Joe Lieberman and the opt-out revolution

Joe Presses the Flesh (and Glares at the Press), originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

Harry Reid promises a trigger-free public option and less than 24 hours later Joe Lieberman threatens to sabotage health reform by supporting a Republican filibuster. Is it just a negotiating ploy, or is he setting himself up to be the Reform Killer in the hopes of garnering GOP support for his reelection bid?

Comments

[Eric Jaffa]

We should stop looking for 60 Senate votes, and pass the public option through reconciliation with 51 Senate votes.

[Peter K.]

I'd guess it's a negotiating ploy or something else is going on. I doubt he'll kill it, he's fairly liberal on domestic policy and Reid and Obama would do what they have to get a bill.

Technically speaking, he said he'd allow the bill to the floor - where there'd be debate and wheeling and dealing - but would vote against cloture on the final bill. But then after it's passed, the Senate bill needs to be reconciled with the House bill which has a trigger-free public option, if I'm understanding all of this correctly. It's just amazing things are farther along than they've ever been. I don't think anyone expected the Senate bill to have a trigger-free public option but it looks like it might.

[ed]

The latter.

[(O)CT(O)PUS]

I shouldn't say how betrayed I feel about JL; he has betrayed the liberal wing of the Democratic Party so many times, and one can only hope this will catch up to him in his next re-election bid. Meanwhile, my best hope (what I really wanted was a single-payer provision) is that a decent public option provision will pass on a reconciliation vote.

[Bloix]

"is he setting himself up to be the Reform Killer in the hopes of garnering GOP support for his reelection bid?"
Yes.

This has been another edition of simple answers....

[coshosh (Is so trendy)]

Joe Lieberman: can't stand not being relevant anymore.

[sad]

A story in salon.com indicates that Lieberman's wife is rolling in Health Insurance Industry and pharmaceutical industry money:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2009/10/29/joe_lieberman/index.html

Remember: follow the money. It's the simplest answer.

[Jimmy Bowers]

Why not try working for a living and buying your own health care vice trying to make me pay for the lame and lazy.