Durbin Whipping Against Public Option

[The Hope Mobile]

Source: email from BoldProgressives.org

This is an urgent action alert...

40 senators -- including Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer -- promised to vote "yes" on the public option...and more are promising every day.

But Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) just announced that he would tell Democratic senators to OPPOSE all amendments, including a public option amendment, if offered on the Senate floor.

Can you call Feinstein and Boxer immediately? Thank them for promising to vote "yes" on the public option and tell them to say "no" to Dick Durbin's strategy of broken promises?

CLICK HERE FOR THE NUMBER AND A SCRIPT.

Durbin was among those who promised to vote yes. We need to make clear that strategy would be a major betrayal and signal to voters in an election year that Democratic politicians cannot be trusted to keep their word.

Check out Durbin's absurd rationale for voting no on all amendments:

“We know the Republicans are likely to offer a lot of amendments, and some of them may be appealing to Democrats, but we have to urge them to stick with the bill.”

Our friends at Democracy for America responded perfectly:

"So, let’s get this straight. Dick Durbin’s argument is that these Democrats should break their promise to the American people, risk primary challenges from real Democrats back home, and vote against a public option, purely because Republicans will offer other amendments too."

Exactly! Democrats should simply vote down Republican amendments and vote "yes" on the public option which 60% of voters support.

CLICK HERE TO TELL FEINSTEIN AND BOXER TO VOTE "YES" ON THE PUBLIC OPTION AND "NO" TO DURBIN.

We've come so far due to intense grassroots organizing. Your phone call today will help solidify the gains we've made as we work to pass the public option.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Aaron Swartz, Stephanie Taylor, Adam Green, Brian Bills, Michael Snook, and the PCCC team

P.S. We will run the above image as an online ad in DC and Illinois, to hold Durbin accountable. You can help by chipping in here.





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Read more: www.boldprogressives.org

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He was for it before he was against it!! Please help fight this!

[Alexander]

1. WTF?

I thought Durbin was one of the good guys.

Is there a source for this?

[DesertFlower]

2. so did i. nt

[Nite Owl]

3. And he's looking to replace Reid

if Reid loses his election. I'm sticking with Schumer for next leader if Reid is going to be replaced.Durbin is on the wrong side on this one.

[AlinPA]

27. I'm for Boxer.

[The Hope Mobile]

5. It was an email from www.boldprogressives.org nt

[angelicwoman]

6. It's all over the internet

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/progressives-to-target-durbin-after-he-suggests-whipping-against-public-option.php

[Tx4obama]

22. Grayson's Public Option Medicare Buy-In BILL is a separate BILL, not an amendent. n/t

[thotzRthingz]

33. re: WTF?

my sentiments exactly!

Reid (http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/breaking-reid-signals-support-for-reconciliation-vote-on-public-option/) and Durbin (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-green/senate-avalanche-for-the_b_480234.html) both recently indicated that they would be in favor of bringing this issue to "reconciliation" (ref: http://whipcongress.com )

What has changed in the past few days? Perhaps they fear LOSS of their "59" vote majority ... if/when 100% of DEMS & INDEPENDENTS don't vote "AYE" (and, like in the recent MA contest, progressives go after the wimps... come their next election cycle)?

[polichick]

4. Isn't Durbin very close to the prez? Is this a WH directive? nt

[Yuugal]

8. I smell Rahm

[NCarolinawoman]

12. I'm sure this is coming from the top down.

Reminds me of when Dorgan tried to get drug importation from Canada. At the last minute, a bunch of Democrats turned against the bill.....even though at that time, there were actually a bunch of Republicans on board.:grr:

(I continue to help out a friend of mine in purchasing medication to treat her cancer. She simply cannot afford the cost.)

[polichick]

15. Yeah, reminds me of the drug importation deal too. nt

[AllentownJake]

7. Well at least the veil is off

Seriously, Fuck these guys.

[Mari333]

9. good point

even if it hurts, it is best to know the truth

[Tx4obama]

21. Grayson's Public Option Medicare Buy-In BILL is a separate BILL, not an amendent. n/t

[WillyT]

29. Exactly !!!

:banghead:

:wtf:

:mad:

[coti]

32. The veil's been gone for awhile but the more pressure we can put on them

to blatantly oppose it the better. Eventually they'll run out of room as they get backed into the corner and have to flip or admit their lies.

[samurai7]

10. What a blatant, dirty stab in the back

to the American people. And what a ridiculous bullshit justification. This makes me think either A) WH directive as polichick suggested, or B) Durbin never intended to vote for a public option in the first place and only promised to do so as PR for dem. voters, believing it would never actually get the support to go to a vote.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[truthisfreedom]

14. 3 posts and I bet they're all spam.

[calimary]

13. TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers here:

Check my sig line!

[No Elephants]

16. I never cheered those 40+ signatures. I was waiting to see if it was kabuki.

[Tx4obama]

20. Grayson's Public Option Medicare Buy-In BILL is a separate BILL, not an amendent. n/t

[No Elephants]

36. ? I never said anything about Grayson's bill.

[Tx4obama]

17. Grayson's Public Option Medicare Buy-In BILL is a separate BILL, not an amendent.

So I think Durbin is talking only about any public option 'amendments' that might be introduced in the future by others, but not including the Grayson BILL which was introduced in the House on Tuesday.

GRAYSON's BILL is NOT an amendment.

So Durbin is correct by saying to vote NO on all the 'amendments' to the HC bill.

Durbin said NOTHING regarding Grayson's BILL.

[tkmorris]

28. Yeah Tx. We get that Grayson's bill is separate

How does that make Durbin right?

[Tx4obama]

30. Because...

Doing public option thru reconciliation is not as good as doing it separate in its own bill.
Durbin is trying to avoid more BS that would slow down the passage of the main HC bill, if the PO is not in reconciliation then the HC Bill will pass easier and then the PO can be done on its own with the four page Grayson bill.
That way we get the HC bill passed sooner and then we also get the PO with the Grayson bill.
So, Durbin is correct by saying that everyone should avoid amendments, but he said nothing about avoiding the Grayson BILL :)

[No Elephants]

37. I would not draw any conclusions from Durbin's silence about Grayson's bill. It's way

too premature to say anything about that.

Grayson's bill is very unlikely to pass the Senate, anyway. Hell, it may not even pass the House. It's much more aggressive than the lame public option the House passed in 2009.

[Canuckistanian]

34. And Grayson's bill can't be passed by reconciliation

Since it isn't a purely budget bill.

It'll be filibustered the second it hits the floor.

[EndElectoral]

18. Aw C'mon Durbin. Don't do this. This is the one thing people across America want.

[warm regards]

19. This thing has turned out to be a big joke.

It helps that I always expect politicians to disappoint me.

:beer:

[Tx4obama]

23. Grayson's Public Option Medicare Buy-In BILL is a separate BILL, not an amendent. n/t

[yodermon]

24. why are you spamming the thread with that line? This has nothing to do with grayson's bill. n/t

[Tx4obama]

25. Yes, it does Grayson's Medicare Bill is the current Public Option bill in the House n/t

[Tx4obama]

26. Info regarding the NEW Public Option BILL

New Public Option Efforts Surface In House

House Democrats are mounting a new effort to get a public option passed as a separate measure once the overall health care reform package becomes law.

Rep. Alan Grayson this week introduced a public option bill and called for such a plan to increase competition in the health care system. It's a fairly simple, 4-page measure that he's dubbed the "Medicare You Can Buy Into Act."

It would do just that, allow anyone who wants it to buy into the plan. Grayson (D-FL) said that under his proposal the premiums would equal cost and the program would "pay for itself."

Full story here: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/new-public-option-efforts-surface-in-house.php?ref=fpa

p.s. So, you can see why Durbin said to 'not vote for an amendment' because there is a BILL in the works that will be better than what an amendment could do ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

31. This makes more sense to me. Thanks. nt

[No Elephants]

38. That's wishful thinking. Nothing would prevent passing Grayson's bill anyway.

The Senate could pass whatever public option it could get past reconciliation--and Grayson's bill could still proceed.

You don't know if Graysobn's bill will pass the House. Especially if it doesn't get voted on in the House until after mid-terms. And then, it would have to pass the Senate. that is highly unlikely now. After mid-terms, passing the Senate will be even more doubtful.

If you are correct about Durbin's motives, he is taking a huge, reckless gamble with the welfare of the American people. But I very much doubt your assumptions about Durbin's motives.

[Brundle_Fly]

35. If they tie in the PO with this bill

( as far as I understand it ) it can be taken out of reconciliation. Or at least held up for more than another 2 months.

They have to pass what was already voted on. Obama also has to sign the bills that are already voted on and passed to make them law before reconciliation can occur.

The Grayson bill is a separate bill.

I also think after reconciliation, they can transform the bill more than they can now via amendments and procedures.

but I am a Canadian who is watching and scratching his head at 90% of your governments rules.

Durbin is on the record wanting the PO, this is just to get this sucker done.

[No Elephants]

39. Yes, just about everyone is on the record as wanting the PO. Yet, it gets shafted at every turn.

At some point, one begins to suspect that few REALLY want it. They just want to have it both ways.

Give lip service to the public option because so many American voters poll as wanting it. But, then, vote it down--by voice vote, if necessary, so names don't show up anywhere next to an aye or a nay. Then, Big Health doesn't get pissed off--and neither does the WH. However, your voters think you fought the valiant fight, but, despite that, simply lost to the bad guys.

Hence my post upthread about kabuki.

Looking at what actually happens and working backwards from that is sometimes a useful exercise, if you want to know where someone's commitmet really was all along. It doesn't always work, but it works more often than confusing lip service with commitment, especially when dealing with politicians. They have a tendency to talk out of both sides of their mouths because they want it both ways.

You know the adage that supposedly applies to the silent message parents allegedly send their children? "Follow what I say, not what I do." Well, with politicians, watch what they do and ignore most of all of what they say on the way to doing what they do.

[rpannier]

40. He's my Senator

I guess I need to call

This is one of the times I can honestly say, "I'm happier with Burris than Durbin."