PAYOLA….REID PASSING OUT GOODIES TO GET HEALTHCARE VOTES
OPINION: JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL
Harry Reid is passing out goodies in hopes of garnering the 60 votes he needs.
By JOHN FUND
Maneuvering on health care in the Senate may come down to who wants it more — and Republicans are drawing a line at some of the more aggressive dilatory parliamentary tactics open to them.
On the Democratic side, Majority Leader Harry Reid is passing out goodies in hopes of garnering the 60 votes he needs for a motion to proceed to debate on the bill. Yesterday, Mr. Reid announced he’ll hold that vote on Saturday at 8 pm after a day-long debate. Whether he has the 60 votes is uncertain at the moment, but you can bet he will open the taxpayer spigots to secure those he needs.
Take Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. She’s now likely to vote with Mr. Reid on Saturday after an amendment was inserted to increase her state’s federal Medicaid subsidies by $100 million. The amendment devotes two pages to language making certain that only Louisiana would be entitled to the extra cash.
On the Republican side, Mr. Reid must be relieved the GOP has apparently decided not to force a reading of the entire 2,074-page bill over the weekend. Instead, Republicans will settle for a full day of debate before the Saturday night vote.
Republicans had the option of staying on the floor and having Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and others read the bill, a process that would take at least two days. They opted for a less strenuous path that will allow them to spend plenty of time at home during the Thanksgiving holiday. “Republican members oppose the bill, but they don’t appear willing to stay up nights arguing against it,” one former Hill staffer told me.
Mr. Reid still has to be nervous as he corrals his 60 votes. He has no margin for error, since he needs all 58 Democrats plus the two independents who caucus with the party to bring his health care bill to the floor. He has to worry particularly about Senator Robert Byrd, who turns 92 today, and has missed more than 130 roll call votes this year due to illness. The old adage that every vote counts actually applies here as the Senate sets about the task of reordering one-sixth of the nation’s economy.
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