"Something Is Going To Give Here": Did Baucus Screw Wyden And Lose His Vote?

[kpete]

Senate Finance Delays Health Care Vote: Did Baucus Screw Wyden And Lose His Vote?
By: Jane Hamsher Tuesday October 6, 2009 7:53 am


The Senate Finance Committee vote won't happen today. It has been pushed back until later this week or even next week, ostensibly so the CBO can come up with a final score. But it may have more to do with the fact that they don't have the votes. Jay Rockefeller made an impassioned speech last week about the time he spent with VISTA and indicated he's probably a "no" vote on the Baucus bill, despite arm twisting from the White House. (It will make you tear up if you haven't seen it.) And now it looks like Ron Wyden might be in that column too. Since Baucus can only lose one Democrat and still get something through a committee with 13 Democrats and 10 Republicans, he has to bring one of them back on the reservation.

I got a tip last week shortly after Wyden's midnight outburst, when he was told that the CBO messed up and didn't score his amendment and therefore there would be no vote. I called around and was able to substantiate most (but not all) of it with other sources -- but offer it up here in its entirety FWIW:

I've just spoken to several high up staffers I know on the Hill who work in the Senate. One works for a top Democrat on the Finance Committee/Wyden. Get this: the person sat through the process until 1 am and gave some really wild details. Wyden was promised a vote on his amendment to keep him from slamming the bill too much during the process. At the last second Baucus said "no way" because the CBO didn't have a cost estimate. Well things went ballistic. Wyden slammed the bill as a joke. Wyden is a "no" vote on the bill and will be on MSNBC about what a crock it is for having a closed off public option. After Baucus screwed Wyden some Senate staffers, furious with this whole ordeal and watching liberals on the committee get slapped, went into the parking lot and tore off their Obama bumper stickers as Nancy Anne DeParle went rushing after some! Holy cow, my friend said the mood is as intense as ever seen between the White House and Senators. They said something is going to give here.

Other sources confirmed that Wyden was pissed, the CBO snafu was suspicious, and he did subsequently appear on MSNBC slamming the bill. I also confirmed with other Hill sources that Baucus did something similar to another Senator on the committee -- promised them "something" in exchange for keeping their criticism of the bill to a minimum, and then at the last minute the "something" didn't appear. So the notion that there's a huge problem on the liberal end of the committee right now that prevents the bill from passing is not far fetched.

more:
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/10/06/senate-finance-delays-health-care-vote-did-baucus-screw-wyden-and-lose-his-vote/

[bluestateguy]

1. Am I missing something here?

So Finance votes no. OK, so what. We just move on without them, and use the bill from the HELP committee.

[WeDidIt]

5. Without Finance, we cannot go to reconciliation

which means the final bill requires 60 votes for cloture in order to get an up or down vote.

In order to go to reconciliation, Finance must pass a bill out of committee to go to a conference committee.

So in effect, no bill out of Finance means HCR is dead.

[Pab Sungenis]

11. We dont need reconciliation.

We need the Democratic leadership to grow a pair.

[joeycola]

7. I do not know if it works that way. Might just be

more delays until the commmittee comes up with plan. Anyone?

[WeDidIt]

8. Finance MUST pass a bill for the end product to go to reconciliation

If Finaince does not pass a bill, it cannot be considered part of the Budget and thus does not qualify for reconciliation.

That means we're back to needing 60 votes for cloture.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. Interesting. I did not know that.

Thanks!

[joeycola]

14. ah, now I understand. Thank you very much.

[xchrom]

2. very interesting. nt

[havocmom]

3. Note to all DEM legislators: Trust Baucus about as far as you can throw

Rush Limbaugh. x(

'nother piece of advice to DEMS in the Senate: REMOVE MAX from ANY chairs. I don't care how long he has been sitting there. Committee chairmanships going to the guys with the most seniority is NOT how change happens.

[robinlynne]

4. good. as the other poster says, move along and we'll vote on the help bill.

[sandnsea]

6. After Wyden played coy with the public option

I hardly think he's up in arms over the lack of one in the Baucus bill now. All he's been about is his own ego all along. He had an opportunity to fight for a public option months ago and screwed it up. Maybe him and his staffers better figure out how to build a coalition.

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. I think Wyden has been working in good faith.

I think he wants to get the best bill possible from the finance committee, recognizing that it needs to produce *something*.

[sandnsea]

13. Then why did he oppose the public option?

I don't know what the hell he's doing. His amendment is really not that important in the scheme of things. The amount of the subsidy, the affordability, is what is most important. Nobody is paying any attention to that. I am sick of all the grandstanders all the way around. Just get the damn bill out of committee because it's going to be changed and challenged anyway.

[jsamuel]

16. he voted for a public option...

I know he voted for Schumer's and may have voted for Rockefeller's.

[lumberjack_jeff]

17. I think he voted for both, and he offered an amendment which would have

... required employers to provide vouchers to employees to purchase coverage from the exchange.

[sandnsea]

20. All summer long he played games. Fuck him.

And fuck the stupid people who do whatever the goddamn blogosphere tells them to do. I am so sick of it. Just vote the bill out of committee and fight for important amendments on the floor and in conference.

[joeycola]

9. Being stepped on is no fun---just like the single payer advocates found out.

[kjackson227]

15. With all the behind the scenes talks, maybe we have the 60 votes for cloture...

which means that we don't need that Baucus bill, afterall???:shrug:

[nashville_brook]

18. i took my bumper sticker off a while back, for the same basic reason --

i now have one that says 'healthcare for all.'

period.

[Barack_America]

19. Excellent. Hold on Wyden, at least until your amendment is scored.