Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson on Harry Reids public option “compromise” – still not good enough

obamacare-its-to-die-forIts hard for me to believe any Democrat when they say they are against something. Much like Republicans they lie through their teeth and vote for something anyway. Much like the recently passed Omnibus bill with over 5,000 pork projects included. Both Liberman and Nelson had problem voting for that measure. But today on Face the Nation, Lieberman and Nelson both claimed that Harry Reid’s so called “compromise”  wasn’t good enough for them for vote for the bill. In fact, both Lieberman and Nelson claim that  a Medicare “buy-in” option for those aged 55-64 was a deal breaker for them. According to The Hill:

I’m concerned that it’s the forerunner of single payer, the ultimate single-payer plan, maybe even more directly than the public option,” Nelson said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Lieberman said Democrats should stop looking for a public option “compromise” and simply scrap the idea altogether.

“You’ve got to take out the Medicare buy-in. You’ve got to forget about the public option,” he said.

If Democrats stick to relying primarily on the bill’s subsidies, the legislation would pass easily and with bipartisan support, Lieberman argued.

Nelson’s comments are somewhat surprising, considering he was one of the 10 Democrats tasked with putting together the compromise.

He said this morning that he participated simply “to be a friend of the process.”

“What we’ve put together is something to get scored,” he said.

Most Democrats still don’t know what exactly the compromise entails. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has sent the bill to the Congressional Budget Office but will not release the details until a score is final.

Lieberman said this morning that Reid fears the new compromise proposals would “get mauled” if they’re released without a score to back them up.

Indeed, another senate centrist said this morning that her vote would be decided by the results of the CBO score.

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December 13, 2009 · Filed Under ObamaCARE


Comments

  • http://members.cox.net/journeyhome/index.htm Paul Burke – Author Journey Home

    If we get a compromise reform Bill through this Congress that extends coverage to millions of people, ends the pre-existing conditions exclusions, adds full insurance portability, makes it illegal for insurers to drop patients or raise their rates just because they get sick, repeals the anti-trust exemption, allows for national programs and gets the same prices congressmen and women get – as well as setting up exchanges to increase competition, then we will really have done something important.

    Paul Burke
    Author-Journey Home