Senior Senate Aide Denies Report Reid Has Votes For Public Option

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/senior-senate-aide-denies-report-reid-is-moving-forward-with-public-option/

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog
Senior Senate Aide Denies Report Reid Has Votes For Public Option



Public option supporters: Put the corks back in the champagne bottles.

A senior Senate aide is denying a report that’s fast making the rounds saying Harry Reid has concluded he has the votes to move forward with the public option.

ABC reported today that they have the goods, citing Democratic sources and claiming Reid “has concluded he can pass a bill with a public option.” ABC said Reid is now convinced that even if some moderates are still holding out against it, they will ultimately vote for it on the procedural vote to get it past a filibuster.

Not so much, the senior Senate aide claims. “He has not concluded anything yet,” the aide said of Reid. “But he is more optimistic.”

Interestingly, though, the aide endorsed Kent Conrad’s claim today that “the direction of the conversation” is towards putting the public option in the final bill.

“He is correct,” the aide said of Conrad. “That is where we maybe, again maybe, are headed.”

Meanwhile, TPM reports that Senator Tom Carper is predicting that there will be some form of public option with an opt-out in the final bill.

So while this is far from a done deal, there’s definitely some serious movement afoot.

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. The Public Option is Dead. Long Live the Public Option!

:crazy:

[sandnsea]

2. Keep fighting for the public option and we'll get it

This says the exact same thing as has been said all along. We're headed in the direction of the public option but it will take sustained action from the people to make it happen. That's a democracy.

Obama shoving it through is what is Bush all over again.

[babylonsister]

3. I'm feeling fairly hopeful myself.

:hi:

[sandnsea]

4. This is a national plan too

That is incredible, I never thought we'd get a national plan. I thought the best we'd get is waivers for states to implement their own plans if they chose to.

[damntexdem]

5. PO supporters, stop being whipped around by dueling press releases.

Wait until we see what's in the bill. Then we can cheer, despair, or somewhere in between.