Lieberman's latest--the Dems just haven't given in enough to warrant his support on healthcare reform.
"We've got to stop adding to the bill," said Lieberman. "We have to start subtracting some controversial things. I think the only way to get this done before Christmas is to bring in some Republicans who are open minded on this like [Sen.] Olympia Snowe..."
How does one do that, asked host Bob Schieffer?
"You have to take out the Medicare buy-in," said Lieberman. "You have to forget about the public option. You probably have to take out the CLASS Act, which was a whole new entitlement program that will, in future years, put us further into deficit. And you have to adopt some of the cost containment provisions.... If you did that, you'd have an enormous accomplishment. Thirty million Americans who can't afford insurance today would get it. Insurance companies would be more aggressively regulated and costs would be bent down. It's time to get reasonable."
Of course that's all bullshit. The Senate bill insures an additional 31 million, the House bill 35 million. The public option saves $25 billion, the Medicare buy-in would give health security to one of the most vulnerable cohorts of Americans. And btw, no-class Lieberman's opposition to the CLASS Act is yet another F-you to the memory of his colleague, Ted Kennedy, whose bill this was.
But, that of course, isn't all from Joe. He made sure to tell Harry Reid that he would join a filibuster of a bill with a Medicare buy-in, not waiting for the CBO score to come in before making that declaration, and going back on his word to Reid.
More than a week ago, while the so-called Gang of Ten was still hammering out a compromise over the public option, Lieberman and Reid met. At that time, according to one senior Senate aide, "Lieberman told Reid personally he could support the Medicare buy-in."
Lieberman at this point is just "torturing liberals", as Ezra says, "willing to directly cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score."
Reid could also try and find another compromise, but it's not clear there are many of those left. And at this point, the underlying dynamic seems to be that Lieberman will destroy any compromise the left likes. That, in fact, seems to be the compromise: Lieberman will pass the bill if he can hurt liberals while doing so. From Lieberman's perspective, the compromise is killing the compromise.
Lieberman is just going to keep moving goalposts--he will not agree to a compromise on any bill that will satisfy liberals--the majority of his caucus. And by doing so, he gives cover to Ben Nelson (still resisting an abortion solution), Landrieu, and Lincoln to continue to whittle the bill down to meaninglessness, or worse.
