Will Somebody Explain Sen. Shumer's Comments About The Public Option - Just Now On Rachel's ......

[global1]

program. If I heard him right - he said that Reid can put the Public Option in the Senate bill - it's up to him now. And he went on to say that it would take 60 votes to get it out of the bill - and that this is one time the 60 vote majority works in our favor.

Can somebody explain this tactic?

If this is true - this is great.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Sounds Like As Long As Reid Will Fight For What's Right, We're All Set

I'll go get drunk now.

[ErinBerin84]

2. heh

[scarletwoman]

5. It's TRUE!

Parkas and ice skates are selling like gangbusters in Hell! We're SAVED!!!! :woohoo:

[Cant trust em]

6. He'll have one helluva time leaving it out after it made 4 out of the 5 bills. nt

[Mass]

3. If somebody proposes an amendment to strip the PO, then the Dems can filibuster it.

I guess this is what he is referring to.

However, he does not mention that, before reaching this point, the bill has to pass all the motion to proceed and motion for cloture that, this time, will need 60 votes for us. So, I am not sure whether he has the votes for this. If yes, his reasoning is good. Otherwise, not so much.

[PopSixSquish]

4. Perhaps He Was Talking About the Filibuster

It takes 50 votes + Joe Biden to pass a health care bill with a public option. The last count I saw was that we have 52. There may be a couple more who are currently unwilling to state one way or the other.

It will take 60 votes to filibuster a bill with a public option. So Schumer is saying that the Dems have the votes for passing and have the votes for cloture or stopping a filibuster. If the Repubs were successful in a filibuster then the way to stop it would be to take the public option out of the bill. So it would take 60 votes to "get it out of the bill".

I doubt Senator Snowe is going to vote for filibuster. There might be one or two other Republicans who won't vote for the final bill but also won't vote for a filibuster either...