Today’s meeting of the Senate Finance Committee is beginning now and you can learn everything you need to know about it from Congress Matters. Today is the day that the committee will debate the public option. CA Berkeley WV puts us on notice:
WARNING: The push for the public option, those amendments listed below, starts today. Sen. Cantwell, Rockfeller and Schumer laid down the groundwork last week. The votes of Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) may be hazardous to your forehead.
I assume that the chairman (Baucus) will vote against these amendments. I assume that Kent Conrad will vote against them. Whether Lincoln and Carper follow suit, I don’t know. I’d also keep my eye on Menendez. He voted against letting the government negotiate the bulk purchasing of drugs for Medicare D. I had not expected him to be such a weasel, but he’s in charge of the DSCC now, and his state has a lot of drug-makers. He should be solid on the public option, but you never know.
In order for the public option to pass through Finance, no more than one Democrat can vote against it. Conrad will be the first ‘no’ vote (because the chairman votes last). The suspense will build when Lincoln votes. If she says ‘aye’ it will go to Menendez. If he votes ‘aye’ it will go to Carper. If he votes ‘aye’ it will be up to Baucus, and he won’t be able to argue that the option couldn’t get through his committee.
You should be able to watch it here.
Rockefeller: I like to use the word ‘rapacious’ because I think it is precise and on the mark.
Rockefeller really dislikes insurance companies. It is very refreshing coming from a billionaire. What a traitor to his class he is.
Rockefeller needlessly dissed Senator Bill Nelson.
Rockefeller is testy this morning. I think he’s sick of dealing with the combination of idiots and whores.
Rockefeller says that insurance corps ‘revel in their banditry.’
A senator telling the bald truth! My heart can barely stand it.
Baucus (to Rockefeller): you leave the impression that this mark is easy on the insurance companies. It is not.
Rockefeller: the mark gives the insurance corps half a trillion dollars and they have never followed the rules.
Baucus wants to characterize the half a trillion in subsidies as money going to help people buy insurance.
That’s true enough, but all that money goes right into the pockets of the insurance corps who, with a public option, will get a captive consumer market.
Grassley: some WH staffer said I opposed this bill but never mentioned opposition to the public option. But I did oppose it three times to them.
Grassley advised the WH that they could show their good faith by declaring that Obama would be willing to sign a bill without a public option. (Tried to nail him down) But that he didn’t get a positive or a negative response.
See how the strategy works?
Grassley thinks the Rockefeller amendment is a ‘slow walk towards a single-payer government system.’
I think that, too. That’s why I support this whole charade.
carper will vote against the public option. he’s as useless as tits on a bull.
I’m shocked…shocked,,,that there is whoring going on in the Senate Finance Committee.
i am as well. shocked.
the scales have fallen from my eyes.
/snark.
Grassley’s argument would make a bit of sense if he supported the mark. But he doesn’t.
Menendez is solid for the public option. So, where’s Lincoln?
Conrad just knows that a public option would not be right for our American culture because he just knows. Rockefeller is extra salty and I like it.