Lawrence O'Donnell and Senator Ron Wyden discuss new polls that suggest more Republicans are in favor of a public option than are against it.
Our number five story tonight: Supporters of a public option see glimmers of hope in new developments today, including a poll that puts Republican voters support behind a public option bill. Last night, on COUNTDOWN, Senator Jay Rockefeller said he planned to bring the public option up for debate with the finance committee today, but with the committee strictly observing the Senate custom of half-day Fridays, the public option got shelved until Tuesday.
Tonight in the House, blue dog Democrat Stephanie Sandlin, who is a leader on health care for conservative Democrats, told "The Huffington Post" that blocking a public option is not a top priority for the blue dogs. Quote, "The group is somewhat split," she said.
This after words spread that the Congressional Budget Office believes the liberal version of a public option will save $85 billion more than the version preferred by the blue dogs, whose organizing principle is fiscal prudence. Not to mention that 65 percent, almost 2/3 of the country, support a public option, according to a new poll out today. In fact, more Republicans favor a public option than oppose it. By a margin of 47 percent to 42 percent, with 11 percent still on the fence, and 51 percent, a majority of all Republicans say they would oppose a health care bill if it did not have a public option in it. Only 30 percent are saying they prefer a bill with no public option.
And there is worse news for congressional Republicans in this poll -- coming in behind President Obama and congressional Democrats across the board. While 64 percent of the country thinks congressional Republicans are just playing politics with health care, less than half of their own party thinks Republicans are actually motivated by concern for the country. A whopping 43 percent of Republicans say their own party is just playing politics.
We are joined tonight by Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and a member of the finance committee.
Thanks for your time tonight, Senator.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Thanks for having me, Larry.
O`DONNELL: I want to put up a couple of more poll numbers to get his in context. Eighty percent of Democrats think Republicans are motivated just by politics. But for some reason, more than half of Democrats, 54 percent still think that you, Democrats, should compromise enough to get Republican support.
How do you read those two polls that seem to be in conflict? Overwhelming majority of Democrats believe that the Republicans are just stumping here, but they want you to negotiate with them?
WYDEN: Larry, polls are fleeting. And Tuesday is really when the test is going to be given. The question is going to be, is the committee going to hold insurance companies accountable? Is the committee going to take on what I call the status quo caucus? It`s led by the insurance industry. There are some other powerful lobbies behind it. They are slicing a fat hog. And what we need is more cost and competition. That`s the way you hold insurance companies accountable and we`re going to get on Tuesday.
O`DONNELL: And you are going to get two amendments to the bill on public option, one by Senator Rockefeller, which will be a public option very similar to what they`ve done in the House. You`ll get another one by Senator Schumer of New York, with a somewhat modified version of a public option. What is your sense of what will happen on both of those votes?
WYDEN: First of all, Larry, we`ll get another one, as well. It`s my "Free Choice" amendment, because I think it is critically important, whatever options there are, public or private, people ought to have choice. And the Congressional Budget Office has indicated that under the earlier versions of the public option, you`d only have about 12 million people able to get it, those who are unemployed or uninsured.
I think everybody ought to have a chance to have choice. And I think my "Free Choice" amendment is compatible with the public option. And I think, by the time we are done next week, we are going to see new policies that finally end the days when insurance companies can gouge people and they can rip `em off when they run this kind of cherry-picking system where they take just the healthy people and send the sick people over to government programs, more fragile there. And I want to make sure that all Americans, not just a few, have access to public option so we can stop this abusive behavior and gouging.
O`DONNELL: Senator Wyden, just to get your point clear for our audience. When President Obama says, "If you like the health insurance you have, you can keep it." What you are saying is, he doesn`t go -- then go on to say, "If you don`t like what you have, you can leave it and join the public option." And that`s what you are trying to provide for in this bill, isn`t it?
WYDEN: Larry, I think the president is spot-on when he says you ought to be able to keep what you have. But as far as I`m concerned, if you are getting abused by your current insurer, you shouldn`t be forced to stay with them. You ought to be able to get access to another good alternative, the kind of alternative members of Congress have where the insurance companies can`t discriminate against you. You are part of a big group, you have low administrative cost, and you get a fair shake.
O`DONNELL: And you -- do you think you can get some Republicans votes on your amendment to this?
WYDEN: I don`t see how Republicans can come out against competition and choice. That is the bedrock set of principles of their party. That`s about as red, white and blue as you can get.
That`s what the economy functions on is, real competition, real choice. That`s how you create a market. That`s how you hold insurance companies accountable. That`s how consumers get a good deal.
O`DONNELL: Now, when the Baucus bill was introduced, there were a lot of boos coming from the left and the right on it. But in reality, the more I stare at this bill, when I -- it`s the only one that seems to fit the principles laid out by President Obama in his speech to Congress on what he requires to be in the bill. So, is there any reason not to think of this bill, as it stands right now, as the Baucus/Obama bill?
WYDEN: Larry, the bill has a lot of very positive features. I`m really pleased, for example, about what it does for low-income people. But at this point, it still comes up short in terms of holding insurance companies accountable. It comes up short in terms of cost and competition.
If you really want to hold prices down for consumers, you`ve got to hold insurance companies accountable and give the consumer more choice. If what we end up with, at the end of the day, is some kind of requirement where you force the consumer to go out and buy coverage and the coverage is kind of crummy and very expensive, people are going to come after everybody with pitch forks.
We`ve got a lot of good features in this bill. We`ve got to add these key principles of cost containment and competition. And that`s how we`re going to get the job done right.
O`DONNELL: Senator, will you vote against a bill that requires people to purchase health insurance and not give them what you think are the adequate resources to do so?
WYDEN: I got to tell you, I think you`ve got to fit the pieces together. I think people understand, Larry, that there is a requirement, a sense of personal responsibility that`s appropriate. We do have to appreciate that, a central part of American life, personal responsibility.
We ought to make steps to make coverage affordable. The best way to do it is promoting cost and competition. My "Free Choice" amendment will give every senator in the finance committee the chance to vote on that Tuesday.
O`DONNELL: Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and the finance committee -- hang in there during the mark-up, Senator.
WYDEN: Thanks, Larry.
O`DONNELL: Great thanks for your time tonight.
In case you missed it, here's:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x378246">Cenk On The Implications Of New Poll That Shows 65% Of Respondents Still Want The Public Option
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