Posted on 09/09/2009 8:36:50 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
Tired of watching helplessly as House bills are carved up to win support from conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans in the Senate, the speaker has a message for President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: Take the public option out of health care reform, and you may not have a bill at all.
“Every time we have had a negotiation, Reid and [White House chief of staff] Rahm [Emanuel] say you have to accept this or that because we need the 60 votes [for cloture],” says a senior Democratic aide in the House. “That’s true this time. The difference now is that Pelosi can turn right back at them and say, ‘I can’t pass this in the House without the progressives.’ And that will be true, too.”
Pelosi’s leverage in her perpetual push-pull with Reid has been boosted by a rebellion among pro-public-option progressives, African-American and Hispanic House members, who say they are tired of being shortchanged by the White House and will vote no rather than OK a bill without the public option.
Democratic insiders say Pelosi is intent on harnessing that liberal power play as the only way to keep the public option alive, even if it’s in a watered-down form.
Last week, in the hours after Obama announced his Wednesday health care speech, Pelosi, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus issued a volley of statements and letters warning the president from throwing the option overboard in the name of deal-cutting.
Dozens of members from those groups have signaled their intention to vote against any bill without a public option — and the bill could, indeed, go down if a sizable proportion of them join the GOP and conservative Democrats in opposing the package.
“They’re for real this time,” said a Democratic senator, speaking on condition of anonymity.
House liberals, including Pelosi lieutenant Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), are still smarting from February’s stimulus negotiations, when Reid stripped out hundreds of millions in House projects, including school construction funding, to secure the support of moderates such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Progressive lawmakers are intent on avoiding a repeat, arguing that they — like conservative Democrats — got an earful from angry constituents during the August break.
The difference is that their enraged audiences came at them from the left, pushing for universal coverage, a crackdown on insurers and a public plan to keep private insurance companies honest.
“Frustration is frustration, and we’re the ones there,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said of the little-covered liberal ruckus.
Pelosi met with Reid and Obama at the White House on Tuesday, and she emerged in a defiant mood, vowing to keep the public plan alive, even as the Senate Finance Committee released a draft bill with no such provision — and her No. 2, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), suggested the option could be ditched.
“I believe the public option is essential to our passing this legislation out of the House,” Pelosi told reporters after meeting with Reid and Obama.
Later in the day, Pelosi cut Hoyer off as he hedged about the need for a public option. “In order to pass a bill in the House, it must have a public option,” she said.
Pelosi also warned insurance companies to accept a public option without a trigger, arguing that a public plan triggered by high premiums or other insurer bad behavior would be much harsher than one negotiated now.
“They’d be better getting a public option now. ... They’ll have a tougher public option to deal with later,” she said.
Pelosi and Reid are reportedly on good terms and spoke often about health care during the break. But many Democratic aides in the House snarl at the mention of Reid’s name, so frustrated are they with his hands-off approach and his determination to leave the spadework to others, especially Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).
House aides say they wonder how committed Reid is to passing any kind of reform this year, given the political perils to moderate Democrats and his own iffy reelection in Nevada.
Still, Reid went out of his way after Tuesday’s meeting to reiterate his support for the public option and passage of a major package.
“We think we’re up to 90 percent of things there are agreed upon. ... We’re reenergized; we’re ready to do health care reform,” he added.
Staffers close to Reid say he “will soon be getting more directly involved to work out the differences” between the no-public-option Baucus bill and an earlier pro-public-plan measure passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
All sides will be closely watching Obama’s speech for cues — even though it’s unlikely it will drastically change the political dynamic in the Senate.
“I’m optimistic, and I hope that the president tomorrow night reaffirms his support for the public plan,” said Grijalva. “It gives us a boost. ... It’s a good boost for us internally, and it’s a good boost for the base.”
Looks like we ahve a fight on our hands between Reid and Pelosi.
I know, let Obama referee it.
Reid, if he survives next year, has a better chance than Pelosi of still running the show.
And that's a good thing.
It is quite entertaining to watch the liberal wolves eating their own of late.
Best to let our enemies eat each other as much as possible.
Hopefully the witch and her broom will crash and burn.
Deeeeeelighted! .....67 seats...mmmmmmm......67 seats....
Three of the truly most despicable people on earth all linked together...each in their own way trying their best to destroy America and her people!
Just how stupid does Harry Reid think we are and how much of this is to try to convince the 'further left' to stay on the reservation?
I am really taken by this 90% agreement comment; if the Legislature is in a hurry and Obama wants a vote soon, having a 10% disagreement at this late date is FATAL. Almost every experienced negotiator will tell you that this is where negotiations and arbitrations start or else there is no point in starting at all.
Personally I think that we are looking at EITHER bringing forth a mouse from this mountain OR else the 'Nuclear Option' and nobody knows what perils lie in that 'undiscovered country' for such an EXTENSIVE Bill.
popcorn......machine....working......overtime........
Don’t kid yourself, this is all Kabuki theater to get people to accept whatever is passed. They are going to have everyone so wound up that every foolish taxpayer in this country is going to think they won.....as their pockets are being siphoned.
Hey Nancy,
Keep your laws off my BODY!
When this “health care for all” crap passes, right now the legislation states that it will be illegal to sell private policies over the date of passage. It also says that HSA’s will no longer be allowed. That means that my current policy will no longer be allowed and neither I nor my employer will be allowed to privately purchase an alternative.
I will not accept the “public option” that I will be dictated to join. I will not give the government control over my physical body. I will not pay their fines, I will not surrender to the impending warrant for my arrest. When they knock on my door, I will not answer. When they kick it in, I will make the news.
How’s that for unification, libtards? You loons are currently legislating my death. I will chose the terms and I will bring as many of you along as possible!
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“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,..”
Public Option: A government health plan wherein those who are willing to work buy health insurance policies for those who aren’t.
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