Senator Roland Burris: "I will oppose any bill that does not have a public option"

Source: Huffington Post

The health care bill that Max Baucus unveiled without GOP backing Wednesday has no room for legislative error either in his Finance Committee or on the Senate floor. By reaching too far across the aisle in pursuit of bipartisan support, it'll lose the progressive backing it needs to pass.

For at least two Democratic senators, it's already gone too far. If there is no public health insurance option in the bill that hits the floor, said Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), he'll vote against it. Burris is the first senator to take such a stand.

"I will oppose any bill that does not have a public option," Burris told the Huffington Post after the Baucus bill was released.

How firm is that commitment?

"I would oppose any bill that doesn't have a public option," he repeated. "Now, if they tell me they're going to work it out in conference, I'll have to think about that."

In other words, Burris may offer his vote for a weaker bill if promised by leadership that it will be strengthened in negotiations with the House.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/16/roland-burris-becomes-fir_n_288877.html

Will ya support it then?

Id hope whoever was going to pay me would do it in large quantities

And good for him, but it has to be an all encompassing PO.

This is a good start. He would do well to make sure everybody forgets it was that foll Blagojevich who appointed him. Get on it, Roland!

And HuffPo goofed. Burris sure as hell ain't a Republican. (Are there any black Republicans any more aside from that braindead wanker Steele?)

The pukes try to make sure all of their "strategists" on TV are people of color.

One by one.

Who's next.

I expect a pretty progressive bill to pass with only 50 votes needed in the Senate.

That's the good news. The bad news is that a non-budget neutral bill that passes via reconciliation sunsets in 5 years and has to be re-enacted. The benefits don't even kick in until 2013 so we'll have one year to take it for a test drive before it has to be re-enacted. Hope it makes a good first impression though I fear it won't - these things usually take a while to work the kinks out even with good bills.

Glad to see him take a solid stand in what's going to be a brief Senate career. I was sad to learn that he'd had shady dealings with Blago in connection with his appointment to the Senate, because he seems like a helluva nice man. I like nice people--opposites attract.

vote for HR 676.