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How to get 50 votes in Senate for a good bill?
This is imho the only question that matters now. This fight will take place in September but the outlines are becoming clear. The WH has stated it "wants" a robust public option. Most of us agree that the public option is the best way to cover everyone and save money. It remains popular, and even the CBO said it would save $150 billion. The House can probably deliver a bill with a public option. So we are left with the Senate holding things up. So how do things look there?
According to Howard Dean's website, here are the numbers:
Nate Silver goes over the remaining possible Senators one by one here.
So it seems that we are stuck relying upon a half a dozen Senators, many from red states, to give us a good bill.
Also, note that the pretense of negotiating with Republicans is finished. Grassley (affectionately known as Grasshole) was talkign about "Death panels" and carrying Glenn Beck's book, and Kyl stated out loud that the GOP will not support any health care bill no matter what. The right has already started attackign the lame co-op idea. So Baucus' pretense of working with Republicans is revealed to be a sham, and the WH has admitted as much with Rahm's recent remarks.
So here were are. Need 5 or 6 more votes in the Senate. That's all that stands between us and historic achievement.
How do we get there?
p.s. And if we don't and Baucus kills the PO, don't forget to take the BaucusBucks (tm) challenge!
According to Howard Dean's website, here are the numbers:
| Chamber | Yes | No | Don't know | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | 198 | 6 | 236 | ||||||
| Senate | 44 | 39 | 16 | ||||||
| Combined | 242 | 45 | 252 |
Nate Silver goes over the remaining possible Senators one by one here.
So it seems that we are stuck relying upon a half a dozen Senators, many from red states, to give us a good bill.
Also, note that the pretense of negotiating with Republicans is finished. Grassley (affectionately known as Grasshole) was talkign about "Death panels" and carrying Glenn Beck's book, and Kyl stated out loud that the GOP will not support any health care bill no matter what. The right has already started attackign the lame co-op idea. So Baucus' pretense of working with Republicans is revealed to be a sham, and the WH has admitted as much with Rahm's recent remarks.
So here were are. Need 5 or 6 more votes in the Senate. That's all that stands between us and historic achievement.
How do we get there?
p.s. And if we don't and Baucus kills the PO, don't forget to take the BaucusBucks (tm) challenge!
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15 Senators remaining on the fence:
Baucus, Bayh, Begich, Bennet, Byrd, Carper, Conrad, Feinstein, Lincoln, Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Pryor, Tester, Warner and Wyden.
August 19, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy shit, what is DiFi doing on this list!
August 19, 2009 7:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Throw the bums out and start over.
August 19, 2009 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for this. I contacted Alaska's Senators Begich and Murkowski. My message was specifically about the need for a positive public option. This is response from Begich:
*****************
August 18, 2009
Thank you for contacting me about insurance and health care reform. I appreciate you taking time to share your thoughts regarding plans in Congress to address the complex issues of insurance and health care costs. I believe health care should be accessible and affordable for all Americans.
The need for insurance and health care reform is great. Medical costs are out of control and now tie up one-sixth of the national economy. More than 116,000 Alaskans are uninsured - nearly 18 percent of our population. The cost of their uncompensated care is passed on to those with insurance. This means Alaska families pay an additional $1,900 a year in premium costs due to this "hidden tax" and insurance premiums for individuals are $710 higher than they should be.
Health insurance reform would provide Americans the security of:
o No discrimination for pre-existing conditions,
o No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays,
o No cost-sharing for preventative care,
o No dropping of coverage for seriously ill,
o No gender discrimination,
o No annual or lifetime caps on coverage,
o Children continue to be eligible for family coverage through age 26,
o Insurance can't refuse renewal because someone became sick.
Insurance and health care reform is essential for small business. Even a middle-of the-road version of health reform could save America's small businesses $800 billion over the next 10 years - money that can be used to innovate, increase productivity, hire more workers and pay better wages.
There has been great progress towards a solution on insurance and health care reform. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee has passed its bill, and three committees in the House of Representatives came together to introduce combined legislation.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to make health care affordable, and will keep your comments in mind as I do so.
Sincerely,
Mark Begich
U.S. Senator
*************
I am concerned as, what I got out of this, there is no reference to public option which doesn't bode well. Yes, it is PC speak, but at least does cite the issues he is touting to be included in legislation.
I am contacting him again. And I am looking up both his and Murkowski's contributors.
August 19, 2009 6:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great!
Here's some contact info:
Sen Max Baucus D MT
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2651 | Fax: 202-224-0515
Web: http://baucus.senate.gov | Write: http://baucus.senate.gov/conta...
Sen Evan Bayh D IN
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-5623 | Fax: 202-228-1377
Web: http://bayh.senate.gov | Write: http://bayh.senate.gov/contact...
Sen Mark Begich D AK
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-3004 | Fax:
Web: http://begich.senate.gov | Write: senator@begich.senate.gov
Sen Michael Bennet D CO
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-5852 | Fax:
Web: http://bennet.senate.gov | Write: senator_bennet@bennet.senate.gov
Facebook: Bennet For Colorado
Sen Robert Byrd D WV
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-3954 | Fax: 202-228-0002
Web: http://byrd.senate.gov | Write: http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_em...
Sen Thomas Carper D DE
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2441 | Fax: 202-228-2190
Web: http://carper.senate.gov | Write: http://carper.senate.gov/contact/
Sen Kent Conrad D ND
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2043 | Fax: 202-224-7776
Web: http://conrad.senate.gov | Write: http://conrad.senate.gov/webfo...
Sen Dianne Feinstein D CA
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-3841 | Fax: 202-228-3954
Web: http://feinstein.senate.gov | Write: http://feinstein.senate.gov/pu...
Sen Blanche Lincoln D AR
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-4843 | Fax: 202-228-1371
Web: http://lincoln.senate.gov/ | Write: http://lincoln.senate.gov/cont...
Sen Bill Nelson D FL
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-5274 | Fax: 202-228-2183
Web: http://billnelson.senate.gov/ | Write: http://billnelson.senate.gov/c...
Sen E. Benjamin Nelson D NE
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-6551 | Fax: 202-228-0012
Web: http://bennelson.senate.gov/ | Write: http://bennelson.senate.gov/co...
Sen Mark Pryor D AR
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2353 | Fax: 202-228-0908
Web: http://pryor.senate.gov | Write: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
Sen Jon Tester D MT
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2644 | Fax: 202-224-8594
Web: http://tester.senate.gov/ | Write: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/
Sen Mark Warner D VA
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-2023 | Fax: 202-224-6295
Web: http://warner.senate.gov | Write: http://warner.senate.gov/publi...
Sen Ron Wyden D OR
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-5244 | Fax: 202-228-2717
Web: http://wyden.senate.gov/ | Write: http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/
August 19, 2009 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink