Posted on 09/29/2009 10:36:45 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
The Senate has the votes to pass a healthcare reform bill including a public option, a key Senate chairman said Tuesday.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said that the Senate "comfortably" has a majority of votes to pass the public plan, and that he believes Democrats can muster 60 votes to break a filibuster.
"I have polled senators, and the vast majority of Democrats — maybe approaching 50 — support a public option," Harkin said told the liberal "Bill Press Radio Show." "So why shouldn't we have a public option? We have the votes.
"I believe we'll have the 60 votes, now that we have the new senator from Massachusetts, to at least get it on the Senate floor," Harkin later added. "But once we cross that hurdle, we only need 51 votes for the public option. And I believe there are, comfortably, 51 votes for a public option."
The Iowa lawmaker's statements mark a bold claim that Democrats have the votes to pass a health bill in the Senate including the prized public (or "government-run") plan after signs for weeks now that centrist Democrats and virtually all Republicans would not support a bill including the provision.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Will the dems be foolish enough to destroy themselves for the sake of obama?
Yes ... They think America will go back to sleep.
they must have death wish...
Tea Party’s for naught ? Or is this the over the edge moment ?
Then pass the dung and own it.
If they have them then why haven’t they brought it to a vote yet? America doesn’t want this and we all will remember who is shoving this down our throats!
I as an Iowan must apologize for inflicting this POS on America.
If it does pass, can we start sueing the government to stop it. What rights do the states have?
Do ya feel LUCKY TOM...Well DO YOU! Go ahead and give it a whirl...!
how many times have we heard the same thing in the past?
They have been saying they have the votes since august. Put up or shut up boys and girls.....
Do ya feel LUCKY TOM...Well DO YOU PUNK
one of harkin’s staffer’s called me a racist when i came to his office last month to ask questions about obama’s birth certificate...
call them lemmings, point and say, “the cliffs that way”
Talk about someone going from exultation to "Who $hit in my Easter Basket" in less than three seconds.
They have been saying the votes are there since July. Although I do believe they will pass a bill, I am sick of them telling me how they have enough votes to pass it. JUST DO IT, quit talking about it, you stupid asshole!
Of course, on paper they have the votes and they have all along. We’ll see if they really do when the spit hits the fan.
The “Individual Mandate” violates the 13th Amendment’s “Contracts Clause”. The government cannot coerce a citizen to enter into a contract, which is what health insurance is. This was decided in Reynolds vs United States which defined the “wheel of servitude” in doing just what ObamaCare would do.
The Nuclear Option? Good luck with that, Harkin, you commie Lightweight POS. Bring it on.
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