Faced with a likely public option-free health care reform bill from the Senate, Hoyer said House Democrats will vote to move the reform process forward without government-run insurance included.Indeed, we're already seeing the advice to take what Lieberman deigns to allow us to have and be grateful for it. Nate Silver reminds us the Senate bill numbers are still better far better than the status quo, and there's the option of improving the plan down the road.
Much as his colleagues in the Senate Democratic leadership did last night, Hoyer said the political reality in the Senate means Democrats have to look past things like the public option to the "guts" of the bill itself.
"[Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid has does not have the votes for a public option, obviously," Hoyer said. "In a world of alternatives, you have to take what you can get."
Though they may have to sacrifice the public option in order to craft a reform package acceptable to the the fickle Senate Democratic coalition, Hoyer said House Democrats still reserve the right to tinker with the carefully-crafted Senate compromise, whatever it may be.
"Just take the Senate bill? That's not gonna happen," Hoyer said. "There are key differences between the Senate proposal and ours and we'll just have to work that out."
But, as BooMan reminds us:
We have to be nice to Lieberman because he's working with the sane people on the climate bill, he's leading the investigation into the Ft. Hood shootings, and he has a bill that would extend domestic partnership benefits to all federal employees. Seriously. I call bullshit. If the Obama agenda is going to be owned by one senator, I'd prefer it be Olympia Snowe rather than Joe Lieberman. I am sure most progressives agree.Acceptance is one thing. Enabling abuse is something different entirely. Show Lieberman the door, and get a better deal from the Snowe Queen. It has to be better than what Joe's offering, which is only the back of his hand and taste of defeat. Yes, the Senate bill is better than what we have now by leaps and bounds. But we only got this far because we kept fighting.
[UPDATE 1:20 PM] Greg Sargent smells a deal with the Snowe Queen coming. The trick here is to move ahead. Get it passed. Get it on the table. The real battle was always the markup between the House and Senate versions for the final bill. Have that fight in January, not now.
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I'll repost my comment from Greg's blog:
"I think Sherrie is spot on, this is a timing thing. Pure and simple. Like I said yesterday we need a cloture vote by Friday if we are going to see a Senate vote on the bill by Xmas. Olympia is 100% playing for time, and has said openly that she is committed to slowing the process. Capitulate with Lieberman, use the House bill to put a strong trigger in, and get Snowe’s vote on the other side while you dump Lieberman.
On the President’s visit today… it isn’t about convince Lieberman, Reid’s capitulation was for that, this is about convince progressives that this bill is worth voting for and getting out of the way of. Otherwise why appeal with a “last train leaving the station” mentality to people who are happy to see it pass them by?"
And I'll reiterate, this is pretty much a timing thing, and Snowe has more of an incentive to delay than Lieberman does (his reward comes from Reid kowtowing, and watching Markos Moulistas oppose any bill he endorses). If we want to get this out of the Senate, and stop the decaying process that continues as long as it sits there, then we need to vote on it now.
I still believe two things:
1) A health care bill must pass.
2) A health care bill will pass.
Given that, this plan will roll ahead. Nate Silver is the calm voice of rationality here.
Lol. Well, I certainly can't fault your succinctness. And yes, Silver and Ezra are the two people who are responsible for my having any semblance of trust that the WH knows what is doing.
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