Here is the latest update from Hot Air — Voinivich pulled out this morning and Susan Collins is wavering. Calls need to go into Collins and push her farther away from the deal which would leave Snowe and Specter. If Collins, goes look for Snowe to immediately follow:
Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) has pulled out of negotiations on a bipartisan compromise on the Senates economic stimulus bill.
Three Republicans Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Arlen Specter (Pa.) continue to negotiate with Democrats, but Voinovichs departure could make it more difficult for Democrats to reach the 60 votes they need to pass the bill.
Voinovich left a meeting in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reids (D-Nev.) office around 2:30 p.m., saying he did not believe there was a deal he could agree to on an amendment that would cut as much as $100 billion from the more than $920 billion measure.
Ive really tried to work on this, but the three things that it should be timely, that it should be temporary and it should be targeted, that was something that I looked at, Voinovich said. It just doesnt meet my criteria, and I feel very sorry because I think the Majority Leader has his responsibility, and hes got his Members that he has to take care of.
Update (AP): Suddenly Collins sounds iffy, too:
In the morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said he expected negotiations on a compromise to produce something that could be voted on by the end of the day.
This is a critical day for our country and this Congress, he said.
But by mid-afternoon, one of the leaders of the bipartisan group, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, emerged from a meeting with Reid and said she was just beginning to review an offer from the Democratic leader.
Asked how she felt, Collins said, not as good as I felt earlier.
What is with them putting an ammendment into the bill making it illegal to discuss religion on college campuses?