Tom Carper Trying to Help Kill Public Option Effort in the Senate
According to this article in The Hill, Dick Durbin is thinking that the entire caucus needs to come to grips with the idea of voting down any amendments to the HCR reconciliation fix, even the Public Option. And here is Tom Carper — working on his centrist cred, no doubt — egging this on:
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a leading centrist, suggested Democrats should be able to avoid blowing up a reconciliation package if there is ample negotiation on it before it hits the floor. But Carper appeared to warn his Democratic colleagues that any move to amend the reconciliation bill, however noble the policy aims, would only lead to chaos.
“If we have an agreement with the administration and the leadership of Senate Democrats and House Democrats on what should be in the reconciliation package, I’m sure I could think of plenty of ways to change it, and I’m sure every one of my colleagues could as well,” Carper said. “But that’s a slippery slope I don’t think we want to get on.”
Carper said this week he would likely vote against the public option if it was offered to a reconciliation bill.
“For those who somehow suggest this is going to happen now, they’re just deluding people,” Carper said.
It is a pity that Durbin would get to this point — within 9 or so votes and then announce a strategy to oppose all amendments. Even more of a pity for Tom Carper to trot out his effort to make some Guinness world record of representing more special interests than the number of people who actually voted for him.
What is especially galling here is that repubs will be offering plenty of amendments to try to further weaken and to kill the legislation, and you know that Carper will find at least ONE of these repub-sponsored amendments to vote for. Just so he can keep polishing up his centrist cred at the expense of Delawareans who voted for him.
(h/t to the GOS for the article)
I can see Durbin’s logic as the Majority Whip, but if Progressives agree to this they MUST demand that all within the Democratic caucus, including conservadems like Carper, Lincoln, Lieberman, Nelson and Bayh, must abide by the same rule and vote against all Amendments.
And if one of them votes with the GOP, the Public Option will be voted on. Indeed, the Public Option Amendment should be the last Amendment voted on.
The Republicans are going to try an amendment-palooza. Why shouldn’t Democrats introduce some as well?
They never thought the Bennet letter would get anywhere. Carper and his pals are really sweating this one out for big insurance.
Carper likes to stay in the background but when push comes to shove his pushes. Remember when Dorgan collected enough bipartisan votes to pass the drug reimportation bill and Carper stepped in with a hold long enough to twist arms and remove enough votes for a Dorgan FAIL.
He also stepped up this summer when the WH wouldn’t confirm that there was a backroom deal with big pharma. He wasn’t shy about saying yes there’s a deal and we can’t dare break it. Dorgan said it wasn’t binding for the Senate because no one but a few people even knew about it.
I am watching Ed Schultz right now and Carper is front and center of the opposition pack against the public option.
FWIW, here’s the explanation for Durbin’s direction to Senate Democrats:
So, an amended bill would have to be voted on again by the House. Depending on how it’s amended, there’s no guarantee that it would pass a 2nd time. If it doesn’t pass, the Senate bill stays as is and becomes the law of the land.
I definitely understand the logic too and reallyreallyreally hope that this promise not to vote for amendments applies to all of them, even the repub ones. In fact, we should start calling Carper’s office to ask him if he plans to be a straight No vote on all amendments or just the public option one.