Frist: Snowe Not Enough, Five More GOPers Needed For Successful Reform

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist caused a stir inside political circles two weeks ago when he said that he'd vote for Democratic-authored health care reform and urged his fellow Republicans to do the same.

Now that at least one Republican in the Senate has followed his advice and offered her support, however, Frist is saying that more GOP votes -- as many as five more -- are needed if the bill is to be successful.

In a short exchange with the Huffington Post on Thursday, the Tennessee Republican praised Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) for sending a "signal of bipartisanship" by voting for the Senate Finance Committee's health care reform proposal.

"She is very smart and I think she recognized... the necessity of pulling people together," he said. "I just have tremendous respect for her."

But one Republican vote, Frist added, does not make for a bipartisan or even effective bill. And if Democrats want to ensure that reform is constructed and (more importantly) implemented successfully, they would have to find several more GOP votes.

"I do think these bills have to have more than one Republican or three Republicans or five Republicans or there is going to be a huge backlash afterwards. Because it is going to be a tough bill -- taxes are going to go up, premiums are going to go up, benefits are not going to increase," Frist said. "It is going to do some very good things in terms of insurance reform, but if the American people don't feel that they were a part of developing this bill we are going to be in big trouble."

Acknowledging that it was easier to offer advice from outside the constraints of public office, Frist nevertheless provided a recommendation to his successor as Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid: Include Republican leadership in the process of merging the two Senate health care bills in consideration.

"Absolutely," said Frist. "I'd bring [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell in. Ted Kennedy was with me throughout the prescription drug bill. He didn't end up voting for it but he was there and his ideas got incorporated in there. I would bring people to the table even if they are not going to vote for the bill."

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Comments

[Arrech]

aNOTHER REPUBLICAN THAT DOES NOT WANT THE PUBLIC OPTION.

what's new?

[Glowcy]

ARRRRGH!

The minority party has parlayed itself into being much, much needed. The Baucus bill would have gotten out of committee without Snowe. The majority party needs to stop giving away authority to do the work that the people want done. If the Dems have the will, they don't need any republicants (or is that republiwon'ts?).

.

[mendelcrosses]

I wonder how many people are out there saying if Healthcare is made affordable with only the Dem vote,they wont buy in to it and will only use the cheaper option if it contains atleast 5 GOP votes.

[DocTwain]

Frist's family is deeply invested in the largest for-profit hospital consortium.
All he cares about is his bottom line.
He wants to prevent single payer at all costs, so his hospitals can continue to charge $90 for a bag of saline, and $20 for an aspirin.

[AndWeCallOurSelvesCivil]

Just as Mr. Frist brought in more democrats to pass the Bush tax cuts!! Mr. Frist and his cronies used reconciliation to pass a bill that has caused our federal deficit to grow in greater leaps and bounds than anything else in history. But now they want to be included at every turn, and are "fiscally responsible" when the senate wants to do something responsible for the people!!!

[Paulo1]

I fail to see why his opinion matters. He is out of power and out of leadership.

He also fails to understand that once there is a single payer public option people people on it would have a very powerful vested interest in assuring that his Republican buddies did not tamper with it. Think of Social Security and the myriad number of ways Republicans have tried to gut that program only to end up pandering to seniors over it.

[Grada3784]

The Democrats would get them if the Republicans were dealing in good faith.

But the Democrats won't, because the Republicans are not.

[RFBorjal]

What? Bringing Republicans to the table even if they are not going to vote for the bill is a sure way to sabotage the whole health care reform.

[donbsea]

OK, just what exactly have I missed?

Why are ANY Republicans needed to pass this health care reform bill, (WITH A STRONG PUBLIC OPTION), at this point?

Aren't there enough Democrats, House and Senate, to get this done with the public option, and screw the Republicans?

[NorquistNemesis]

The House is not the problem. It's the Senate, namely those "Conservative" Democrats...Blanche Lincoln, Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, and probably Evan Bayh. And let's not forget that Indipend (who should have just gone ahead and changed to Republican but nevertheless should be stripped of any Chairmansh­ips)...Joe Lieberman.

Democrats are not like Republicans to reliably vote lock-step. And when it really matters, they fall into that "this is a country right-of-center" myth and display their DINO courage.

[nomobull]

we know this game if you get five then it'll be i need ten. if you get ten then it will be 25 and on and on. enough we the people are not buying it anymore.

[Marcospinelli]

Reconciliation, 50 plus 1. Single payer universal health care, aka Medicare For All.

[ObamAtomic]

Callate,stop interjecting,you out.

[Mindbullet]

I think some of the Republicans are doing a thing I read about called "Sheathing the blade" Basically they are willingly letting their opponent's sword run them through so that they can deliver a killing stroke. (yes, huge Wheel of Time nerd) Anyway, Yeah, think about it, the surest way for Republicans to mess up Health Care reform at this point is to act interested in joining in since it's clear that the other tactics have not worked. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. That's possible too I guess.

[Safire]

I call it pulling a Grassley! Fanned!

[freethinkergirl]

Hey Safire, you're all over the place finding the good comments tonight :-)

You are both fanned.

[rosiebond007]

WE NEED TO GET ALL, ALL OF THE DEMOCRATS IN LINE HERE......

NEVER MIND THE REPUBS -

WE WON THE ELECTION - STAND BEHIND THE PRESIDENT.

[Lt]

right on,. why do we now need 65 votes to get anything done,

lets not be stupid

[espressobeans]

Somebody is figuring out which way the wind is blowing. Before the week is out, the GOP will be telling us health care reform was their idea all along.