Oct 01 2009
Congressional Democrats Split on Health Care
The Senate Finance Committee did not pass a health-care reform bill that included a public option. The Senate Health Committee and three House committees had previously versions of a bill that included government assistance in some form for those who needed help paying for health insurance.
Since nearly every Congressional committee has a Democratic majority–one of the perks of being the majority party–it’s clear the finance body is dealing with intra-party issues. Montana Sen. Max Baucus, the Finance Chair, has said repeatedly that no legislation with a public option can get the needed 60 votes to break a filibuster.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said often that no bill can pass the lower chamber without a public option. Therein lies the problem. Either the liberal or the moderate wing of the Democratic Party must bend significantly on an issue that everyone will remember.
Otherwise, nothing will pass since no Republicans (save possibly Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe) will vote to support anything the Democrats propose. The GOP can afford to be defiant. Congress members who survived last year’s election are probably going to prevail in the future, provided the lack of self-inflicted wounds (such as Nevada Sen. John Ensign).
Neither side within the Democratic Party wants to let down its supporters. It’s not a coincidence that Baucus, Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) and Kent Conrad (North Dakota) voted against the public option in committee. They’re in red states. They know their voters don’t want government-operated health-care plans. They also know the party holding the White House tends to lose seats at the midterm election.
Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will need a lot of skill to keep their party together. They must realize that they need to pass a health care bill alone and accept whatever comes afterward.
