Posted on 10/27/2009 11:20:31 AM PDT by careyb
Edited on 10/27/2009 11:26:26 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill.
Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid’s has said the Senate bill will.
"We're trying to do too much at once," Lieberman said. “To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don’t think we need it now."
Lieberman added that he’d vote against a public option plan “even with an opt-out because it still creates a whole new government entitlement program for which taxpayers will be on the line." .................
Snowe and Blanche Lincoln have now publicly said that will likewise vote against it. They waited for Joe “Man of Stone” to come out first.
You really don’t want to see what they are saying at DU. “It’s not pretty” would be a serious understatement.
RE :”I don’t think Pelosi “knows” this at all. I think she shares the belief of many progressives that this is really a good idea and that she needs to “force” Senate to “do the right thing.”
We can only speculate . I am way more cynical than you. I think Pelosi cares more about power and being speaker than any progressive causes. The past two years showed that. I think she gets with the other leadership Reid/Obama and Reid tells them what will happen. I think she is going to sell out the other progressives but in a sneaky way. Just my thoughts.
Even if I am wrong, we need to convince her liberal buddies of this so ,they are bitter and angry with the leadership.
This is surprising.
UPDATE: I called Lieberman’s CT office, and a staffer told me Lieberman “WILL VOTE FOR CLOTURE”. The staffer said he was “MISQUOTED”.
I am JOE Thompson.
RIGHT ON JOE! Where do I donate?
Harry Reid desperately wants a vote before next weeks elections. He feels like we did the last week of October 2008, impending doom. Looks like Hoffman, Christie and MacDonald win and there will be no doubt a conservative resurgence is under-way. They won’t even have 50 votes. It’s why they were shrieking and sweating so bad in July they wanted Cap and Tax and this done by then. What’s more curious is what is going on in the House, looks like Nancy doesn’t have simple majority. This thing is dead and the last minute machinations looks like they actually hurt more than help.
I think my point is that in the end Pelosi will join Obama and Reid in trying to ‘force’ a compromise, and it’s the others in the House that she has to deal with.
Notice how she changed her public option position on camera to an opt out, she says to look to ‘conference’ . That is already a sellout (not the best one for us) but she is saying progressives won. The message yesterday was progressives won.
Via Michelle Malkin...
Hey libs: what do you think of big tents and appealing to moderates now?
Then, my purpose has been achieved!
I am sure Joe will be lauded on all the shows this evening as being a Maverick, Speaking Truth to Power, Having the Courage of His Convictions, his bi-partisanship, etc. I can’t wait to hear it all.
Lieberman filibuster bump for later.....
I’ve always liked Sen Lieberman for some reason(s). :)
I just spoke to the DC office and they said that if after debate the bill still contains the public option Sen Lieberman WILL vote AGAINST cloture.
way to go Joe!
B
.H
LOL
OH, what a surprise, a senator that looks out for the interests of his state. Coincidently, he is helping out the nation as well.
LOL good I hope the Liberals CHOKE on this failure. They know if the Baucus bill is the core of the plan then their constituents will be forced to PURCHASE health insurance form the EVIL INSURANCE companies. That is why they are so hard up for a public option which they think the taxpayers will pony up and pay for ....
BWAHHHHHH The best bet would be for liberals to shut it all down and start fresh before they manage to do more harm then good.
Heck they can even BLAME OBAMA and send his polls plummeting worse then Bush’s. Obama failed to lead on this just like he fails to lead on anything he is an empty suit that is relying on charisma to manage the USA.
Sorry Charlie that tuna won’t swi
You assume Byrd and Johnson will be physically capable of voting. That may not be the case.
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