Lieberman: I'll Vote With Republicans To Filibuster Health Care

Nice.

Lieberman did say he's "strongly inclined" to vote to proceed to the debate, but that he’ll ultimately vote to block a floor vote on the bill if it isn’t changed first.

"I've told Sen. Reid that if the bill stays as it is now I will vote against cloture,” he said.

“I can’t see a way in which I could vote for cloture on any bill that contained a creation of a government-operated-run insurance company,” Lieberman added. “It’s just asking for trouble – in the end, the taxpayers are going to pay and probably all people will have health insurance are going to see their premiums go up because there’s going to be cost shifting as there has been for Medicare and Medicaid.”

Lieberman said he “very much” wants to vote for health care reform but that he’s worried about stifling “the economic recovery we’re in” or adding to the federal debt.

Warning: Link goes to Politico but they are the ones with the story at the moment and I changed the part I excerpted to get to the filibuster quote.

If the Republicans stay together and vote no, Harry Reid needs all 58 Democrats and the 2 Independents that caucus with them to push this through. He just lost one.

There were stories earlier today where Olympia Snowe (R(ish)-History) said she will stay with the Republicans. I'm looking back for the links now and will update. In the meantime, no one let her answer the phone!

It's not done but it's good news.

Update:Snowe's statement wasn't as strong as I remembered it.

Sen. Olympia Snowe tells Fox's Trish Turner "at this point" she's a no on Reid Public Option. Says gambit "sends a terrible message."

Maybe we can pick up a Democrat or two more to make sure Snowe doesn't have her second history making moment this year.

Slublog passes along this story with more from Snowe. She seems pretty dead set against a government option but she has been wooed by Reid or history yet.

Quote [ace]: Here's the key quote from the above-linked article.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, expressed similar concerns. Democrats had hoped to have Snowe's support, since she endorsed a different version of health care reform on the Senate Finance Committee. But she said she cannot back Reid's plan. She said Reid's government plan would have an unfair advantage, even though the national program would have to negotiate rates with providers just like private insurance companies do.

"It does give the government a disproportionate advantage in the marketplace. They can set ... the prices and certainly negotiate those prices at whatever level," she told Fox News, adding that she was "surprised and disappointed" by Reid's decision.

Snowe wanted a proposal that would "trigger" a public plan down the road if the insurance companies do not meet certain benchmarks. She told Fox News that the CBO indicated her plan would yield $10-$15 billion in savings.

She said the lack of GOP support "sends a terrible message that [Democrats are] no longer interested in working with Republicans."

Senator Snowe, history is on the line. What should I tell them? You're not here? Okay, I'll tell history you're in a meeting.

posted by DrewM. at 01:59 PM

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