Reid Offers Support For Public Option Through Reconciliation

huffingtonpost.com





There are now eighteen senators signing on to try to revive the public option (which we all thought was lost forever) through using budget reconciliation. Reconciliation (if anyone remembers) was a favorite way the Bush administration had to pass legislation, like huge tax cuts, without a 60-vote majority. It involves going through the budget committee. Once reconciled with the budget committee, the legislation can pass with a simple 51-vote majority.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been reluctant to sign on because he thought the votes weren't there for it, but now, as 18 senators have signed on with the good possibility of many more, he's apparently on board.

In order to pass through budget reconciliation, the legislation has to pass the House again and a few other obstacles, but the possibility of using this method has always been there.

It certainly would be great to see the public option come alive again. To me, it's the most important part of any real health care reform.




[edit on 19-2-2010 by Sestias]

70+% public support for the public option, dwindling support for the stripped down version....

bout time.


I wonder if this has been the Dems plan all along, just waiting for a closer timeframe to November to blast the reps

Woo-Hoo! This is good news. I had heard about the Senators who were pressuring him, but I thought it would takes weeks to break him down if ever. This is great news! I hope it goes through!

Harry Reid is not going to get it until he is thrown out of office.

The American people do not want Government Run Health Care!

This plan increases the debt, and is not open to reconciliation.

Be careful what you wish for.....Democrats have power now...but that power will be short lived.

How are they going to like Republican rule, where it only takes 51 votes to get a very conservative agenda passed?

[edit on 19-2-2010 by Carseller4]

Originally posted by Carseller4
Harry Reid is not going to get it until he is thrown out of office.

The American people do not want Government Run Health Care!
[edit on 19-2-2010 by Carseller4]

The only slight problem with this statement is the facts.
Every poll taken was in heavy support of this...and as they stripped it down more and more, it lost support.

Several places did a poll once again and asked if they still supported the original public option...massive support.
They asked the same crowd if they support this latest stuff with the heavily stripped down, and mostly against.

So, it seems that your correct, with the minor exception of everything you said being incorrect.

good luck.

Originally posted by Carseller4
How are they going to like Republican rule, where it only takes 51 votes to get a very conservative agenda passed?

[edit on 19-2-2010 by Carseller4]

Would feel like 2000-2006....so what.

They abused the crap out of the legislative measures before.

the reps want to filibustere everything, then its time to play their game...oh well.

Whats the scary part of this, that come november, the reps will no longer be able to claim a ineffective congress because things finally got done once the Dems grew some? I suspect that is the biggest problem frankly...the whole strategy is make sure nothing at all happens so they can sweep back in due to absolutely nothing happening.

CPAC even joked about how they are doing that.

Well, keep laughing I guess, the Dems are now reviewing how the reps worked and jumping on it.

I was hoping this legislation would die quietly and if not, a fiery explosive death.

Anybody who believes this legislation will do anything other than part working Americans from more of their hard earned money is completely ignorant of basic economics. Obama says this will reduce the deficit. In order for that to happen, government must collect revenue over and above what they get now. That means someone or some companies will be taxed. Companies don't pay taxes, the consumers who buy from companies pay the taxes. This healthcare legislation will not lower your costs, it will increase the government's revenue at your expense.

reply to post by SaturnFX


That is not true. There was 65-70% unfavorable before it went to the Senate.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
70+% public support for the public option, dwindling support for the stripped down version....

Mind sourcing your numbers? I see you using a percentage in this post and the term "heavy support" later in the thread. I did some checking online and I'm seeing Fall/early winter 2009 polls with mid-range 50's in favor (amidst some poll results slightly in favor of opposing it). I am not seeing "70% favorability" results anywhere.

Do you feel strongly enough about the support of a public option to see it taken out of the hands of Congress and simply placed on the ballot come November? Virtually every state in the US has now shifted to direct voter decision on matters such as this... the time has come for us to do the same on a national level. Let's see if the majority of voters really DO favor the public option, ok?

reply to post by burdman30ott6


You make a valid point. The fact is that this legislation has no business being dealt with by the Federal Government at any level. There is no Constitutional basis for their involvement and should be a States issue.

Never in the history of the US has legislation been enacted that would force citizens to purchase a product, in this case Health Insurance, from a private company. If this precedent is set, there will be no end to what Government can mandate its citizens to purchase from other companies in the future. It is outrageous.

Originally posted by burdman30ott6

Originally posted by SaturnFX
70+% public support for the public option, dwindling support for the stripped down version....

Mind sourcing your numbers? I see you using a percentage in this post and the term "heavy support" later in the thread. I did some checking online and I'm seeing Fall/early winter 2009 polls with mid-range 50's in favor (amidst some poll results slightly in favor of opposing it). I am not seeing "70% favorability" results anywhere.

Do you feel strongly enough about the support of a public option to see it taken out of the hands of Congress and simply placed on the ballot come November? Virtually every state in the US has now shifted to direct voter decision on matters such as this... the time has come for us to do the same on a national level. Let's see if the majority of voters really DO favor the public option, ok?

Suuure....
it is 77%
Source

And another source

Docs like it too...



As far as taken out of the hands of Congress...there is no more congress. With over 100 filibusters in the 110th session, creating a record unlike anything ever even conceived, and more on the way...Congress is effectively shut down.

Do I feel good about letting them just ram through the legislation with no discussions from the other side? hell no, but the other side basically said "we dont care, we will allow nothing to happen simply for a political strategy"...that ended the discussion...no meeting half way, no working together...its a strict political strategy and thats that.

So, if thats their tactic, and they basically said they quit until they are back in power, then what other choice is there really?

Time to take the blinders off and look at whats happening...the minority stopped working for the people and started working for their caucus only (screw the people)

Bernie Sanders said today that they have the votes for for the public option via reconciliation.

I don't know if this is a threat to bring the republicans back to the table or...just maybe a public option????

Originally posted by Leo Strauss
Bernie Sanders said today that they have the votes for for the public option via reconciliation.

I don't know if this is a threat to bring the republicans back to the table or...just maybe a public option????

The republicans have one last chance to come to the table from what I see and actually try and contribute constructively, else it will be passed with public option.

Dems have given into everything the Reps said they demanded, and the reps responded to it by saying nope...

And thats just how it goes.

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Suuure....
it is 77%
Source

And another source

Docs like it too...

Wow! Now allow me to explain what you just did to artificially inflate the numbers and cause them to appear a hell of a lot more lopsided than they are.

From your first link...
Question 6: (site won't allow copy/pasting... so essecntially) "Do you favor or oppose Obama's healthcare plan (ie: public option)
Results:
51% Favor
43% Oppose
6% Unsure

QUESTION 7 Here's where it gets veeeery interesting.
"and do you strongly or only somewhat favor this plan?"
(see what's happening here? Question 7 is ONLY valid when asked of the 51% who answered "Favor" to question 6!!!)
Results:
79% Strongly Favor
20% Somewhat Favor
1% Not SUre

So, 79% of 51% is 40%... FORTY PERCENT of respondants "strongly favor" the public option! Not 77%, FORTY

Question 8
"and do you strongly or only somewhat oppose this plan?"
(Again, ONLY valid when asked of those who answered "oppose" in Question 6!)
Results:
86% Strongly Oppose
13% Somewhat Oppose
1% Not SUre

So, 86% of 43% is 37% THIRTY SEVEN PERCENT of respondants "strongly oppose" the public option. 100% - 37% is still "only" 67%... that assumes that everyone who did not say "strongly opposed" had a change of heart or a strengthening, depending on their original opinion, and en masse decided to strongly favor the public option. Ask any political analyst... you don't go after the strong side of either result. Those people's minds are made up and are pretty unchanging. You go after the "not sures" and the "somewhats" because they haven't yet formed a conviction on the issue.

Next link...
This survey was apparently answered by a group of idiots because they have divesting responses to essentially the same question...

30. From what you have heard about Barack Obama's health care plan, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.
Good Idea: 33%
Bad Idea: 32%
No Opinion: 30%

Followed by...

32. Now I am going to tell you more about the health care plan that President Obama supports and please tell me whether you would favor or oppose it.
The plan requires that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. It also requires all but the smallest employers to provide health coverage for their employees, or pay a percentage of their payroll to help fund coverage for the uninsured. Families and individuals with lower- and middle-incomes would receive tax credits to help them afford insurance coverage. Some of the funding for this plan would come from raising taxes on wealthier Americans.
Do you favor or oppose this plan?
Favor: 55%
Oppose: 35%

The poll is from JUNE OF 2009 (Older than the crust in many homeless persons' drawers) but even taking that into consideration, I'm not seeing anywhere near a "77% Strongly Favor" rate here. I'd also love to know why the gross difference in replies to questions 30 & 32... same question, opposing answers = possible glitch somehwere, either in the respondants' brains or the process used to take the poll. Would be great to know which it is.

Link 3...

Only 10% of doctors favored just the public option, though... which is exactly the direction this news today is taking. The other 63% who you claim "like it too" only like it in conjunction with the private option modifications which Congress was attempting to screw us into.

So pretty please with sugar on top... can you source the 77% with link that actual shows 77% (or any other number you're pushing) instead of links to surveys that fail to back up your claims?

Before people get all excited about this, remember that these are the SAME crooks that made so many deals to get 60 votes, that the bill was swamped with pork and special deals. Given that there are only 18 senators at this point, how many SPECIAL deals do you think will be made to get to 51 senators?
These guys just CAN'T resist making such deals, and we will all end up paying for them, and FEW of us, will actually benefit in the long run.
People FORGET WHY support dwindled as the vote buying increased with the last go-around. We don't need more of the same.

Originally posted by Carseller4

How are they going to like Republican rule, where it only takes 51 votes to get a very conservative agenda passed?

We've already had that. It was called eight years of the Bush administration, when MANY bills (including huge tax cuts) were pushed through budget reconciliation, thereby requiring only a 51-vote majority.

How soon we forget.