Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Reid Says Healthcare Bill By Christmas

Reid and Obama in Las Vegas

Sen. Harry Reid needs 58 democrats and 2 independents to pass the bill. That means a trigger for the public option, unless Joe Lieberman can be persuaded to get off his high horse. There are zero republicans who support a public option. Lieberman might be holding out for something in return:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted Monday he'll have the votes to enact a sweeping rewrite of the nation's health care laws following a marathon debate that could keep the Senate in session every weekend until Christmas.
The Nevada Democrat told USA TODAY that he'll keep his colleagues working on President Obama's top domestic priority "as long as necessary" and concedes "we have some things to work out." Reid, who turns 70 on Wednesday, said he wants "a bill done by Christmas." Achieving that goal is one of the toughest challenges he's faced in Congress, he said. Read more at USA Today
If you listen closely, Representative Anthony Weiner, a strong advocate of the public option, seems to say he'll support a bill even if it doesn't have a public option:

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