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1. senate majority leader...

   Posted by: TANK | Oct 26, 2009 7:22:29 PM

   
   

2. "Whitewhore" indeed... always trying to please everyone.

   Posted by: Smokey | Oct 26, 2009 7:43:12 PM

   
   

3. Snowe's gone.

   She's "deeply dissapointed" and won't vote for "socialized medicine."

   Blah, blah, blah...

   I guess that means the Democrats can now craft the legisation as they see fit and use reconciliation to pass it if necessary. Which is what the House Democrats have been telling Reid to do for months.

   The White House's obsession with Senate "bi-partisanship" notwithstanding, the removal of Grassley, Snowe, Hatch, and other Republican obstructionists from the process is good news.

   Posted by: John | Oct 26, 2009 8:01:59 PM

   
   

4. Amazing how quickly TRILLIONS were found and approved to bailout zombie banks and the financial services sector.

   Posted by: John in Boston | Oct 26, 2009 8:06:09 PM

   
   

5. If there is a popular public option and the "red states" opt out of it then the Republicans could be committing political suicide if the voters in those states realize they have to vote for Democrats to have the option available to them.

   I have to wonder if the Repubs have thought this one out all the way through?

   They seem to be self-destructing at an accelerating rate.
   

   Posted by: jessejames | Oct 26, 2009 8:09:06 PM

   
   

6. Ask all federal employees, including those who disapprove of heathcare reform because it's 'Socialist' to give up their excellent special heathcare and pension plans that allow them to opt out of Social Security.

   Do most Americans know federal employees, congress and senate included, don't pay into S.S./FICA and have their own, superior pension plan and excellent healthcare plan?

   Posted by: John in Boston | Oct 26, 2009 8:11:30 PM

   
   

7. I wonder what about "61% of Americans want a public option" does Congress not understand?

   Posted by: damien | Oct 26, 2009 8:15:12 PM

   
   

8. how does the individual states opt out of the public option? is it a decision of the governor, the legislator, or the voter?

   Posted by: ttt | Oct 26, 2009 8:25:55 PM

   
   

9. HOW the Opt Out portion works is unknown for now. As a matter of fact, Charles Schumer was on Olberman tonight and said that Reid asked members to NOT discuss publicly yet just how it would work. My guess is they are still working on the details.

   I LOVE the idea of it as long as people can vote for it in each state. I am not so sure its great to allow Governors or state legislators to make the call for the people of their states on this one. I can't imagine that people would vote against their self interests even in the "Red" states...

   But then again, I wouldn't imagine that people would vote against same sex marriage either.....uh oh......

   Posted by: princely54 | Oct 26, 2009 8:58:23 PM

   
   

10. @TTT

    The opt-out provision in the Senate legislation proposed by Sen. Reid expires in 2014. In the House version, the opt-out will expire in 2013. The states that don't want to join the government program will have to explicitly reject it through legislation within a 4 to 5 year period. I'm guessing the manner in which such legislation is passed will be determined by the individual state's constitution.

    - In the western states, that will almost certainly mean a referendum.

    - In most eastern states, that means the governor and state legislature decides.

    At this point, the House and Senate versions of health care reform are very close to each other. There's no longer a huge gap in terms of cost because Speaker Pelosi has trimmed most of the Ways and Means Committee's more pricey purchases. It will come in under 900 billion over 10 years. And the other major provisions - including the public option - are all there.

    They're close to accomplishing something that has eluded every Democratic president from Truman to Clinton. And make no mistake about it, Sen. Snowe was going to be a problem. Her departure from the negotiating table is good news for reform. She had demanded that there be no public option and all sorts of provisions that would've protected the HMOs. But Reid appears to have called her bluff.

    Posted by: John | Oct 26, 2009 9:03:12 PM

    
    

11. Ironic Snowe represents a 'poor' rural state (Maine)where many people would benefit and opt for a public plan.

    Posted by: John in Boston | Oct 26, 2009 9:26:11 PM

    
    

12. ROBUST public option is not an opt-out or a trigger. The dems are fooling the people by using public option as a generic term. The rethugs just have nothing. This two party system is sad. This "reform" bill does nothing but make the insurance industry and Big Pharma richer...but that's why Baucus and the White House met with them. This mandate is gonna be good for them. Obama wants bipartisanship because he has no clue whether this "reform" will be good or not. With bipartisanship he'll blame everyone....but himself of course. The man can not take a definitive stand on anything.

    Posted by: NYSmike | Oct 26, 2009 9:43:48 PM

    
    

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