A reporter tried to pin Reid down by asking whether negotiations were moving towards, or against, the inclusion of the public plan.....Good? I guess that's a positive.....or a negative.....or....what? Leaning towards talking about a public option? A debate over over whether to have a debate?
“The negotiations are leaning about a public option,” Reid said.
Asked for clarification by puzzled reporters, Reid added: “We’re leaning towards talking about a public option.”
Sen. Tom Harkin is saying there's 52 solid votes for a public option in the Senate. But because everything is filibustered now that means to add a public option into the bill on the floor, the public option has to have 60 votes for it or against it to get it in or out. Which it doesn't in either case. So in other words: the public option has to be in there before it gets to the floor or else it isn't ever going to get in. So...I guess it's good that they're at least working up the guts to have a talk about possibly considering a debate about the run up to having an opinion about possibly putting a public option in. Maybe.
I guess that's as positive a statement as you can get about Democratic leadership these days: they at least haven't ruled out the best option for actual reform and coverage that vast majorities of the American people, their own party, and their own elected members support. Let's lean towards talking about not hitting them with sticks.
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