Lieberman reaches ‘private understanding’ with Reid
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Joe Lieberman has been telling anyone who will listen that he was previously planning to vote against cloture on any bill with a public option. The garrulous Senator seems to have now changed his tune.
Sources say Lieberman has reached a “private understanding” with Majority Leader Harry Reid that “he will not block a final vote on healthcare reform.”
Erm, okay. What the hell is a “private understanding,” and was there another way to phrase this to make it seem more like a triumph of compromise and pragmatism, and less like some shady backroom deal that will ultimately fuck the American people?
We’ll have to see what this compromise looks like. Hopefully, Reid calmly explained to Lieberman just how angry the torch-wielding mob that shall hunt him across the land will be after Joe becomes the poster boy of healthcare reform failure. Maybe Joe rolled over on his own after that.
Or — maybe Lieberman said what he’s always said, which is doing nothing on healthcare is better than a public option. Sources seem to think it’s the latter.
Lieberman keeps assuring Reid that he’s OK. But he’s one of those characters — you never know with Joe.
Maybe he’s talking tough to get the public option watered down or he’s trying to get some stuff for himself on other topics or on other sections of the legislation. He’s basically trying to be a senator.
Yes, that one. The “backstabbing political calculation one that ultimately dicks the American people” option. That one has little “Joey Lieberman” written all over it.
And considering the public option is already so watered down that the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will only cover 6 million people, I shudder to think what Lieberman’s idea of watering it down further looks like.
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It’s “shudder” not “shutter.”
Fixed!
In response to another comment. See in context »Interestngly enough, I just reached a private understanding with Senator Reid that if I ever encounter Joe Lieberman, I get to punch him in the stomach.
Joe Lieberman is acting as if he is one of Africa president-for-life, corrupt absolute, corrupt absolutely. You never know which bribe is heavier in his pockets, the left or the right.
To be fair, saying that the public option will “only cover 6 million people” just means that right now, the segment of the populace economically unfortuante enough to quality is less than 2%.
With weak legislation and even weaker enforcement of controls on corporate power in every other sector of the society as well, those millions will soon grow.
(I wanted to put a snappy, ironic punchline here but, at this point, my humor bars just dropped to zero in this dark tunnel we’re entering.)
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