What we are going to get as a final bill is a trigger public option or trigger co-op which also means that socialized medicine is dead because triggers never work in reality.
No, the folks here get it or at least most of them. Most are just saying that by allowing it to come to the floor for debate that the RATS will win. They can force a vote with a nuclear option of only 51 votes to end any filibustering. Then another 51 votes to pass the legislation. This gives 9 RAT Senators the ability to run for cover.
a crap-for-brains bill shouldn’t even get out of committee, much less to the floor for consideration.
these bozos have yet again violated their oath of office.
Can any of the People’s representatives, having voted to put US in jail for exercising our rights, ever be considered a friend of the State?
You are so right and is bothering me a lot on here recently as I see post after post with wrong info and the sky is falling.
There is another alarming trend to try and shut off debate about a former candidate if you are not marching in lock step. That’s more like the Democrats. If we don’t bring out negatives on our candidates, how are they supposed to get corrected? I don’t blind follow anyone and will continue to ask questions.
Don’t have a candidate for 2012 because it is way to early but I do know that blind allegiance to anyone person is wrong and will come back to bite in the end. Not everyone can always be wrong and trying to shut down people with legitimate questions is not helping.
SCHULTZ: OK.
So do you think that you can get a health care bill done by the first of the year?
HARKIN: Ed, mark my word, we‘re going to have this health care bill done before we go home for Christmas.
SCHULTZ: The CBO score, why is this taking so long, Senator?
HARKIN: Well, it‘s taking so long because the Finance Committee bill that came out of the Finance Committee was very late. I understand that. But a lot of the language they had in that bill had to be scored. It wasn‘t scored as they went through the process.
And then the CBO had to score the House bill, then they had to score the Republicans‘ alternative in the House. And so they had to do that first.
SCHULTZ: You think it will come in under $900 billion?
HARKIN: Yes, sir.
SCHULTZ: I‘m saying $880 billion. What‘s your call tonight?
(LAUGHTER)
HARKIN: Who have you been talking to, Ed, anyway?
SCHULTZ: Well, see, Tom, what I think is going to happen is that Harry Reid wants a little financial wiggle room here, and he‘s telling these guys at CBO, bring that baby in at $880 billion so I‘ve got some chips on the table here, so I can get these public option guys up to the bar.
What do you think?
HARKIN: Well, Ed, I‘m not going to confirm or deny. But let me say, you‘re in the ballpark, my friend.
SCHULTZ: OK. So, Lieberman and Nelson and Landrieu and Lincoln, they‘ll be part of the 60 on the first—to get it to the floor, to get this thing going?
HARKIN: I believe that‘s right. Yes, sir, I believe that they will be part of the 60.
SCHULTZ: With the public option?
HARKIN: Well, with the public option that we have. Now, that‘s in the bill right now.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
HARKIN: But, now, that public option might be changed on the floor. You understand that.
SCHULTZ: Absolutely.
HARKIN: I mean, we‘re going to have amendments. That could be changed on the floor.
SCHULTZ: I expect it to get a lot better. Absolutely.
HARKIN: Well, I would hope so, too, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Yes. Well, Senator Harkin, you‘re giving me a little confidence tonight that—and I think—I think American Democrats and liberals want to hear that this thing is still very much alive and the obstructionists are going to get pushed aside.
HARKIN: Ed, I just finished going through about two hours, just before I came on your show, of going through the bill, the merged bill. And I can tell you there‘s a lot of good stuff in that bill.
And so I‘m very much enthused right now that we have a good bill, we have a good product. We‘ll get the 60 votes, and hopefully we‘ll be able to fend off some of the disastrous votes in the amendments that the Republicans are going to throw at us on the floor.
SCHULTZ: And will the Senate bill do more than six million people on the public option? Can you give us a higher number?
HARKIN: That I can‘t give you right now, Ed.
SCHULTZ: OK.
HARKIN: But I can—because we—let me put it this way—the public option we have in the bill right now, I believe, is a good compromise.
SCHULTZ: OK.
HARKIN: That‘s the one that says there will be a public option and a state can opt out if they want to.
SCHULTZ: But last night—an opt out. But last night‘s meeting, no more compromises. You‘ve gone as far as you‘re going to go, right?
HARKIN: Well, you know, Ed, I never say never. There‘s always room to accommodate people. And don‘t forget that we still have to go to conference on this, even after it gets outside the Senate.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
Senator Harkin, I appreciate your time.
HARKIN: Well, I‘m telling you, Ed, we‘re going to get this job done.
SCHULTZ: Hey, you‘re my source. I‘m counting on you, buddy. I mean, every time I talk to somebody I say, my friend Tom Harkin keeps telling me this is the way it‘s going to be.
HARKIN: Well, I‘m off a little bit, Ed. I said we were going to have it to the president before Christmas, but I didn‘t anticipate all the delays of the CBO. But I‘ll tell you what—this bill will be signed into law before the president gaves his State of the Union message in January.
SCHULTZ: I‘m all about it.