too many Nelsons
It’s THEIR health care bill:
Senators Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Mark Warner of Virginia, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Tom Carper of Delaware, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bill Nelson of Florida, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, and Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
The current legislative process has unravelled to the point where a filibuster proof 60 is necessary to put something through. And these are the 60 Senators leading up to that number 60. The tail that wags the dog. Their interests are catered to, their concerns dealt with. In the classic Senate strategum that held that there were 40 intense partisans on either side, and twenty Senators in the middle who’d end up “getting things done”, these would be your twenty.
Another way of looking at them is from the comparison of the Lyndon Johnson Experience that is in vogue. “Civil Rights” had to be “built on”. Johnson got through a bill in 1957 framed from what the Southern Dixiecrat Chairmen would let him get away with. And Strom Thurmond peed off stage in his filibuster, or something?
The finest point comes with Ben Nelson and Olympia Snowe. Snowe is the one Republican Obama has swirling around these mixes. And, if I’m reading this right, Snowe’s big concern is…
Speculation is that Snowe is afraid to be the sole Republican on the bill and feels she needs a concrete concession on the price tag in order to justify her involvement.
FANTASTIC! If that sounds ridiculous — Olympia Snowe wants to not be the only Republican Senator to vote for this for the sake of not being the only Republican Senator to vote for this, I can point out that Obama has wandered around with the same mindset, as has the Baucus Finance Committee. The problem for Snowe is her Republican Caucus is down to that magic 40 number of irretractibles. Her game is thrown off filter.
For what it’s worth, Olympia Snowe makes Senator #61 here. Ben Nelson is Senator #60. And I take his “Game Changer” statement , never mind the following equivacations, to mean he could be catered to. Meaning, I guess, it’s Ben Nelson’s bill — followed by the other sixteen off of that list. Just drop that arbitrary $100 Billion, and we should have the Ben Nelson Health Care Act pronto!