Ryan Grim of The Huffington Post asks the key question I asked in my diary the other day:
Conrad, somewhat morbidly, appears to be assuming in his whip count that two members of the caucus, Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Bob Byrd (D-W.Va.), will be too ill to vote. Conrad has previously noted to reporters that both may not be able to vote because of health concerns.
Byrd, however, made it to several votes just before recess. And health care reform is the defining policy and political goal of Kennedy's life. If both showed up, someone from the Democratic caucus would have to break ranks to kill the public option. Who would do it?
Thats exactly what I want to know Conrad. WHO AMONG YOU AND YOUR FELLOW SENATORS IS GOING TO FILIBUSTER A BILL THAT HAS A PUBLIC OPTION?
Conrad says:
"The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option, there never have been, so to continue to chase that rabbit is just a wasted effort," Conrad said on Fox News Sunday.
Alright. You are apprantly the new Democratic Whip, pushing aside Dick Durbin. Tell us who is going to filibuster the bill? Put up, or shut the fuck up.
Ryan Grim gives us a pretty useful point:
Conrad, a Democrat from North Dakota (pop. 641,481), is presumably assuming that a bill containing a public option would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. But even if that is the case, not a single member of the Democratic caucus -- including Conrad himself -- has actually announced that he or she would support such a filibuster. And a few Republicans -- Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine -- might not support it either
Okay Conrad? So maybe you don't really know what the whip count is on the public option, but you should at least know your own mind. WILL YOU FILIBUSTER A BILL THAT INCLUDES A PUBLIC OPTION? That is the question ALL OF US need to ask our Senators if we really want to sieze control of the debate.
At least three other caucus members have spoken critically about the public option: Mary Landrieu (La., pop.), Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
Landrieu, however, has said that despite her opposition, she could still vote for a comprehensive reform package that included a public option, depending on the details. She told the Huffington Post recently that it's too early to say whether she should support a filibuster of a bill that included a public option.
Nelson, too, is leaving his options open, saying that there is no bill yet. He told a local Nebraska official in June that he wouldn't filibuster a public option. (Neb. pop.: 1,783,432.)
Lieberman has also said the he is open to supporting it as part of a broad package.
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) previously expressed some doubt about the public option but wound up voting for it in the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, as did Sen. Jeff Bingaman (N.M.), the third Democrat in the Gang of Six, along with Conrad and Finance Committee chair Max Baucus of Montana (pop. 967,440).
Centrist Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey also voted for the public option in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; and moderates Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) have publicly signed on to the idea.
In May, six other possible no votes -- Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) -- told the Huffington Post that they were at least open to considering a public option.
So, to me, this looks like the public option aint even close to dead. This looks like there is still pressure to be brought to bear.
Kossacks, the challenge for us is not to get distracted with President Obama. He's doing his job, which is to get a bill to his desk. Our job is to get OUR BILL to his desk. Lets start asking the key question...whose opposition to the public option is so deep that they are willing to filibuster the bill? THAT is what we need to know, so that our pressure is targeted and not scattershot. Certainly it shouldn't be trained on Obama because he isn't where the problem is. Obama isn't going to veto a bill that has the public option. He'll sign it. He's not the problem.
The problem is in the United States Senate. Thats where the focus should be. The way to undo this Conrad "doesn't have the votes to pass" bullshit is to ask WHO WILL FILIBUSTER THE BILL?.