Senate Majority Leader Reid Leaning Toward ‘Public Option’ for Insurance

[spanone]

c'mon harry, good gawd


~`snip`~
After more than a week of deliberations, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is leaning toward including a government-run insurance plan in a health care bill he will soon take to the Senate floor, Democratic senators said Thursday.

Mr. Reid’s intentions, which are subject to change, reflect a calculated gamble that all members of his party would vote for the public insurance plan if it included some mechanism for states to opt out.

Mr. Reid and other Senate Democratic leaders were headed to the White House late Thursday afternoon for a hastily called meeting, where Mr. Reid was expected to ask President Obama to help secure the needed votes.

A clear majority of Senate Democrats favor a government-run plan, saying it would hold down costs by competing with private insurers. Champions of the public option, as it is known, have urged Mr. Reid to take an aggressive posture by putting it in the bill and forcing opponents to try to strip it out.

“There is a growing sense that we need to lead on this issue and not wait for it to be offered on the Senate floor,” a senior Democratic aide said. “The idea is that it’s better to show some fight.’’

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/senate-majority-leader-reid-leaning-toward-public-option-for-insurance/?pagemode=print

[MannyGoldstein]

1. If Reid leans too far in any direction, he flops to the floor.

One needs a spine for support. Must be scary to be him.

[Ardent15]

2. Seriously. Reid is so inconsistent he makes Mitt Romney look genuine. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Ouch. nt

[The Magistrate]

4. Cold, But True, Sir....