HCR Reconciliation Thread (update) (I am pissed off!!!)

[Suji to Seoul]

Nothing new on the vote front. It is still 48 - 49 - 3. However, news that Obama's "plan" did not include a public option has me rightly pissed off. He has a majority of Americans supporting the PO (last I saw, ABC had it at 74%, +/-3) and the passage of at least THAT part of the HCR would cement a victory in November and a LANDSLIDE victory. Maybe he is uncommittal now.

I still think there is gamesmanship played here and I would hope I am right. My idea is a fairly simple one: Present a plan with no PO, have the Republicans shoot it to hell, the go to the American people and the Democrats and say "I tried. . .they won't even work with me on this watered down bill. Now they're going to get everything they don't like," instructing Harry Reid to use reconciliation to get ourselves HCR.

I base this simply on the fact that Democrats and Obama can't be so stupid as to misread a Scott Brown victory as anything more than a kick in the ass to Democrats to remember the campaign promise and not for the GOP agenda, which has been flatly rejected in three straight election cycles.

On better news, DLC toadie and habitual F-bomb thrower Rahm Emmanuel may be on his last seconds of his 15 minutes. The faster we see him skip the light fantastic out of this administration, the better. If he is indeed gone, we need to stop lobbying for Rahm's political nemesis and the extreme opposite of him: We need to lobby for successful former DNC Chairman Dr. Howard Dean to take over for "Buckets O'Fail" Rahm. As soon as Rahm is circular filed, we need to start a lobbying effort.

Now, on to the vote count:

We need at least 50 to force a Biden tie breaker vote.
Let's look at the 26 who have stated to use Reconciliation (according to Countdown). Let's assume we have those:

Feinstein, Kerry, Sanders, Brown, Whitehouse, Bennet, Burris, Gillibrand, Merkeley, Franken, Leahy, Schumer, Reed, Boxer, Udall, Mikulski, Shaheen, Lautenberg, Durbin, Specter, Casey, Dorgan, Cardin, Bingamen, Menendez, Wyden

The following are definite "yes" votes: (22 total yes votes)
Byrd - WV; Udall - CO; Rockefeller - WV; Kohl - WI; Feingold - WI; Inouye - HI; Akaka - HI; Levin - MI; Stabenow - MI; Tester - MT; Harkin - IA; Webb - VA; Warner - VA; Dodd - CT; Murray - WA; Carper - DE; Kaufman - DE; McCaskill - MO; Klobuchar - MN; Bayh - IN; Hagan - NC
Reid - NV (if the votes are there)

No changes in the maybes. There are rumors floating around that Conrad will vote no. I need something credible to move him. Calls to his office, news source, email. . .something. If he moves no, it's VERY tight and we will need Johnson and Begich on board. Begich I believe, as a freshamn Democrat (and a possible one term senator from the uber-loon Palin state of Alaska) will vote straight party line.

The following are definite "maybe" votes: (3) votes
Begich - AK (being a DEM in AK has advantages. He may be one term and we can use that for our advantage.)
Conrad - ND (Since I have not heard a peep from him, he's in the maybe section. Someone help me out.)
Johnson - SD (Since I have not heard a peep from him, he's in the maybe section. Someone help me out. Conserva-Dem.)

Again, no changes in the "no" votes. Cantwell has some contraversy in the "no" column. Again, give sme something credible to move her and I will. I can't see her voting no, being a Democrat from a bright blue state like Washington. Baucus is also possibly being switched to maybe, but I need more than "I think."

My 22 "yes" votes are based on statements the senators made, voting record, state they represent and longevity in the Senate. Tester, Webb and Warner are still freshman and will vote party line if Reid and Durbin to their jobs.

Byrd, Rockefeller and Harkin represent states being KILLED by this recession and they have always voted with their States' voters interests, which is why they are yes votes.

The following are the "no" votes, the Blue Dog, DINO-moles in the Senate: (8 votes)
Baucus - MT (expect revenge for Reid's "spine" on the jobs bill. Too asshole.)
Bill Nelson - FL (no completely. Too bought.)
Ben Nelson - NE (no completely. Too selfish.)
Pryor - AR (No chance for his vote. Too brain dead.)
Cantwell - WA (WILL NOT SUPPORT RECONCILIATION.)
Lincoln - AR (COUNTDOWN SAID SHE WILL NOT SUPPORT RECONCILIATION.)
Landrieu - LA (COUNTDOWN SAID SHE WILL NOT SUPPORT RECONCILIATION.)
Lieberman - CT (COUNTDOWN SAID SHE WILL NOT SUPPORT RECONCILIATION.)

We do not have it. Expect 41 no votes (45 with these DINO assholes).

I expect Pryor to be completely against PO reconciliation voting. The Nelson boys are just lost causes in my eyes; Ben is a boob, Bill is bought.

Keep up the heat!!!

[global1]

1. I've Been Trying To Call The White House Comment Line All Day &......

it has been busy. I want to tell them to support the Public Option. I don't know if they have shut it down or if there are so many calls coming in that they can't handle them.

Call to support P.O. by reconciliation - 1-202-456-1111

[Suji to Seoul]

2. Good. Keep up the heat!!! Keep that fire hot. Light their asses up!!!

[TheWraith]

3. So you're pissed that he's not presenting a plan that might fail?

Obama's proposed plan is irrelevant to whether or not a public option can be passed by reconciliation. That depends on the votes in the Senate.

By the way, Dean is not "Rahm's political nemesis." They worked together closely on the 2006 and 2008 election strategy.

[Suji to Seoul]

4. With 59 votes in the Senate. . .reconciliation. How about some party unity behing something that

will help Americans, not something that won't? the PO will HELP AMERICANS.

[TheWraith]

5. Waving the "party unity" flag doesn't get to 51.

Count the votes. Count the people who aren't voting for it. Then see if it gets to 51. The idea that Obama can just wave his hand and get the various party flanks to fall in line is preposterous.

[Suji to Seoul]

If you have been reading my posts, you can see I HAVE BEEN COUNTING VOTES

I've posted an update on the votes once a day for five days and will continue to do so until we have 50 plus the tie breaker of Biden.

[Suji to Seoul]

6. If you have been reading my posts, you can see I HAVE BEEN COUNTING VOTES

I've posted an update on the votes once a day for five days and will continue to do so until we have 50 plus the tie breaker of Biden.