A 'lot' of Blue Dogs may flip to vote for Senate health bill says member

[jefferson_dem]

A 'lot' of Blue Dogs may flip to vote for Senate health bill says member
By Michael O'Brien - 12/23/09 08:15 AM ET

Centrist, Blue Dog Democrats are likely to favor the Senate's healthcare bill if it comes up for a vote, one of their members said Wednesday.

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), a Blue Dog who voted against the House's healthcare bill in November, said that he and many other centrist Democrats would flip their votes to support the Senate bill if it came up for a vote in the House.

"I think the Senate bill is stronger and I think there's a chance that when the Senate bill comes over to the House, if we can keep some of those provisions for cost containment in the bill, bringing down the deficit, and bringing down healthcare costs, there's a good chance a lot of conservative Democrats who voted against it in the House will support the Senate bill as it comes out of conference," Altmire said during an appearance Tuesday evening on the Fox Business Network.

39 Democratic lawmakers voted against the House bill, which passed by a relatively narrow 220-215 vote. If Blue Dogs flip to support the latest iteration of the bill, it could pad Democrats' vote totals, especially as leaders wrangle with abortion rights supporters and opponents' dissatisfaction with the Senate bill's language on abortion.

Altmire, a second-term lawmaker from Western Pennsylvania, said that cost containment -- and not the controversial public option -- was his sticking point in the health debate, and that the Senate bill does a better job of addressing health costs.

"That wasn't my sticking point -- I think both sides greatly overstated the impact that the public option was going to have," he said. "The House bill was very weak on cost containment and I think the Senate bill is much stronger, and I'm going to take a favorable look at it."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/73435-a-lot-of-blue-dogs-may-flip-to-vote-for-senate-health-bill-says-member

[Tippy]

1. K&R...This will be a good thing

They all know when they come up for re-election they will be on the outside looking in....otherwise...

[jefferson_dem]

3. Aside from the immediate politics, history will frown upon the obstructionists to reform.

They don't want to be on the wrong side.

[Tippy]

9. You got that right......If they relly love our country

They may want to revisit their decision to join hands with the Blue Dogs..

[lamp_shade]

2. We've got a long wait to find out. House doesn't return til Jan 12th... then weeks of

haggling. Good Lord.

[jefferson_dem]

4. The leaders will be haggling behind closed doors through the holidays.

It will be interesting to see who is selected for the conference committee. Regardless, all sides agree that it's important to keep the momentum full steam ahead with the goal of having the bill on Obama's desk by his State of the Union Address on Janurary 25-27.

[SoFlaJet]

5. Anybody here wanna bet Kucinich

votes against it? Yea I wouldn't take that bet either.

[NJmaverick]

6. I could see that happening

If the bill looks more like the Senate version I could see many supporting it. I also expect that their numbers should offset any losses.

[Bitwit1234]

7. Gee are they getting the message.

Like maybe they were elected to serve the public interest. Not theirs and big business. What we really need to do is target one or more, but at least one and make sure they don't get re-elected. Then they will know that the voters mean business.

I'd love to see Nelson go.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. The Congress, from what I understand, won't vote on the Senate bill...

They will vote on the Conference Committee report tht combines the bills.

So, does that mean he knows something I don't, or is O'Brien blowing smoke.

[stevietheman]

12. The Conference bill is likely to be mostly identical to the Senate bill.

It will probably boost subsidies to please liberals in the House, though, and we'll see a good number of tweaks around the edges. To get the bill past Lieberman and Nelson, the public option will remain dead.

That's my prediction anyway.

[Ozymanithrax]

13. In that I agree.

But it is still a grat achievement and will do a lot of good.

[freddie mertz]

10. Oh tidings of comfort and joy.. and curtains for any "fixing" the bill.

Sad days.

[niceypoo]

11. This would be wonderful news but...

I dont trust anything about the 'bluedogs'

Seeing is believing with them