House Has the Votes for Medicare +5% Public Option, "President Snowe" will not vote for opt out

[ind_thinker2]

http://www.openleft.com/diary/15644/victory-confirmed-house-has-the-votes-for-medicare-5-public-option

What next in senate?

Lieberman dude is not reliable.

Conrad maynot vote either.

Nelson likes opt out

Looking at voting pattens on Linchon and Landrieu for docfix, they will support HCR floor vote.

Are we leaning toward 58 now?

[Mass]

1. Not only that, but she may vote against cloture.

http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2Ftalking-points-memo (so much for not standing in the way of history).

If 4 or 5 Dems vote against a Public option bill, it is not that bad. But the leadership must keep them on line for a cloture vote (or motion to proceed). And this is what is important.

[Tom Rinaldo]

2. Snowe may well vote against cloture but words now are cheap

especially when she leaves herself wiggle room like she has so far. If she would rather not be put in a position of having to support a filibuster against health care reform, why not try the easy way out first and hopefullly threaten your way into getting changes you want before it ever gets to that point?

There is a strategy in poker I think we are all familiar with. It's called bluffing. Bluffing is only effective because it is hard to know for sure when someone is in fact bluffing, but Snowe doesn't even need to lay any chips down on the table now to try to bluff things her way. She said it would be extremely difficult for her to vote for cloture on a bill that included an opt out public option. Later, if she wants, she can say it was extremely difficult to kill health care reform by not voting for cloture on debate of a bill that includes an opt out public option. She had NOTHING to lose by saying what she did now but potentially much to gain if Democrats cave to her threats.