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Harkin says he has the votes to pass public option bill in the Senate

By Michael O'Brien - 09/29/09 10:04 AM ET

The Senate has the votes to pass a healthcare reform bill including a public option, a key Senate chairman said Tuesday.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said that the Senate "comfortably" has a majority of votes to pass the public plan, and that he believes Democrats can muster 60 votes to break a filibuster.

"I have polled senators, and the vast majority of Democrats — maybe approaching 50 — support a public option," Harkin said told the liberal "Bill Press Radio Show." "So why shouldn't we have a public option? We have the votes.

"I believe we'll have the 60 votes, now that we have the new senator from Massachusetts, to at least get it on the Senate floor," Harkin later added. "But once we cross that hurdle, we only need 51 votes for the public option. And I believe there are, comfortably, 51 votes for a public option."

The Iowa lawmaker's statements mark a bold claim that Democrats have the votes to pass a health bill in the Senate including the prized public (or "government-run") plan after signs for weeks now that centrist Democrats and virtually all Republicans would not support a bill including the provision.

Citing the three House committees' and his own Senate committee's bills including the public plan, Harkin asserted that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) should include the public plan when merging the HELP bill and the Senate Finance Committee's proposal — which doesn't include the public option — for debate on the floor.

"I would hope — assume — that in the bill we send to the floor, it will have a public option," Harkin said. "Then let the minority offer amendments to take it out, and we'll see where the votes are."

"Bring it out there, let's vote on it," he added.

That maneuver could become moot, however, if the Finance Committee passes an amendment from Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) to Chairman Max Baucus's (D-Mont.) bill that would include the public plan.

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/60683-harkin-says-he-has-the-votes-to-pass-public-option-bill
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Comments (144)

The American people do not want the public option and they don't trust Congress or the President with our health care. How many times do we have to tell you this? If this idiocy passes, Democrats will be thrown bodily out of Congress.by enraged taxpayers.BY Brian on 09/29/2009 at 11:49
The Obama con continues. The constant lying.The staggering arrogance.The dangerous narcissism.The astounding incompetence. The Obama Buffoon wants to put as much of the private economy under government control as possible to create his nanny state utopia where he is the boy king. Let's continue to stand strong against Obama in every way and get Congress out of the hands of the insane Pelosi and Reid in 2010. Obama is a smug, smirking, power hungry con man. Nothing more.BY Derrick on 09/29/2009 at 11:51
If the sorry democraps vote for Healthcare…VOTE THEM OUT IN 2010…BY john grimes on 09/29/2009 at 11:57
Is this the same Tom Harkin that lied about flying combat missions in Vietnam?BY robtr on 09/29/2009 at 11:58
These arrogant, pompous, self-absorbed clowns just won't learn until they get put out of a job by the American people!!! We're coming after every last one of those SOB's jobs that vote for this boondoggle…BY Delaware Vol on 09/29/2009 at 11:59
Go ahead you idiots, pass this Bill that the majority of the people DO NOT WANT. We are ready to go to the polls and throw you out of office. We have the numbers and we don't need a "nuclear option", you are providing that. We are fed up with you.BY suzyk on 09/29/2009 at 12:03
"So why shouldn't we have a public option? We have the votes."Every poll has shown that the majority of American people do not want this "reform". Every study confirmed its astronomical cost and unsustainabilit y. Real life examples in Europe confirm the same. Furthermore there are questions about constitutionali ty of the "reform". So why should we have one Senator Harkin? The question perhaps should be paraphrased to "Why should we have Senators that will vote against what people really need and want? Senators are servants of the people not the other way around."So go ahead, try it. We'll vote every single one of you out and then roll it back anyway. It will be nice for you to know that you committed political suicide for nothing. We don't need political prostitutes.BY JohnDoe on 09/29/2009 at 12:03
The majority of Americans WANT a public option. This needs to happen because it is right for America and it is what the majority of Americans want.BY Al on 09/29/2009 at 12:03
The arrogance of these axxholes is incredible. The entire bunch of so called Congress should be thrown out on their collective ears. I along with most of the other enraged Americans demand that this ourageous healthcare bill be nuked.BY Tim on 09/29/2009 at 12:06
Brian: in your comment, replace "The American people" with "I". Otherwise you are directly contradicting the polls, including the one from the Kaiser Foundation that came out today. When the public option passes, the GOP will be in the wilderness for the forseeable future.BY Steve on 09/29/2009 at 12:06

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