McConnell: Snowe’s Break With GOP No Big Deal Because This Bill Will Never Become Law

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/gop-leadership-snowes-yes-vote-no-big-deal-because-this-bill-will-never-become-law/

McConnell: Snowe’s Break With GOP No Big Deal Because This Bill Will Never Become Law


Senator Olympia Snowe’s surprise announcement today that she’ll vote for the Senate Finance Committee bill is the first decisive legislative break by any Republican from the GOP caucus overall on health care, and as such, it’s a big step towards realizing reform.

But GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell has found the upside in the news: The Finance bill will never become law; and in any case, the real final bill is being worked out by Dems behind closed doors, and it doesn’t constitute “real reform.” McConnell’s office sends over a statement from him:

Senator Snowe called me this morning to let me know that while she continues to have serious, substantive policy reservations with this proposal, she wanted to keep the process moving. I share her concerns about the direction of this bill once it leaves the committee, and her call for transparency before we vote to proceed to any bill on the floor.

The fact is, this proposal will never come before the Senate. But what we do know is that the bill written behind closed doors here in the Capitol will be another 1,000-page, trillion-dollar Washington takeover. We know it will slash a half-trillion dollars from seniors’ Medicare, add new taxes and raise premiums. That’s not reform.

It’s very possible that Snowe’s reasonable, bipartisan posture now will make it easier for her to not support the final bill later. The flipside, though, is that Snowe’s support means there’s no longer any credible way that Republicans can argue that Dems didn’t pursue bipartisan compromise — and it serves as a reminder that the vast majority of Republicans refused to support reform, despite many concessions from Dems.

Those simple facts give reform a big burst of momentum going forward. Getting interesting.