Olympia Snowe: "Harry Reid assured me that Medicare buy-in and public option are dead"

[SuperTrouper]

It wasn't much in doubt, but Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) confirmed to reporters tonight that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid assured her all of the contentious aspects of the public option compromise--particularly the Medicare buy-in provision--have been dropped.

The two met this afternoon so that Reid could gauge the likelihood that she'll ultimately vote with the Democrats, at least to push the bill past a filibuster.

He assured you that the Medicare buy-in and the public option are out, I asked?

"Correct," she said.

Still, Snowe insists, as she did earlier today, that there may not be enough time between now and the end of this week for her to understand the bill well enough to support it, as it enters the Senate holds a series of supermajority votes needed to finish the bill by Christmas.

With three unknowns--Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Roland Burris (D-IL), and Russel Feingold (D-WI)--on the left, and a wavering Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) on the right, Reid still has a lot of ground to cover.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/reid-assures-snowe-that-public-option-medicare-buy-in-are-dead.php (not the greatest source but it shows that Harry Reid must be removed as Dem Majority Leader, he is spineless)

[msongs]

1. we are cursed with weak or non existant leadership at the highest party levels nt

[havocmom]

2. cursed, or enable?

[TwilightGardener]

3. Once Lieberman ditched, Snowe wasn't going to run to his left.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. Why not? It's not like the people of Maine aren't hurting.

I think I read they had the #2 ranking for per capita use of food stamps. How does she sleep at night?

[TwilightGardener]

5. I don't know, but I'm tired of her pretense at being reasonable and flexible--

makes me wonder if she's secretly laughing at Harry Reid and the Dems same as Lieberdick.

[kestrel91316]

6. Looks to me like the only "reform" in this HCR bill is the REQUIREMENT

that everyone buy private insurance (which they would already have if they could afford it).

Sigh.

[ellie]

7. Fuck her, too.

[niceypoo]

8. Healthcare reform has now been whittled down to a toothpick

Way to go Harry

[SuperTrouper]

9. Harry is in deep trouble in Nevada. Even Ensign has better poll numbers. nt