58 Senate votes for public option cloture

Appearing this evening on The Rachel Maddow Show, Chris Hedges of The Nation told Maddow that the Senate whip count suggests that there are now 58 votes in support of a cloture vote that would open the door to Sen. Tom Carper’s opt-out public option – short of the 60 to force cloture but more than enough to pass a bill including the measure.

While not all of the 58 who have agreed to block a filibuster have expressed support for the opt-out plan, the whip count puts those in support at a minimum of 52, enough to pass such a measure.

Open Left is reporting that the two open votes necessary to shut the door on a filibuster appear to be Senator Evan Bayh and Sen. Mary Landrieu.

It is now up to the White House to close the deal with the two open votes. While Bayh and Landrieu may, ultimately, vote against the public option, it is hard to believe that they will stand against the President and vote to filibuster their own party.

If you are a supporter of the public option in some form, and you live in Indiana or Louisiana, now would be the time to get in touch with your senator. The best way to do that is with telephone calls and mailed letters (emails don’t seem to count when it comes to impressing Senators.)