Reid Passes The Buck On the Public Option

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 04:59:29 PM EST
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Not very effectively though:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scoffed at the suggestion--articulated last night by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--that the public option is simply in his hands. "He would rather say anything so it wasn't up to him," Reid said, before departing for a meeting with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Chris Dodd (D-CT). The four will hold the first meeting about how to shape a health care bill that will soon be introduced on the Senate floor.

(Emphasis supplied.) When the Senate Majority Leader is stepping into a meeting with the WH COS and the representatives of the relevant committees, it is damned hard to pass the buck to a guy not even in the meeting.

Memo to Reid - if he wants to pass the buck, he'll need to pass it up - to the President.

Speaking for me only

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Reid Passes The Buck On the Public Option | 29 comments (29 topical)

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I liked bucj better (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Militarytracy on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:03:29 PM EST

I thought it was new Don Draper word for caca.

Wow (5.00 / 4) (#2)
by andgarden on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:04:59 PM EST

If I read that correctly, Reid is pissed at Schumer. Stooopid for him to say so in public.

Reid sees Chuck is angling for his job (none / 0) (#4)
by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:05:48 PM EST

: Is that what this is (5.00 / 5) (#6)
by Militarytracy on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:07:41 PM EST

I read this earlier today. Thing for me is, Schumer has been doing the job that Reid won't do.

: Reid is going down in 2010 (5.00 / 3) (#7)
by andgarden on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:07:46 PM EST

More likely than not.

Schumer should just start pretending that Reid (5.00 / 8) (#3)
by tigercourse on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:05:24 PM EST

handed him the job of Majority leader. Given Reid's lack of fortitude, he might not even challenge the claim.

: Heh (5.00 / 3) (#5)
by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:06:33 PM EST

Just show up for the meetings.
Pull out Reid's quote and say "here I am."

: Well, Reid does not understand the concepts (5.00 / 1) (#26)
by ruffian on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 07:54:55 PM EST

of either 'majority' or 'leader'. Not sure what job he thought he was getting.

Well if Reid sucks (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by lilburro on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:09:04 PM EST

and Baucus sucks, then I guess the only person willing to show any leadership will be Dodd and Rahmbo. I thought Harkin was supposed to attend too actually. Anyway seems like Dodd has a chance to step up and make some racket, if Harry is going to be so sensitive.

: Dodd primed to be a health care hero (none / 0) (#14)
by magster on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:09:32 PM EST

and salvage his reelection in 2010.
Reid, not so much apparently.

Passing whatever. (5.00 / 2) (#9)
by lentinel on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:31:28 PM EST

If Reid passes the buck up to the president, he will find that the president will pass it right back down to him.

Two scared rabbits.

Public option is hot potato (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Coral on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:49:52 PM EST

The White House certainly doesn't seem as if they are eager to hold onto it.

Ha. The mental picture of that (5.00 / 4) (#12)
by Cream City on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:53:34 PM EST

in my mind is funny. As a matter of fact, you may just have predicted this week's SNL skit.


: I want to see that (5.00 / 2) (#17)
by Militarytracy on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:23:41 PM EST

It would be good. And then Dkos must be blocked from my puter for two days so that I will not read any of the whiny protest diaries. But BTD would just link to Booman.

Hot Potato? Maybe not. (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by KeysDan on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:26:55 PM EST

I see a mashed potato in our future--News flash. Public Option included in bill! Yippee, we won. (Please read no further, not advisable for those under 18). After tough bipartisan negotiations,the historic health care reform act now includes a public option that will enable states to opt in to a "public-oriented" option to be triggered should the private insurers not live up to their end of the bargain to assure affordable coverage. An assessment of whether or not insurers have done their share will be made on the basis of an evaluative report by the insurers to be submitted to Congress not later than Jan l, 2020. Now, let's all go put on our favorite pajamas and relax. ;)


Hmmmm.... (5.00 / 1) (#25)
by Carolyn in Baltimore on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 07:49:33 PM EST

Opt out AND trigger AND not start til 2020. Change I can believe in. Insurance companies might support this version of public option.

Medicare +5, open for all, with Medicare starting at 50, in 2010 is my preference if we're making it all up.


Is this true? (none / 0) (#19)
by Militarytracy on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:29:11 PM EST

This doesn't sound like you made this up. Where did you get this?


Honest. just being snarky. (none / 0) (#20)
by KeysDan on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:43:18 PM EST

I've been googling my fool head off (none / 0) (#21)
by Militarytracy on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:47:16 PM EST

which can be stimulating I suppose. But it sounds very much like the Snowe job.


: Sorry, just a little frustrated (5.00 / 3) (#24)
by KeysDan on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 07:43:30 PM EST

about all this back and forth,so much so that it is getting hard to get a good night's sleep on Mom's basement cot.

Reid (5.00 / 5) (#15)
by magster on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:14:01 PM EST

Rockefeller joined Schumer's placement of responsibility on Reid. Reid is feeling the heat of his own weak tea.

Buck Amnesia on spending '08 political capital (5.00 / 4) (#16)
by Ellie on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:19:39 PM EST

Don't know why Reid doesn't get it. It's not Obama who'll be vulnerable in '10.

Even when there was no strategic purpose to it, TeamO blew more on gratuitous, self-congratulating vanity events than on protecting Dems. (Remember 'We don't need THEM [donors/supporters] here, just tell them to send their checks'? [/Obama]) I really like the pix too but too much eye candy tends to rot the brain.

Isn't it time Obama powered away from campaign mode and put himself on the line for meaningful progress? Desperate times call for more than a series of machine-style arm twisting on one's own side from Rahm behind adorable photo ops slapped onto maintaining the regressive status quo.

Why anyone (cf various Cheetohs and like-flava'd ones) would be "betting" on, never mind being "all in" for, Obama now, right or wrong, is mystifying. For showing the courage of these presumed convictions, he'd have to have shown the guts to state them explicitly first. If he can't even do that now, with bicameral majorities and strong public support leading the way, I wouldn't bet on it or count on it.

*cf his biggest, most undiscerning blogfans. Like Bill Maher said about that, "He's your President, not your boyfriend." (New Rules, June 19, 2009)

TMI: Just to stay healthy fiscally and physically, and allow respective vulnerable family members -- the very young and very old -- to have us as a flimsy safety net, Husb and I work across nat'l borders and spend ~4-6 mos. apart. We shouldn't represent "the lucky ones". It's just wrong.

Reid spurns single payer (5.00 / 1) (#22)
by bsol007 on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 07:29:01 PM EST

Kudos to militarytracy for "Snowe Job"!

Passing the buck? (5.00 / 2) (#23)
by Anne on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 07:35:07 PM EST

I pictured it more like Reid reacting to the buck as if it were a scary mouse, Reid leaping onto a table, standing on tippy-toe, screaming in fear, as the buck looks for somewhere to land...with so much courage in evidence in the Senate, it might be looking for a very long time.

That quote sounds so . . . (5.00 / 1) (#27)
by nycstray on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 08:28:59 PM EST

immature.

What we definitely won't see (5.00 / 2) (#29)
by HenryFTP on Thu Oct 15, 2009 at 06:22:40 AM EST

is anything like this coming from either Reid or the President when dealing with difficult members of the caucus:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Lyndon_Johnson_and_Richard_Russell.jpg

When you consider how far less formidable the current recalcitrants are when compared to Richard Russell, it either makes you want to laugh, or wonder whether we've just been stitched up from the get-go. But you can be sure we didn't get the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Medicare because Senators in those days were ever so much more "reasonable".

With he'd pass legislation (none / 0) (#10)
by Salo on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 05:41:49 PM EST

wouldn't you?

Dodd (none / 0) (#13)
by lilburro on Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 06:04:30 PM EST

seems to be taking the White House line at the moment (Politico)

Dodd said that he wouldn't discuss what was said in the meeting, but he did illuminate the central tension between the Finance and Health Committee bills.
"This is a health care reform bill. Our priority is ... access, affordability, to reduce cost and increase quality. Those are our goals. We want to also make this fiscally responsible. We'd like to get bipartisan support for it, but all those are secondary issues in my view to the issue of good health care reform."

This is pretty much verbatim what the President outlined in the summer. He may just be starting this process by trying to look conciliatory. I guess we'll find out.

Reid finally wins some bipartisan support. (none / 0) (#28)
by s5 on Thu Oct 15, 2009 at 02:39:19 AM EST

Both parties want him replaced as majority leader.