Morning Joe video with Dean August 17 up at You Tube now. Excellent interview.

Run time: 07:22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ00PvxXFy4   Posted on YouTube: August 18, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: August 18, 2009 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 816

 
He has been on TV all day having his say on the public option. He sounds very positive that it will be in the final bill. I want to share his enthusiasm, but I don't quite yet. Good to hear positive stuff though.

Here is a partial transcript at RCP.

Dean schools Morning Joe on Public Option

" JOE: If you were Senator Dean from Vermont and the president tried to pass a health care bill that didn't have a public option in it, like this one that's going to be on the floor of the senate at some point, would you vote for a health care bill without a public option?

DEAN: I wouldn't vote for a final bill without a public option under any circumstances. Because I don't think we ought to dump $60 billion into the health insurance industry, which is what this bill would do. On the other hand, I think what is going on here is nothing more than politics. The president knows very well that you aren't really going to have health care reform without a public option. But he also knows he has to get this out of the senate. And he's got a very important member of the Finance Committee, Kent Conrad, who doesn't want to vote for this bill if it has a public option in it. And he knows he's not going to get any Republicans votes of any kind. So at the end of the day this bill's going to be written by Democrats, it's got to get out of the senate and you only need a few Democrats to take out the public option.


"At this point in Howard's explanation, Joe seemed to understand and started looking very interested:

JOE: Let me explain to people what you're saying. The House is going to pass a version with a public option. The senate will pass a version without a public option. You get past the 60 votes. You go to reconciliation, you put the public option back in. And then you vote it on it and you only need 50 votes. And you get a public option.

RON BROWNSTEIN: Wow.

JOE: Is that what you're saying?

DEAN: Basically, yes.

...

RON BROWNSTEIN: Governor, that's a complicated political strategy...

DEAN: It's very complicated. It's why we're getting all this talk. It's why the message has to be so simple in August...what's most likely to happen, honestly, is the Republicans are going to continue, as they've made very clear, to obstruct the bill. October 16th is going to come along and that's when reconciliation kicks in. They're going to have write this bill in the budget. There's no question in my mind about this."

this is why I love Politics right here ..

:hi:

:D < My Howard Dean smiley. ;)

Makes me feel dumb for doubting Obama and his team.

This is a storyline right out of The West Wing.