through reconciliation, which would be pretty amazing.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/reid-lieberman-is-the-least-of-my-problems.php At least publicly, Harry Reid's not terribly concerned at this point. I think Obama, Reid, and others will be calling in favors from way back in January when they welcomed JoeMentum back into the fold, angering many on the left. This is exactly why Obama and Reid did it - to have leverage over him at some point down the road, and now's the time to use it.
Exactly correct. Also, Blanche Lincoln is not looking very solid either: Still awaiting word on how the other blue dog Democrats are going to vote on this.
I know that there's another thread on healthcare where reasonable discussion may occur, but it might be nice to have a thread dedicated to our collective loathing for JoeMentum and the "fiscally responsible" moderate Dems who ignore that the public option is cheaper while at the same time lining their pockets with health insurance industry money. Worst Billy Tauzin legacy ever. In the wonders of my imagination, wherein Jack Black's role is reprised by Harry Reid, with cashed-in chits and threats of retaliation, if the Dem caucus does not hold together on cloture: = <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RVX8Ab6Gjhk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RVX8Ab6Gjhk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
LOL. That's hilarious. If the Dems fail to get a health care bill passed this year, they might want to consider ditching the blue donkey as their mascot and replacing it with the blue poodle dog in the picture above. Hahahahahaha. I really am laughing pretty hard over here now. Please, no more. Make it stop. Hahahahahaha.
someone remind traitor joe how he got his chair. obama went to bat for him. i'd be shocked if he actually had the balls to filibuster.
Lieberman is a prick. If he does not back down, I'm inclined to believe that Olympia Snowe will turn.
I may be mistaken on this but doesn't reconcilliation only come into play in regard to bills out of conference committee? So if a healthcare bill in the Senate, one that hasn't gone to concerence, is blocked by a filibuster reconcialiation wouldn't come into play. In regard to Lieberman or any other Senator filibustering I say let them. Particularly Lieberman as I'm sure the voters in Connecticut would enjoy the image of him filibustering on the Senate floor against a public option.
