Remember that Senate vote yesterday? It flopped. Hard. For many, the public option is the crux of the health care debate. But in the Senate Finance Committee, amendments to add a public option couldn’t get enough votes to be added to Sen. Max Baucus’ health care bill. “No one has been able to show me how we can count up to 60 votes with a public option,” Baucus said. On a side note, The Onion conveniently created this article (language NSFW) for conservatives to bring up in this debate. source
A couple Senate Finance Committee Dems plan to push for it today. Obama has seemingly given up on the public option, but other Democrats haven’t, and today, they plan to push for its presence in the Baucus plan by forcing a vote. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer may not have the votes to get it passed, so it could be a mere symbolic gesture, but you have to start throwing the kitchen sink at some point. source
I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them.
Tom Daschle • the former Senate Majority Leader who is nominated for secretary of Health and Human Services, on having to pay $128,000 in back taxes. He wrote this in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, who has yet to approve him. *forehead slap* • source