Public Option Headed For Senate Finance Committee Vote Tomorrow!

Enough of the fuckers had better vote it in.

Full set of links and more content at the link.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/24/785738/-Breaking:-Public-Option-Heading-for-a-Vote-Tomorrow

"The public option is headed for a vote in the Senate Finance Committee on Friday.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) lamented on a conference call Thursday evening that the debate Friday would be the first time that the committee, since it began negotiating health care reform months ago, would be debating the public option.

"We're going to have a full blown debate in the Finance Committee," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a backer of the public option. While it may be an "underdog," Schumer said, "don't count it out."

...

Let's Go !

I want to make a very important point. There are only two likely no votes on the public option tomorrow. There are 13 Democrats and 10 Republicans. Carper and Conrad are the only likely no votes. If Conrad votes no, HE CANNOT SAY THAT HE IS VOTING AGAINST IT BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT THE VOTES (IN COMMITTEE) ! For, with his vote, it would be 12 to 11 in favor of the public option. Without his vote it is 11 to 12 against. So, his vote would have been decisive. So, that reasoning fails. It is a circular argument and fails !

Just now in the Senate Finance Committee:

Go Senator Schumer !

Senator Schumer just made the first argument for the public option as choice! And he said that choice should go both ways - Don't just want to offer choice for government options (a private option) and not want to offer choice to the private option (a public option). If you want to offer choice for those in Medicaid, then you should want to offer choice for those stuck in the private insurance market which is failing them !
"

Full set of links and more content at the link.

:applause:

:woohoo:

Washington’s prognosticators have all but written off a strong public option as part of the health reforms working their way through Congress. But don’t tell that to Sen. Charles Schumer. The New York Democrat went out on a limb Thursday evening, telling reporters that a “strong, robust” public plan will be included in whatever final bill is signed by the president.
“Don’t count it out,” Schumer said.

On Friday, the Senate Finance Committee will meet in another of the week’s marathon sessions to mark up the panel’s health reform proposal, sponsored by Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). That bill doesn’t have a public option — pushing privately run health care cooperatives instead — but both Schumer and Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) are hoping to change that via the amendment process. Those proposals are unlikely to pass the Finance Committee, where several Democrats have voiced a reluctance to accept the public option. But Schumer pointed out that finance panel is more conservative than the Senate as a whole, which in turn is more conservative than the House. He meant that there are plenty of opportunities for the public option down the road if the committee shoots down the proposals tomorrow.

“This is the starting gate,” Schumer said.
Both Schumer and Rockefeller ruled out the co-op model as an alternative, claiming it simply won’t provide the competition needed to force private insurers to keep rates affordable. Rockefeller also went after the trigger model, saying, “I’m not a big fan of triggers, because triggers won’t work.”
Rockefeller also chastised those who have written off the public option as a part of the larger reforms. “Don’t fall victim to this feeling that this is not going to happen,” Rockefeller said. “You’re creating a problem for us.”

http://washingtonindependent.com/60824/schumer-final-health-bill-will-have-a-robust-public-option

:kick:

K and R