Exclusive: Robust Public Option Lacks Votes To Pass House, Internal Whip Count Document Shows
The House Dem leadership has conducted its preliminary whip count and has tallied up less than 200 likely Yes votes in support of a health care reform bill with a robust public option, well short of the 218 needed for passage, according to an internal whip count document I’ve obtained.
The document — compiled by the office of House leader James Clyburn — was distributed privately at a meeting between Clyburn and House progressives today where the fate of the public option was the subject of some contentious debate, with liberals demanding that House leaders push harder to win over votes.
Clyburn spokesperson Kristie Greco would only say: “We currently do not have the votes for a robust public option.”
Health care reformers are eagerly awaiting the House vote count numbers on the robust public option — which would reimburse providers at Medicare rates plus five percent — because a House bill with a strong public option would increase the of leverage House leaders in upcoming conference negotiations with Senate leaders over the final bill. The exact count has been hotly debated in political circles since last week.
Clyburn told the assembled members at the meeting that the leadership does not have the votes to pass the robust public option, according to a House progressive familiar with the meeting. That sparked aggressive pushback from liberals, who argued that leadership — and the White House — should be working harder to win over the remaining votes the bill needs.
The document shows that 47 House Dems are committed No votes, and eight are Leaning No, for a total of 55. That means of 256 House Dems, just under 200 remain, and a dozen of those are listed as undecided. The bill needs 218 votes for passage.
House progressives argue that the document should light a fire under Dem leaders. One House progressive tells me he’s convinced that most of the undecideds, and a number of the No votes, can be won over with the right mix of pressure and incentives — which only the House leadership and the White House can provide.
“Only leadership and the White House can get this done,” this progressive says. The time would appear to be now…
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Isn’t the definition of a crazy person one who does the same thing over and over again and expects different results? Well, we’ve pleaded with Obama to step up to the plate and perform as he promised during his campaign– that he would a strong advocate of PO when he became Pres– and what has he given us? He sent out the ObamaRhama message that the American people wouldn’t get the PO– “it wouldn’t pass.” Well, it sure as hell has less of a chance passing with the Pres not working passionately for it and sending his bulldog Rham Emmanual to state in an interview that the public option was no longer an option.
I’m sick of banging my head against a stone wall. The candidate of the people, Barack Obama, has long since morphed into some picture of Dorian Grey and left all people truly concerned about their brothers and sisters twisting in the wind.
In response to a questionnaire I was sent by the Obama people, I expressed my deep disappointment with his conduct as Pres and told him he had lost my support. I said I was only one person but that if he continues his current ObamaRhama behavior, I’m sure that he should be getting ready to pack his bags. Let’s not be ostriches and hide our heads in the sand; the guy is not who he said he was going to be– at best he’s a chameleon and at worst (which I believe to be the case so far) he’s a conservative politician, more concerned with corrupt institutions than with the real lives people lead today.
I’m not quite as disappointed as Sheila, but i can get there fast.
financial reform is lagging.
leadership on WORKABLE specifics of health care reform -
no public option….. Big Pharma retains their protection from government using scale muscle to get fair drug prices … i’d vote 3d party next time.
Obama is a textbook narcissist, a Marxist, and quite dangerous. Most of us saw who he was during the campaign. We marveled at how the intellectual elites could not put two and two together. We still do, though some of you have regained your ability to add things up.
The Democrats are ignoring (a) the Constitution, which sets specific limits on what the federal govt.’s job is, and is not; and (b) what the vast majority of Americans want, with polls consistently demonstrating that 73% to 79% of Americans do not want the govt. involved in health care. They also consistently ignore hard data. There is no economic model – none – in which govt. involvement in health care drives down prices. This bill, if passed, will bankrupt this nation and everyone in it. We need to get the deficit taken care of. Expand Medicare to include those who are uninsured AND WHO QUALIFY (i.e, must be a U.S. citizen who meets certain income requirements). Stop monkeying around with everyone else’s insurance. Because the govt. has never done anything efficiently or well.
KSterling
“with polls consistently demonstrating that 73% to 79% of Americans do not want the govt. involved in health care.”
Say what? Or is this opposite day?
For the record Sen. Lieberman has long been known to cultivate the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, which provide jobs in his home state and contributions to his campaign fund.
His wife, Hadassah joined Hill & Knowlton last year. The legendary lobbying and PR firm hired her as a “senior counselor” in its “health and pharmaceuticals practice.”
The fact remains the insurance companies have been living off of blood money and ripping us off for decades.
Even their ultra hush, hush anti-trust exemption from 1945 is finally being talked about.
They are scum (that’s not hyperbole)and do not care about the economy as a whole or the damage and pain and suffering they have caused regular people.
They don’t care – too bad you made a typo – have fun dying. We’re not sorry YOU got sick – thanks for the policy payments!
That’s whats going on people and they are finally being called out on their bizarre behavior. They gilded the lilly for so long pushed the premiums up too high.
Those of us who have been saying holy cow for decades are finally seeing some action on the HILL not because its the right thing to do but because its a huge drag on the economy – freakin’ geniuses no duh.
Some of ypou amaze me. First, my father was a union organizer and before he died of cancer said he would not p+ss on them if they were on fire. Why?? Becaause they have lost the principles of their inception. THey are not! about the people –the real people anymore! They are about self promotion and communistic principles and socialistic ways which they will deserve. But not in MY country! Some of the conservative and basic American values people have been asleep and bullied. They are ticked off and cornered now and you are seeing some of these results in Virginia elections as harbingers of coming things. Look to the race in NY-23! A We-the-People candidate is taking the field. Try to push this garbage down our throats and you will find the backlash so vicious that you will lose what joy that you’ve cherished. What does that mean? Well in your Society ie USSR, RDK, RED China, socially deviant people are killed or disappeared. THis is where you would push us. We the people have kept the gov’t checked by US and in check by US that is probably why it is still ours and why people come here to get care that they can’t get at home! The Black people have been once again ‘bamboozled’ by an ‘establishment’ this one was not the usual one though. It was an old though a Chicago Mob Gang. Comments? Bring it!
This is an emotional issue for many Americans. This so-called “public option” presents serious challenges for us. As Consumers we should be able to compare the cost and quality of health care services. How much is a specific surgery at one hospital, as compared with another? http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/media/
You want to do something about healthcare? Make healthcare portable this all insurance companies have to compete in all markets. Gov’t “option” does not make anything better. It just hinders fluid movement in normal processes which we… intelligent people would normally excel. Now it will be stifled until repealed by sensible citizen reps
Those who support this piece of **** need to get their heads out of their butts. Reid, Pelosi and Obama do not speak for this country. The government needs to stay out of healthcare and strong arming will not make a difference. To pass this unseen bill will be the final nail in the coffin and 2010 will end the reign of these anti american mental midgets.
The public option is rooted in nothing more than the intellectual laziness of Congress and the Administration – the intellectual laziness that comes from the conclusion that government has to be the answer for every social/societal ill.
A letter from HEW (April 1959) to the House Ways and Means Committee remains germane: In our society the existence of a problem does not necessarily indicate that action by the Federal Government is desirable. The basic question is: Should the Federal Government at this time undertake a new program to help pay the costs of medical care…, or should it wait and see [first if other options are effective]?
When our children are paying 60% of their income in taxes to support a government run (and all that comes with this) rather than a citizen run country, they’ll have us to thank.
Thomas J Reid III MD PhD FACP
Hematology-Medical Oncology
(From 2004 to 2008 Dr Reid served as Chief of Hematology-Medical Oncology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. After 27 years in the Army Medical Corps, he retired in 2008 as a full Colonel). His essays on health-care reform can be located on his website (http://sites.google.com/site/thomasreid3md/) or blog (http://doctors-takecharge-healthcare-reform.blogspot.com/).
You guys are in a dream world. There is NO money for ANY REAL healthcare bill. That’s the problem – they have a $2 trillion cost bill, and the Democrats and Obama are engaged in the fantasy that it wont add to the deficit and doesnt have massive new taxes and doesnt burden state budgets and wont cause medicare cuts – WHEN IT DOES ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Pelosi lies when she says Medicare is a ‘cost saver’, they were told in July the numbers dont add up. There is no Medicare ’savings’ unless you screw doctors with lower reimbursements, a trick the Senate tried to ‘fix’ last week and Reid got caught in the lie and lost his vote!
This bill is an absolute and utter turkey. It is the wrong concept and needs to be 100% scrapped. No new taxes, no new entitlements, no mandates. Just fix the pre-existing conditions issue (which would be zero cost to Federal budget) and leave the rest for when our economy recovers.THAT would be common-sense approach… since the progressives that run the Democrat party are putting selfish ideology ahead of common sense, the voters are going to give the Democrats a HUGE backlash.
“We definitely need the medicare+5 in the house,”
We need Govt run healthcare like we need a hole in the head.
“Isn’t the definition of a crazy person one who does the same thing over and over again and expects different results? ”
Yup, Socialism has created misery and poverty every place its tried. USA will be no different.
“Why isn’t the best outcome no bill, rather than a mediocre one, and the Dems facing the voters in 2010?”
Hmmm, I think conservatives and progressives could even agree on that! Go ahead, put the ‘robust’ bill up for a vote – up or down … if it fails, wait for 2010.
These backroom, backdoor mind-games and deals are the death of democracy. Whatever happened to the transparent and open process that Obama promised?
“There is no Medicare ’savings’ unless you screw doctors with lower reimbursements, a trick the Senate tried to ‘fix’ last week and Reid got caught in the lie and lost his vote!”
Let me clarify this – the CBO ’scores’ are using non-existent and never-to-happen Medicare ’savings’ that would require huge reimbursement cuts – enough to make doctors flee the whole system. If Reid and Pelosi were honest, they wouldnt be counting these phantom cuts in the ’score’, nor would they seperate out the ‘doc fix’ from the main bill. Be honest and put it together!
First..
You have to get the idea behind the entire package.
IT WILL RAISE THE COST EACH OF US PAYS FOR HEALTH CARE.
It will RAISE TAXES on all Americans EXCEPT for the politicians voting for the BILL.
The biggest question to ask anyone voting for the Bill… WHY DO YOU WHAT THE BEST HEALTH CARE for yourself and your family.. ie… you keep your TAXPAYER FUNDED health care package and do not come in under what you are MANDATING for the rest of America.
READ THAT AGAIN. NONE of the PUKES voting for this health care bill… WANT TO BE COVERED BY THE SAME BILL.
The Messiah… even had the b-lls to stand up and say… he WANTED the best health care for himself and his family.
The so called political LEADERS of our country..consider themselves beyond the rest of us poor peons..
The total ESTIMATED cost of this bill is over a TRILLION dollars.. and raises about 500 Billion dollars in taxes..
And by the time they get done adding pork and earmarks… it will be well above that 1 Trllion dollars.
Here is hoping that voters throughout the country… send a clear message to the DEMONCRATS on Tuesday.
You vote for this garbage and call us Nazis, Trash and disrespect us and the Constitution.
Your name, your face will be in the cross hairs of the wraith of the American Patriot in 2010 and 2012.
Hey, it seems the naysayers were wrong. This train is powering ahead. See more on
tomtommytom.blogspot.com
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