THE TREATMENT OCTOBER 13, 2009
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And there it is: Fourteeen votes for the Baucus bill, nine against. Maine Republican Olympia Snowe joined the entire Democratic delegation, including Blanche Lincoln, Jay Rockfeller, and Ron Wyden, the Democrats most likely to defect.
Just a few weeks ago, the survival of health care reform seemed seriously in doubt. Town halls were turning into riots, Betsy McCaughey was running amok, and President Obama's popularity ratings were sinking. Putting together fifty, let alone sixty, votes for health reform seemed like an awfully tall order.
It's still not a done deal. Snowe wants more concessions. So do conservative Democrats, on and off the Finance Committee. But these concessions would further weaken a bill that many Democrats (and this writer) are hoping to strengthen as the process moves forward.
Still, the signal is unmistakable. It's not just possible that health reform will pass. It now seems likely.
More analysis to follow.
1 comments
This is great news! Now the Dems just have neutralize any Joe-mentum caused by a Lieberman mutiny, keep the rest of the troops in line, and push for adoption of the public option on a state-by-state opt-in (or opt-out) basis. This should provide some political cover for moderate Dems who are a bit gun-shy about the public option, while allowing other states to move ahead with it ASAP. If just five or ten of the most populous states can approve a public option for their constituents, then the country is well on its way to universal access to affordable health care.
- alanrchrist
October 13, 2009 at 10:49pm