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A new Whip count of potential Democratic senate votes on the public option is revealing both overwhelming support and a degree of political ineptitude by Barack Obama some might have thought impossible.
In displaying what some might call cowardice in the face of Republican attacks on him, Obama has both supported the public option and floated the idea of dropping it at the same time.
The whip count in the senate shows there are 46 "yes" votes, 13 "maybe's" and zero "no" votes (the count, Senator by Senator is below).
Why Obama would even consider dropping the public option when it has so much Democratic support can only be attributed to either a political tin ear or something substantially missing from what it takes to be a president, including incredible miscalculation and a lack of conviction.
It's hard to understand what Obama is thinking with his multiple flip flops on the public option. Or, more to the point, is he even thinking at all?
Either Obama and congress simply aren't talking ( as clearly they weren't when the senate voted against his proposal to close Gitmo 90-6 because he didn't have a plan on where the inmates would go) or Obama has a political tin ear, or is just generally incompetent because support for the public option among Democrats in congress is overwhelming. And he doesn't seem to get it.
The House leadership has already made it clear they consider the public option the centerpiece of health care reform and there will be no bill coming out of the House without it. The problem was believed to be in the Senate.
But a Whip count of Senate Democrats has revealed there is not now, one single "no" vote against the public option. The vote count is 46 "yes" , 13 "maybe's" with Kennedy's seat still up in the air. The only "no" comes from Lieberman who caucuses with the Democrats as an independent.
This is the breakdown as reported by Open Left.(www.openleft.com)
Potential Supporters
Yes: 44
Won't Vote Against: 1
Maybe: 14
No: 2
Vacancies: 1
| STATE/SENATOR | Public Option? | Available Day One? | Nationally Available? | Can Bargain for Rates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK - Begich (D) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) | Maybe (via email) |
| AR - Lincoln (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| AR - Pryor (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA - Boxer (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| CA - Feinstein (D) | Yes | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | |
| CO - Bennet (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CO - Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) |
| CT- Dodd (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| CT - Lieberman (I) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| DE - Carper (D) | Maybe | |||
| DE - Kaufman (D) | Yes | |||
| FL - Bill Nelson (D) | Maybe (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| HI - Akaka (D) | Yes | |||
| HI - Inouye (D) | Yes | |||
| IA - Harkin (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| IL - Burris (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IL - Durbin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| IN - Bayh (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| LA - Landrieu (D) | Maybe | No | ||
| MA - Kerry (D) | Yes | |||
| MA - Kennedy (D) | Vacant--win one for Ted | |||
| MD - Cardin (D) | Yes | |||
| MD - Mikulski (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ME - Collins (R) | No | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| ME - Snowe (R) | Maybe | |||
| MI - Levin (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MI - Stabenow (D) | Yes | |||
| MN - Franken (D) | Yes | |||
| MN - Klobuchar (D) | Yes | |||
| MO - McCaskill (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| MT - Baucus (D) | Maybe | |||
| MT - Tester (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NC - Hagan (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| ND - Conrad (D) | Maybe | Yes | No | Yes |
| ND - Dorgan (D) | Yes | Maybe | Yes | |
| NE - Ben Nelson (D) | Maybe | |||
| NH - Shaheen (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ - Lautenberg (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NJ - Menendez (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NM - Bingaman (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| NM - Udall (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| NV - Reid (D) | Yes | |||
| NY - Gillibrand (D) | Yes | |||
| NY - Schumer (D) | Yes | |||
| OH - Brown (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) |
| OR - Merkley (D) | Yes | (via email) | Yes (via email) | Yes (via email) |
| OR - Wyden (D) | Maybe | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| PA - Casey (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| PA - Specter (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| RI - Reed (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) |
| RI - Whitehouse (D) | Yes | |||
| SD - Johnson (D) | Yes | Unknown | Yes | |
| VA - Warner (D) | Won't vote against | Dodges (via email) | No | Dodges (via email) |
| VA - Webb (D) | Yes | |||
| VT - Leahy (D) | Yes | |||
| VT - Sanders (I) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | |
| WA - Cantwell (D) | Yes | |||
| WA - Murray (D) | Yes | (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill) | Yes (supporting HELP bill)) |
| WI - Feingold (D) | Yes | |||
| WI - Kohl (D) | Yes | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) | Dodges (via email) |
| WV - Byrd (D) | Maybe (via talk with staff) | |||
| WV - Rockefeller (D) | Yes |
Given these numbers you would think that Obama would be doing all he could including some old fashioned LBJ arm twisting, to work on all those "maybe's'" and get them into the fold. But not Obama. He has demonstrated so far, as many feared, that he is not really up to what being a president is really all about. which is more than being a figure head and taking trips. It's getting things done. Which is something Obama has never done at anytime during 12 years of elected office. If its not making a speech Obama is lost. Another reason Obama is going to be making -- all together now -- another speech -- on health care reform.
The House is adamant about the public option and support among Democratic senators is more than substantial -- it's overwhelming. So why all this dickering around by Obama with Republicans?
Bill Clinton was quoted the other day as advising Obama to forget the Republicans and pass what needs to be passed with only Democratic votes. That Obama needed this advice when this was clear from day one, shows, that, despite Obama's claim during the primaries that he was ready to be president from day one, he isnt.
If I knew making a bi-partisan bill a goal really was a waste of time, why didnt Obama?
The real leadership is coming from congressional Democrats. Obama is becoming more and more marginalized in his own party and is being seen as someone who cant be counted on. Which are two things Obama is trying to fix with his speech.
What it will take is a 180 degree turn by supporting the public option in a non-negotiable way. He may try and make it sound like he was for the public option all along and never wavered.
The public option has substantial support in congress and it wasnt that long ago that a CBS poll showed72% of Americans supported the public option. That was before Republicans started making false statements about it every day and Obama was non-existant in fighting back and debunking them.
People can use the senate list above to make calls to the "maybe's" to influence their votes ( though most members will not take calls from non-constituents) but the tide is in favor of passing the public option,
The same can't be said about Obama who, if he doesnt do something soon and change his direction, when this is all over, may be a president without a party.
Comments
I agree that it doesn't matter what Obama says- as we have seen in the past, his actions do not match his words (FISA, campaign finance reform, Rev. Wright,).
As a health care provider, I am still scratching my head- wondering how this debate morphed from health care reform to health insurance reform.
Without a public option- there is no reform. Period.
If Obama fights the public option after stating in the past that SINGLE PAYER is best, and public option is the MINIMUM, then I will know he is a sellout, just like Baucus.
Thanks God there's some real senators. Go Harkin! Too bad his fellow Iowa senator is a shill and a hack.
These Senators can get it done! You can pass it with 51 votes if you classify it as a budget bill. Republicans used worse tactics to get their things across, it's time for the democrats to grow a pair and get something done!
Without public option, without single payer, it's just MORE OF THE SAME. And requiring people to get PRIVATE insurance or pay a fine is ILLEGAL and HORRIBLE - he will practically be thrown out of office if he signs that bill.
OBAMA WAKE UP! You are losing your support because you are not following through on anything!
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