Friday, January 29, 2010

List of 51 Senate Democrats Who Support a Public Option: What’s Stopping Them Now? The GOP.

List of 51 Senate Democrats Who Support a Public Option: What’s Stopping Them Now?

by Jane Hamsher

Some day, just for kicks, I’m going to collect quotes from every scold who called upon their volumes of wisdom about Senate procedure to decree that Joe Lieberman must be the ultimate decider on any health care bill, because after all it took 60 votes to pass anything. Because now, as we’ve known all along, that’s a self-imposed limitation that the Senate can surmount if they want to.

But let’s remember that back in August, when Chuck Schumer was pushing to pass health care through reconciliation, here was the guy who was running the health care show on behalf of the White House:

[Rahm Emanuel] acknowledged the political realities that have made the Finance Committee’s still-unfinished cooperative plan a center of attention.

“We have heard from both chambers that the House sees a public plan as essential for the final product, and the Senate believes it cannot pass it as constructed and a co-op is what they can do,” Mr. Emanuel said. “We are cognizant of that fact.”

And then he handed the keys over to Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln to write a wildly unpopular bill that is threatening to take down the party.

When he voted against a public option on the Senate Finance Committe, Max Baucus — who has supported a public option in the past — said he did so because it couldn’t get 60 votes in the Senate. And now they can’t even get 50 votes to agree to change the bill in any way.

So, should we conclude that the 51 Democrats in the Senate who said they support a public option when 60 votes were needed were all full of shit, now that the bar is down to 50 and they’re still not moving?

Here is a list of the 51 Democrats who said they support a public option:

# Senator State Comment
1 Akaka HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
2 Baucus MT Said reason for voting against on Senate Finance was the need for 60 votes
3 Bennet CO Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
4 Bingaman NM Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
5 Boxer CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
6 Brown OH Voted for HELP Committee public option
7 Burris IL Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
8 Byrd
“In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.”
9 Cantwell WA Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
10 Cardin MD Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
11 Carper DE Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
12 Casey PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
13 Dodd CT Voted for HELP Committee public option
14 Dorgan ND I do believe that some sort of public option needs to be part of the proposal, along with a focus on bringing down health care costs and prevention.
15 Durbin IL Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
16 Feingold WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
17 Feinstein CA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
18 Franken MN Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
19 Gillibrand NY Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
20 Hagan NC Voted for HELP Committee public option
21 Harkin IA Voted for HELP Committee public option
22 Inouye HI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
23 Johnson SD I asked, “What about the bill are you opposed to?” He replied, “That it doesn’t have a robust public option”.a
24 Kaufman DE Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
25 Kerry MA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
26 Klobuchar MN “I would prefer a public option that would be a competitive option that would allow people to buy into a Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which is a series of private plans.”
27 Kohl WI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
28 Lautenberg NJ Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
29 Leahy VT Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
30 Levin MI Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
31 McCaskill MO Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
32 Menendez NJ Voted for Schumer level playing field on Senate Finance
33 Merkley OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
34 Mikulski MD Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
35 Murray WA Voted for HELP Committee public option
36 Nelson (Bill) FL Voted for Schumer’s “level playing field” public option on Senate Finance
37 Reed RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
38 Reid NV “I’ve told people, whoever will listen, that I am in favor of the public option.”
39 Rockefeller WV Voted for Schumer Level Playing Field public option on Senate Finance Committee
40 Sanders VT Voted for HELP Committee public option
41 Schumer NY Sponsor of Schumer Amendment
42 Shaheen NH Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
43 Specter PA Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
44 Stabenow MI Voted for Schumer’s level playing field on Senate Finance
45 Tester MT “We need competition, and if we get a public option that will help Montana. I will support it.”
46 Udall CO “I support the President’s plan to include the public option as a tool help reform our broken health care system. But above all, any reform must be done in a deficit-neutral way and must provide choice, stability and security for those who have insurance.”
47 Udall NM Voted for Kennedy resolution demanding public option in May
48 Warner VA “It’s not a make or break thing–he wants to see a health reform bill that contains costs, and if it includes a public option…he would vote for it.”
49 Webb VA Told the Huffington Post he is open to a public health care option.
50 Whitehouse RI Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option
51 Wyden OR Signed Oct 8 letter demanding public option

Jane Hamsher is the founder of firedoglake.com. Her work has also appeared on The Daily Beat, AlterNet, The Nation and The American Prospect.

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