Harry Reid Plays 11 Dimensional Chess

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 11:58:42 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

After NYTimes story reported that anonymous Senate aides said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was going to kill the public option when he merged the BaucusCare bill with the Senate HELP bill, Reid's office pushed back, via Greg Sargent:

A spokesman for Harry Reid is aggressively shooting down this morning’s Times report that Reid has decided not to include a public option in the bill that will ultimately be voted on by the full Senate. The Times quoted senior Senate aides — though not necessarily from Reid’s office — claiming that the health care bill he creates by merging the bills created by two key committees won’t ultimately have a public option in it.

But Reid spokesman Rodell Mollineau strongly disputed the story, saying there had been no decision and indeed that the process wouldn’t permit for a decision to have been made already. “It would be wildly speculative of me to say that has been predetermined,” Mollineau told me in an interview.

Is it ok to have doubts about Reid on this? Or should we be applauding Reid's "formlessness?"

Speaking for me only

< Jim Cooper And His Local Bloggers | Monday Morning Open Thread >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Harry Reid Plays 11 Dimensional Chess | 18 comments (18 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Somehow, the thought of (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by Anne on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:04:50 PM EST

the final health care bill being a Harry Reid Creation is not filling me with a lot of confidence.

I am resisting working myself up into a Serena Williams-style harangue at the referee - Reid - deciding what's in and what's out, but I'm not sure how successful I will be for much longer.

I don't get it.... (5.00 / 3) (#6)
by Stellaaa on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:33:21 PM EST

They rant on no public option yet the Baucus bill has a bunch of public option holding places.

Pre-existing conditions: The public covers this till 2013. If we do not need a public option, should they not pick this up from the get go?
Expanded Medicaid to people at 133% of median, states will have to pick up a portion.
2013 expand CHIP to familiies at 250% of FPL.
Excise tax not implemented till 2013, till then, we the people pick up that tab, (this is where they see the lion share of money coming in).
High risk pool, will exist till 2013, until "the new insurance markets do their thing".

So, we have in effect once again come up with a "private sector" solution that privatizes all profit and socializes all risk. Go figure, the bits that will make the public option workable get carved out from the get go to the private sector.

Excuse me while I spit.

I doubt Reid is capable of even (5.00 / 2) (#7)
by SOS on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:36:23 PM EST

thinking one dimensional let alone 11th dimension conceptualization theory.

Guess it will remain unclear for the (5.00 / 2) (#20)
by inclusiveheart on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 02:34:35 PM EST

time being whether or not Harry Reid got the memo about Democratic political suicide coming from omitting the public option from this so-called reform initiative. Maybe we'll find out that he got it, but didn't understand it. He'll be the Bob McNamara of our era coming out in 15 to 20 years apologizing for not understanding that he was engaging in total and utter destruction of both the country and the party. "Oops, sorry," he will say. Rolling eyes.

Re: (none / 0) (#3)
by az on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:09:49 PM EST

The public option has suffered a miscarriage in the finance committee and the still birth would be delivered in the full senate if it ever gets there in the form of a amendment....

End of story...

Senator Reid is nothing, if not formless. (none / 0) (#4)
by KeysDan on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:18:47 PM EST

We just need to recall his comment that the brilliant Associate Justice Scalia should not be overlooked as a replacement for Chief Justice Rehnquist, only to quickly backtrack when thinking Democrats did not exactly warm to his good idea. Indeed, Senator Reid is formless, if anything.

This public discussion (none / 0) (#5)
by andgarden on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:24:18 PM EST

is all part of the process of deciding what will be in the bill. The battle, it seems to me, is between smart people who understand that a bill passed with fewer votes but a public option is good politics, and shortsighted idiots who think that it's better to kowtow to President Snowe and look "moderate."

There are both kinds influencing the leadership.

Harry is from Nevada. (none / 0) (#8)
by oldpro on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:46:37 PM EST

He didn't get where he is by not knowing how to bluff. And I doubt he's in the habit of showing his cards while the hand is still being played.

I remember all the memes on the (5.00 / 4) (#12)
by MO Blue on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:19:57 PM EST

blogosphere on every Reid confrontation with the Republicans.

Harry Reid has something up his sleeve.

Yes, he did. But unfortunately, the only thing he had in his sleeve was his arm.


I don;t remember that (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:24:06 PM EST

I remember Reid getting flayed constantly.


That theme was prevalent on DKos (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by MO Blue on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:51:07 PM EST

especially during the votes on Iraq funding after the Dems obtained the majority. Reid and Pelosi would come out with tough statements before votes. Especially in the early rounds there were those who who claimed constantly that "Give 'um Hell Harry had something up his sleeve that would save the day. That theme was kind of the precursor of 11 dimensional chess (as a positive) and the newest "formlessness." A mantra of those who needed to believe regardless of what was actually going on a the time.

Of course, there were those who flayed Reid constantly also.


I think that's exactly what MO Blue meant (none / 0) (#14)
by andgarden on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:27:53 PM EST

: Well (none / 0) (#15)
by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:33:31 PM EST

I meant by the blogs.

Triggers is the in thing for the Dems (none / 0) (#9)
by MO Blue on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 12:52:06 PM EST

Dem leadership past and present selling the trigger this weekend.

Harry Reid: Public option trigger 'pretty doggone good idea' link

Bill Clinton weights in:
Now, the one Republican who's come up with a good idea is Senator Snowe. She deserves a lot of credit for saying when we did this Medicare prescription drug bill, instead of giving the government the power to negotiate for lower prices we gave the drug companies a chance to offer them, but we held the power in reserve. And if there was any state in America where there was no competition, you could do it. So let's do that for health care. That's a good idea. That's, that's the kind of debate the country needs, and I hope that the Republicans will come forward with it. link

From all indications, the insurance industry has bought itself at least 30 million more customers without any restrictions on pricing. What a deal.

MO (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by jbindc on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:11:33 PM EST

We should start our own insurance company. I feel a cash cow comin' down the path and soon...


Need to hedge our health care costs (5.00 / 3) (#11)
by MO Blue on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:16:12 PM EST

Buying insurance stocks now may be the only way to afford health care anytime in the future(2 - 5 years). :-)


That would be fine if anyone could, (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by inclusiveheart on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 01:35:56 PM EST

but that's the insult to the injury - we can't and they've set it up that way. It is really disgusting.


: Health Savings Accounts, "nudged"... (none / 0) (#18)
by lambert on Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 02:02:43 PM EST

... to have health insurance company stock in them instead of cash!
It's a surefire political winner!