Senator Lieberman's willingness to go against the caucus and join the Republican filibuster created a legitimate storm of protest and bitter anger. In the malestrom that has followed one of the most reckless and dishonest players in the Health Care Debate has been seen trying to go out the back door.
Let us refresh our memories on Senator Snowe's previous statements on health care reform.
In Maine she tells small business owners that the current system is "completely dysfunctional" and that a government run system maybe the only way out. But she prefers a trigger to give the other changes time to take effect.
All the facts on how bad the system is are agreed upon, all of the changes needed are agreed upon, and the public option may be the only answer but please just have a trigger.
GOP Sen. Snowe Shows Support for Public Health Plan
May 21, 2009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stefan-deeran/gop-sen-snowe-shows-suppo_b_206403.html
Thanks are due to Senator Olympia Snowe for recently professing her support for the creation of a public health care option as part of federal health care reform legislation. I'd like to respectfully disagree, however, with Snowe's suggestion that it might be best for such an option to kick-in several years down the road, and only if for-profit insurance companies fail to bring down costs and expand coverage. A Capitol Hill newspaper reported yesterday that Snowe discussed the idea of a delayed public plan at a private meeting held last week, and Snowe later confirmed that report.
Snowe has previously stated that she believes "We have a totally dysfunctional system now," and that a government-run health care system may be the only way to respond to the health care crisis. A public plan is a key part of President Obama's strategy for health care reform and is a major item of debate right now in the halls of Washington.
This new support is a big step for Senator Snowe and I appreciate her leadership. Skyrocketing health insurance premiums and record insurance company profits, however, have already provided ample evidence for the need for an immediate public option. I hope that Senator Snowe will soon reach this conclusion as well.
After dragging out the whole negotiation process with Senator Baucus she now isn't quite so anxious for change and laments that the President and other Democrats aren't willing to accept a bill that doesn't have a public option.
September 13th 2009
Snowe: Public Option Blocks Consensus
Maine Republican Says Any Reform Bill With Gov't-Backed Insurance Won't Pass Senate
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/13/ftn/main5307155.shtml(CBS) Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said a
public option in the health care bill is "universally opposed by all Republicans in the Senate" and called it "a roadblock to building the kind of consensus that we need to move forward," on "Face the Nation" Sunday.
"herefore, there's no way to pass a plan that includes the public option," she told host Bob Schieffer.
She said that the president "should be more specific" on where he stands on the public option, and called David Axelrod's assertion earlier on the program that he would "not be willing" to accept a proposal without it "unfortunate."
She said flexibility on the public option could lead to compromise in the Senate on other issues, but lamented that the president has made the debate "unpredictable." Snowe was the first to recommend the possibility of the trigger option which would set a deadline for insurance companies to provide affordable coverage, though she admitted, "It's not on the table" in the Senate Finance Committee. "And it won't be."
"We'll be using the co-op as an option at this point, as the means for injecting competition in the process," she said.
The Senator may find herself in a situation where she is the only Republican who votes for the committee's proposal. Schieffer asked whether she would be comfortable being the only one in her party to vote in favor.
Now we have a bill that goes farther than what Senator Snowe originally wanted - not only no public option but no trigger.
And what is Senator Snowe's position on Sunday during the talk shows. She is against the bill because it is being "rushed through".
The only reason that we are doing this in December and not September is that we wasted months listening and believing that there was one good Republican Senator.
It is clear now that there is no difference between Senator Snowe and the worst Republican Senator. She is against any reform for any reason and will join a filibuster to prevent the majority from even voting for it.
The reason is very clear. Its the same reason that McCain is acting like such an ass. All of these people are afraid of Palin/Beck and the prospect of a primary opponent.
Where is the media asking Senator Snowe about her lies and why she could vote for the committee bill but now filibusters a similar bill with no Public Option.
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