(originally titled
'no excuse for not introducing a Public Option amendment now')
but since the bill passed the house again, it is now law, so on to the next issue.
Who will introduce a stand alone Public Option?
The purpose of the Bennet Letter
http://whipcongress.com/...
Dear Leader Reid:
We respectfully ask that you bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules.
Respectfully,
Michael Bennet (D-CO), U.S. Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), U.S. Senator
Jeff Merkley (D-OR), U.S. Senator
Sherrod Brown (D-OH), U.S. Senator
I hope one of these 4 senators will lead the charge and stay with the spirit of the letter they crafted.
The missed opportunity as written by Mr. Sirota
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Senate Bill Going Back to the House - Can We Now Get a Public Option Vote?
Let's take Sen. Michael Bennet (D) and some Colorado progressive groups at their word when they say the only reason they have previously opposed offering a public-option amendment to the Senate reconciliation bill is because if it passes, the bill would then have to be sent back to the House. They say that having to send it back to the House would "complicate" matters...
(but because of the Byrd rule)
... the bill is going back to the House anyway, the Senate still has time to amend the bill with a public option, and the top House Democratic leaders are on the record saying they could pass the public option. Additionally, the New York Times notes that "the parliamentary process playing out on the Senate floor gives (Democrats) a rare chance to enact (the public option) with a simple majority, a chance unlikely to come around again soon." (this latter point is a key one for the "let's wait for a standalone bill later" crowd - I'll repeat what the Times reports: the specific chance we have right now is "a chance unlikely to come around again soon.")
So I ask what we asked yesterday at our rally at Sen. Bennet's office: Will our senator now fulfill his promise to push a public option using reconciliation?
Well, now that it has passed, show me how we get the opportunity to vote for a stand alone Public Option?
the floor is yours