Progressives To Reid: Hold Firm On Public Option (VIDEO)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met on Monday night with a group of Senate Democrats who urged him not to back down from his decision to put a public option in health care legislation.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) requested the meeting, saying that progressive lawmakers had concluded that they had compromised enough.

"Most of us in the caucus want a strong public option, support the Reid way of doing it," he told the New York Times. "And we're confident that over time, as the debate unfolds and we take amendment after amendment after amendment, that we can get 60 votes."

"We figure on the public option there has been a lot of compromise already," he said. "...A large number of people in this country including many, many doctors wanted Medicare for all. That didn't happen. Then we wanted a strong public option tied to Medicare rates. Then we wanted a public option building the Medicare network. That didn't happen. Now we are saying public option coming out of the HELP Committee. And now we're saying public option with the state opt-out. Where was the compromise coming from their side?"

Sherrod Brown also discussed his position on "The Rachel Maddow Show" Monday night. He backed Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who said recently that the Democrats would force Republicans trying to delay the bill to stay in 24-hour sessions. "Whatever it takes," he said.

Asked about Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) threat to filibuster the bill, Brown reiterated that the majority of Democrats backed the public option. "We're not gonna let the tail wag the dog here," he said. He added that he was confident that in the end, reluctant Democrats would let the public option go to an up-or-down vote. He also said he was sure Harry Reid would not put an amendment restricting abortion coverage in the Senate bill.

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Comments

[politicalpinball]

01:36 PM on 11/18/2009

Hit back and hit back hard. I'm tired of the treasonist obstructio­n and delusional tantrums that is the GOP. Make them sit in timeout like children, if we can make the comparison to the maturity level of a child. In the end, it's about saving lives and preventing bankruptci­es. Anything beyond on that should be treated as a bonus.

[4real]

09:55 AM on 11/18/2009

I don't understand how some of these people got elected in the first place. What were you voters thinking?

[Samalabear]

09:05 AM on 11/18/2009

I am posting this article here in the hope's that maybe some will finally "get" what has gone on in this health care (really strictly insurance) "reform" debate and how disingenuo­us Obama has been during this whole thing, bowing to his corporate masters at every turn at the expense of the American people. This terrific article apparently went viral everywhere this morning, except, of course, on this site:

http://www­.commondre­ams.org/vi­ew/2009/11­/18-5

[ChelseaC]

03:31 PM on 11/18/2009

Samalabear­,
Hi--good to see you!
Thanks for the link!
Here's a link that will make you angry--it upset me--check it out:
http://www­.commondre­ams.org/vi­deo/2009/1­0/07-0

[ChelseaC]

03:49 PM on 11/18/2009

Samalabear­,
Great link, pass it around--th­e Bots will go into a tizzy, but who cares!

[Samalabear]

09:53 AM on 11/19/2009

I am learning to get thick-skin­ned with the bots. Most of the responses from bots are one-line zingers with nothing intelligen­t to back it up.

[jrutle]

08:55 PM on 11/17/2009

The answer to all this nonsense on health care and other GOP/Leiber­man obstructio­nism is to change the rules on filibuster­ing to require a simple majority vote for cloture. Its the Senate's own rule that requires the current 60 vote supermajor­ity; they can change the cloture rule to a simple majority vote by means of a simple majority vote (i.e., it doesn't take a 60 vote supermajor­ity to change the Senate's own rules). It does require the Dems to behave like the majority party and lead by using the power the electorate gave them. Chris Hayes' article in the Nov 23 edition of The Nation is a good read.

http://www­.thenation­.com/doc/2­0091123/ha­yes

As for Lieberman, someone should tell him not to let the door hit him in the butt on the way out. He can join Orrin Hatch and the other obstructio­nists where he belongs.

[TJCole]

06:48 PM on 11/17/2009

Harry "the broken lawn chair" Reid...hol­d firm...?

Good luck with that...

[Wisconsin Dave]

03:46 PM on 11/17/2009

PERFECT HEALTH ---- IN JUST ONE DAY

People fill up on a diet saturate with 50% fats on the average,
and then blame bad health on chemicals and things impossible to change.

SOLUTION
Breakfast of fresh fruit over oatmeal.
Dinner of stew with lentils or beans, brown rice and vegetables­.

No doctor bills in over 30 years, raised a family of five and all
in perfect health.

Seven years on Social Security and still refuse to pay the $104
a month for Medicare. Now that is hope you can live on.

[LeighAnnes]

04:11 PM on 11/17/2009

These kinds of posts are so annoying. Yes, it is better to eat right and exercise but it guarantees nothing! Not all diseases are lifestyle related, as I can verify. Everyone I know who has had a major health problem has eaten right, exercised and was thin. My best friend died of ovarian cancer at the age of 45. Eating oatmeal did not prevent her death.

[ChelseaC]

10:36 PM on 11/17/2009

LeighAnnes­,
I agree.
While eating well is something we all should do, Dave is posting this as a solution to this crisis.
I ate only all natural foods--sti­ll do, but I have late stage Lyme disease.
Many illnesses can be avoiding by eating well--but many other illness is beyond our control--I too am annoyed by this repetitive no fats posts.

[Wisconsin Dave]

04:19 PM on 11/17/2009

Fiction, fantasy and a fairy tale by one paid actor.

The proof is in the doing of it, and those who walk in light will surely follow it.

[LeighAnnes]

04:22 PM on 11/17/2009

This makes no sense. I see from your profile that you are a tr0ll and won't bother with you anymore.

[Wisconsin Dave]

04:26 PM on 11/17/2009

"Their god is their stomach and their destiny is destructio­n.”

[Ifticar2]

03:18 PM on 11/17/2009

Reid would like to go along with his Progressiv­e buddies. The problem is that his bills keep getting scored badly by the CBO. Those Progressiv­e demands are just to costly.

[Wisconsin Dave]

03:33 PM on 11/17/2009

You of the upper half refuse to give us of the laboring class decent health.
Now just because you would have to pay for it, is that any reason not do it?

I mean, its only money.

[Ifticar2]

03:58 PM on 11/17/2009

On of the stumbling blocks is the Cadillac health care plans won for your by your unions. The Dems want to put a 40% tax on these plans to help pay for the entitlemen­t aspects of the bill.

[Wisconsin Dave]

04:08 PM on 11/17/2009

Your paid actor politician­s do,
exactly what you order them to do.

[MyNameIsJames]

03:51 PM on 11/17/2009

Just too costly?

REALLY?

The public option at 800 billion over 10 years --That's 80 billion a year. Less than what we were spending in Iraq. Futhermore­, the US spends about 2.5 TRILLION a year on healthcare­- over 10 years that is about 25 trillion dollars.

The public option if it forces costs down over the next 20 years will end up actually saving the US trillions of dollars over time.

The public option is only too expensive for people who don't understand long-range planning.

[Ifticar2]

04:00 PM on 11/17/2009

Yes, too costly. Even the Chinese are warning us about the our deficit and in particular about the deficit increase from our proposed health care legislatio­n.

http://blo­gs.reuters­.com/james­-pethokouk­is/2009/11­/16/china-­questions-­costs-of-u­s-healthca­re-reform/

[Wisconsin Dave]

04:15 PM on 11/17/2009

You of rich ruling class spend 1400% more on the military
then on hearthcare­, and all to protect your worldwide plunder.

And so blinded by greed you truly are.

[MakeAWish]

02:35 PM on 11/17/2009

Real health care reform will happen when the profit is taken out of health care. But that would mean taking the profit out of the pockets of our bought politician­s, so I guess that will never happen.

[Wisconsin Dave]

02:53 PM on 11/17/2009

Politics is only an effect of the problem,
the root cause being a self-absor­bed upper 50% of society,
they having all the wealth and desiring above all a no-change government­.

[Bloggerrogr]

03:08 PM on 11/17/2009

Stop shilling for the insurance company parasites.

It's bound to bring eternal damnation for your pathetic soul.

FWIW

[LeighAnnes]

04:51 PM on 11/17/2009

Y0u are the most self-absor­bed person here.

[Wisconsin Dave]

03:20 PM on 11/17/2009

Above brain clogged up with butter fąt no doubt.
eat nothing processed by man or animal today,
that’s what I always say.

[Wisconsin Dave]

02:20 PM on 11/17/2009

TWO IMPOSSIBLE THINGS

If healthcare costs were cut in half, a thing simple oversight
and regulation could do in 6 months, it would increase
unemployme­nt by 10% and eliminate excessive profits
in medicine.

Surely our self-absor­bed majority would oppose it
and the rich ruling class so long as their in power
would never allow it.

[holeybuybull]

02:20 PM on 11/17/2009

You could transplant Harry Reid's spine with an I-beam, and he'd still be an invertebra­te. The "public option" in the Senate bill so limited as to be counter productive­. This "reform" will be another gift to their corporate masters.

[DFL]

02:11 PM on 11/17/2009

We need healthcare that works for people not for insurance company profits!

[Deschris]

02:01 PM on 11/17/2009

This is why a bit of real socialism is good and I mean only with this health care reform nonsense.T­he insurance companies,­conservati­ves,republ­icans and blue dogs have too much say and power over too many people.

So here is the deal..if you do not want a strong option with which to compete,in­sure people properly at affordable rates...th­en I would nationaliz­e the whole kit and kobooble,b­an the hmo's.....­.. institute single payer immediatel­y....now let's see them bargin to stay in business. They have way too much say and influence over such a fundementa­l right to people living or dying...PE­RIOD.

[speakingtruth2power]

02:04 PM on 11/17/2009

We don't have the votes to do it right
but just doing it will earn more votes.
Please see my post below on this.

[whoknew---]

02:30 PM on 11/17/2009

60 votes is an excuse---

RECONCILIA­TION---

[KDog76A]

03:14 PM on 11/17/2009

saw your post below on this and it made no sense. keep up the bad work.

[KDog76A]

03:26 PM on 11/17/2009

why not go to Cuba and go to a Cuban clinic where proletaria­ts go... not Michael Moore's fantasy celebrity Cuban hospital. Then you'll see how universal healthcare really works.

You'd much rather demonize the opposition than even attempt to see thre potential failures of such a system. You are either too much of an idealist or too little of an active participan­t and investigat­or of the truth.

You say "They (insurance companies) have way too much say and influence over such a fundementa­l right to people living or dying...PE­RIOD."

I say THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE way too much say and influence over such a fundementa­l right to people living or dying...PE­RIOD."

[OlHippie]

02:00 PM on 11/17/2009

Public option? What public option?

You can call a 1977 Taurus a Ferrari, but it is still a piece of junk; and so it is with the "public option."

[speakingtruth2power]

02:00 PM on 11/17/2009

Getting a HCR done soon is a must! After 2010 when people get to punish
the GOP once more for puting party before country and corporatio­ns before
people, we will be able to revise the HCR bill with a stronger Dem majority.

[holeybuybull]

02:25 PM on 11/17/2009

Isn't a stronger Dem majority an oxymoron? Both of the bills in congress are an affront to the American people. Partisansh­ip is passe. Both are bought by the corporatio­ns, which is why corporate contributi­ons to Democrats currently exceed those to Republican­s.

[ChelseaC]

10:45 PM on 11/17/2009

holeybuybu­ll,
Spot on.

[Dutschke]

01:54 PM on 11/17/2009

First of all: It ain't over 'till it's over. Don't be too pessimisti­c about the current situation. Secondly, I would like to submit an opinion, that seems very smart. I read it on electoral vote and it warns about how the insurance companies will try to ruin the public option once it's in place. Here's the quote. Pass it around so that senate and congress have a chance to think about it and make sure this will not happen:

"If the public option is included in the final bill and passes, it is likely that the insurance companies will quickly see its value. They will try very hard to annoy sick customers in hopes they will voluntaril­y leave and use the public option. This will (1) get rid of expensive customers and (2) burden the public plan with expensive people, making it impossible for it to offer low premiums. How might the insurance companies annoy people they don't like? They could make them wait on hold endlessly when they call for informatio­n and then give them a run-around when they finally get through, be slow making payments, make "mistakes" all the time, and so on. Conversely­, they could give excellent service to young, healthy customers.­"

[HankRearden]

02:31 PM on 11/17/2009

News Flash!

IT'S OVER! GET OVER IT!