Ms Snowe ....... ? Ms Snowe: "No"

Snowe Says No Public Option, White House Says "That's Democracy"

The Senate Finance Committee will not include a public option in its health care bill, one of the key Republican negotiators said on Friday -- to which the White House responded, with a shrug: "That's democracy."

Sen. Olympia Snowe, (R-Maine), told MSNBC that the proposal to offer consumers a government-run alternative to private insurance providers would not be endorsed by the "Gang of Six". It is that group of three Democratic and Republican Senators on the Finance Committee that has been vested by the White House with the task of reaching a bipartisan compromise.

"We have not had the public option on the table," Snowe said. "It's been co-ops and addressing affordability and availability of plans through the exchange and that's -- those are the challenges we're wrestling with -- to ensure that there are affordable, basic plans to offer Americans."

The remarks would seem like a blow to President Obama's avowed preference for a public option as a means for expanding coverage and lowering costs in the health care system. But the administration has also spent the past few weeks sending profoundly mixed signals on its devotion to such a provision. And when pressed for a reaction to Snowe's declaration, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton provided a non-nonplussed response.

>snip<

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/21/snowe-says-no-public-opti_n_265354.html

...to pass the Senate bill, or the conference committee report when it comes out, only to ensure they come to a vote.

The Democrats have 50 plus votes. They need to go it alone.

"We have not had the public option on the table,"

ugh. assholes!

Oligarchy.

And you sir, are a TOOL.

Obama will benefit from saying that he managed to convince both parties to pass historic health reform. I'm for conversing with Snowe.

I don't. They are determined to say no to everything he proposes.

She's softened since then.

We have the votes. 51 is all we need.