Health Care

Re Re Re: Lieberman’s Health Care Coquetry

By Karen Tumulty | December 14, 2009 | +

The well-sourced Carrie Budoff Brown is reporting this at Politico:

The White House is encouraging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to cut a deal with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), which would mean eliminating the proposed Medicare expansion in the health reform bill, according to an official close to the negotiations.

But Reid is described as so frustrated with Lieberman that he is not ready to sacrifice a key element of the health care bill, and first wants to see the Congressional Budget Office cost analysis of the Medicare buy-in. The analysis is expected early this week.

“There is a weariness and a lot of frustration that one person is holding up the will of 59 others,” the official said. “There is still too much anger and confusion at one particular senator’s reversal.”

Meanwhile, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer is denying the report:

The report is inaccurate. The White House is not pushing Senator Reid in any direction. We are working hand in hand with the Senate Leadership to work through the various issues and pass health reform as soon as possible.

My own latest guidance from a White House official regarding all the reports that are in the air today:

This has some more chapters to go yet.

UPDATE: I’ve updated my earlier post on this subject. Reid spokesman Jim Manley says that the use of budget reconciliation–which would allow passage with only 51 votes, rather than the 60 it would take to overcome a filibuster–is not under consideration as an option for getting health reform passed. Senate Democrats plan to caucus this afternoon, and Manley says: “The focus of this afternoon is to get to 60 votes.”

Related Topics: joe lieberman, Barack Obama, Congress, Harry Reid, Health Care

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  • http://www.ghostnote.com Cookie Puss

    The report is “inaccurate.” That’s a non-denial denial.

  • allthingsinaname

    I think it has reached a point where it doesn’t matter.

  • http://twitter.com/ktumulty Karen Tumulty

    welcome to my world, CP

  • lizziefromcanada

    Wow. Glad to live in Canada where we already have single-payer health care. I just can’t imagine how things would be here if we were in the same situation you are in.

  • cdrwayne

    How can you be glad to be from Canada. All the GOP spokes people tell me that the Canadian health care system is really bad and it takes at least four months to see a doctor and then another 1 year to get any thing done in a hospital.
    (snark)

  • square1

    My only remaining hope is that Obama and the Blue Dogs (Lieberman included) are too clever by half and that they extract just enough concessions that Roland Burris refuses to sign on and the bill goes down in flames. No, I don’t have much hope of this occurring, but it remains a fantasy.

  • deconstructiva

    Thanks, KT. Keep up the great work. I’d presume Reid and Lieberman are talking privately – or are they? If NOT, is Joe hiding from Harry or vice versa? Is there any chance of you or Kate sneaking into that room, perhaps disguised as a courier delivering pizza or something? Or climb above the ceiling in the plenum to listen in? (take some benadryl, it gets dusty above the ceiling) Or are other ways to get leaks of their yelling and screaming (literally)? I wonder when Reid will get angry enough to consider recon or bypassing the joint committee.

  • shepherdwong

    “The White House is not pushing Senator Reid in any direction.”
    .
    Then what f*ck are we paying you for?

  • trifecta55

    Lieberman will not agree to anything. That is the whole point. He will say, I have a prob with this, ya cater, think you have a deal, then 3 days later it will be something new. He is not operating in good faith at all.

  • apr2563

    Karen: Why are reporters so enthralled by Drudge (excuse me Politico, same difference). Do any of you keep track of how often Politico is wrong?

  • Art Pepper

    I’m trying to picture Reid angry.

    “I am somewhat bemused by your approach to this issue, Joe. In fact, gosh darn it. I’ll say it: I am peeved.”

    (Aside: At this point, am I the only Swamp commenter who would still rather see the bill pass than not pass?)

  • shepherdwong

    No. I still think they’re going to pass something that will make things appreciably better. They’d better.

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/12/14/814041/-New-Poll:-Dems-2010-Prospects-Tied-to-the-Public-Option

  • deconstructiva

    (Aside: At this point, am I the only Swamp commenter who would still rather see the bill pass than not pass?)
    .
    No, you’re not the only one. Leaving the status quo with us at insurance cos.’ mercy (ha!) w/ pre-existings, etc. is a road to disaster (or at least bankruptcy). We can try to vote out R’s and corporate D’s who fought this THEN fix the bugs. Hell, I wanted a single-payer public HC safety net run like (or as part of) regional / local fire and police departments …with a parallel private system, including stuff like elective cosmetic surgery, for those who can pay (and I have sent these thoughts to my three Congresscritters, 2 D’s, 1 R, no response as usual). I probably drove KT to tears over these ideas in the past (sorry), but I’ve given up and re: this idea I probably am the only commenter who ever pondered it.

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    [...] Re Re Re: Lieberman's Health Care Coquetry – Swampland – TIME.com [...]

  • Dee in Columbia MD

    No Art not at all. While there’s a lot of people debating whether its worth it any more, I stand here as someone who wholeheartedly wants to still pass a bill. I just came from a doctors appointment today where I’ve once again had to tell my physician that I can only afford enough treatment to keep me going and the rest has to wait until health reform. See I pay out of pocket and have a preexisting condition. To actually have a shot at treatment to really help me is too expensive for me to pay for out of pocket, so at this point all I can do is manage the pain — which by the way doesn’t make it go away, the best I can hope for is to make it tolerable. So I don’t have the luxury of hypothetical outrage. I need them to pass something so that I have a shot of buying coverage so I can get me a cure — and guess what — I am not alone, there are millions of people who feel exactly like I do..

  • kathy

    I’m almost speechless with anger about this. Don’t trust myself to say how I really feel about it.


  • fhmadvocat

    Art,

    I think most of us want some type of bill passed. Even without the public option, something is better than nothing. An all-or-nothing approach does not work and turns people off. Those who support health care reform should take a lesson from the anti-choice crowd on abortion. They have been nickel-and-diming for years to whittle down freedom of choice.

  • kathy

    I want a bill to pass. There are still good and necessary things in it.

  • deconstructiva

    …say it, just say it!
    You’ve been one of the more polite commenters around here (way more than me). I’ve pushed KT and Amy to get really pottymouthed when appropriate (if it’s good enough for Jane Hamsher it’s enough here) but they won’t give in.

  • sevenoaks07

    KT: I don’t have the high opinion you apparently have of the well-sourced CBB or any of the Drudgicos…oops. sorry…Politicos. This kind of reporting is far from helpful. Someone reports, some else denies, and Reid says…sorry KT this is the problems with minute by minute breathless “reporting”.

  • Art Pepper

    Thanks for all the interesting replies. The institutionalized dysfunction in the Senate is infuriating. By the way, whatever happened to Snowe? She can’t stall the process any more so she’s done?

  • bill0711

    The anger directed at Lieberman is understandable but counter-productive. If acting in total good faith, he should not sunk the Medicare buy in on Face the Nation, before the CBO numbers were in. But on the other hand per comments by Conrad and others he is not alone within the caucus in voicing these concerns.
    .
    Dems should also take a deep breath and realize how fortunate they are to be at this stage. Arlen Specter flips parties and is now in a who’s the better liberal primary contest with Sestak. Without the party switch my sense is Specter would have been a harder get than Snowe. AND Franken wins in the court challenge over Coleman. In many ways being at 60, even with the maddening Senator Lieberman, is gravy. The Dems could very easily be at 58, and then what would the final bill look like?
    .
    If ever there was a time for President Obama to channel Mr. Spock, it is today with the Senate Dem caucus.

  • omgamike

    Strip Lieberman of his chairmanship and throw him out of the democratic caucus. He does not deserve to be with them.

    And, no, if we can’t get a good HCR bill, with a strong, robust, public option, then they should drop it entirely for now. The health care industry ‘must’ be reined in and stiffly regulated. They have shown their utter disregard for those who pay through the nose for their “services”.

    Dems around the country need to vote out all those who have been bought and paid for by the corporate lobbyists. “Try” and find people who truly care more for their country and it’s needs than they do for perks and power and campaign contributions.

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