Ben Nelson’s Spokesman Makes It Official: No On Reconciliation
It’s official: Ben Nelson is totally, definitely, completely opposed to reconciliation. His spokesman just confirmed it via email.
The press reports out of Nebraska suggesting Nelson had said he’d oppose “reconciliation,” which spread through the political world this morning, were not conclusive. One local reporter who covered Nelson’s comments, for instance, told Sam Stein that “in a word” Nelson’s answer was that he’d vote No on reconciliation.
A report in another local paper, meanwhile, quoted Nelson as saying reconciliation would be a “tremendous mistake,” but didn’t quote him expressing irrevocable opposition.
Well, doubt no longer. Nelson spokesman Tom Fazzini emails our reporter, Amanda Erickson:
Senator Nelson is opposed to reconciliation.
Nelson’s spokesman, however, declined to specify whether Nelson was standing by his view that a bill that passes with the support of less than 65 Senators may not be legit.
Update: Turns out Nelson supported the use of reconciliation to pass not one, but two of Bush’s tax cut packages.
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Wouldn’t Byrd also be a solid ‘No’ on reconciliation for healthcare reform?
as I understand it Nelson can wish for a pony all he wants but it makes no difference as the reconciliation primary move was made in the spring.Still what an idiot.
“In a surprising vote Tuesday, ten Democrats voted to add a public option to the most conservative of the five health insurance reform bills working their way through Congress. That’s just two votes short of passage.
This robust support for the public option — in what most observers consider the most conservative committee in the Senate — signals a sea change in Congressional opinion toward the public option. The odds are now very high that some form of public health insurance option will be included on the final bill when it emerges from a House-Senate Conference Committee later this fall and is ultimately passed by Congress.”
The three bills that have passed House Committees, and the Senate Health Committee bill, all contain a public option. And increasingly it appears that the strongest form of public option will come out of the House.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/growing-momentum-for-publ_b_303415.html
Thx Tena. Over at TPM:
Schumer on Finance Committee Vote…
“To come up only two votes shy in the Finance Committee, the most difficult terrain for this proposal in the whole Congress, makes us increasingly optimistic that we can pass a bill with a good public option in the end. We had more votes at the end of the day than we did at the beginning, and many members who aren’t yet for a public option are still approaching us to seek out areas of agreement.”
U R Welcome, Ethan.
“It ain’t over til the fat lady sings, and that ***** got a whole lot of weight to gain.”
[and you can call me by my new name: Featuring Lil Wayne...]
OT, here’s another article on Reid’s waffling around the edges of real reform. This is regarding the Leahy bill to repeal the exemption insurance companies have to Anti-Trust laws. Even Scott C. supports something along these lines if it would increase competition.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/60107-reid-picks-his-battles-on-health
Holy cow the NYT and AP summary articles are horrendous. AP mentions Joe Wilson before Rockefeller, the author of one of the amendments the article is supposedly covering. NEITHER article debates the merits of the public option. Just he-said-she-said.
Journalism is dead.
We don’t need Nelson’s vote in reconciliation. All we needs is 50 votes and we were NOT expecting Nelson to be one of the 50 votes.
Talk about wishing for a pony! The Schumer bill couldn’t even pass and that is the one that is not tied to Medicare rates – in other words, the one that progressives in the House say is not acceptable.
Notice the sea change here – Schumer calls a public option that is not tied to Medicare “a good public option.” Trying to reset expectations.
If they won’t vote for it in committee then why would they vote for it in a conference bill? (Answer myself: some darn big earmarks!)
A good thing came out of the vote today in Finance. Bill Nelson and Tom Carper voted in favor of the Schumer amendment. I don’t think either of them had previously taken any firm stand on the PO (weak or robust- the latter of which they voted against on the Rockefeller amendment). Sadly, we’ve also finally gotten a firm position from Kent Conrad, and the most appalling failure to even pretend to do her job from Blanche Lincoln.
What this means going forward? I’m not really sure, but good news RE: Nelson and Carper in any case.
“(Answer myself: some darn big earmarks!)”
And whatever else it takes.
Imsinca – You know what’s wrong with Reid – he’s teetering on the edge of losing his job go a Republican.
It would be nice if our Senate Leader was sitting in a safe seat and was more in line with the rest of the party – Chuck Schumer, perhaps?
to a Republican…
Ben Nelson is an ***. I don’t know that more needs to be said.
Ding, dong, the public option’s dead. Public options dead. It’s dead. It’s dead.
President Obama said that a Public Option would rely on premiums paid by it’s members, to cover medical bills, and would not use any government funds.
That being the case, then why on earth should the Private Insurance Racketeers get at least $900 Billion in Government subsidies, to cover the same people that the Public Option would cover without any government funds.
The Baucus Bill is designed to give almost a trillion dollars of tax payers money to Private Insurance providers, and block a Public Option that would save Tax Payers that Trillion dollar handout to the Robber Barons. Keep in mind, we will have to borrow that Trillion from China, which will run up the national debt, and will probably end up, with interest accrued, as being closer to two trillion that it will cost to subsidize coverage, for those we could cover without any tax money, in the Private Option.
We need to pound that point home.
If we do not get the Public Option, then by God, we better make sure that the Senate Democrats get the message that we will not tolerate giving a Trillion Dollars in Tax money, to the Insurance Robber Barons.