Mary Landrieu Joins Snowe in Fight for the Trigger

[seafan]

Jon Walker at Firedoglake reports:


November 4, 2009 7:30 am

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has never been a fan of the public option. We now know that she is actively working to kill the public option with help of Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and, of course, the trigger.

“What we have to move forward thinking about is, as the president has said, people keeping what they have if they like it, having more choices, reforming the private market,” Landrieu said. “And if we can achieve that through private-sector reform, that’s wonderful. And if not, then there should be a mechanism that basically, I guess, guarantees it, which would be a well-crafted trigger.”

Given Snowe’s and Landrieu’s extreme opposition to the idea of a real public option, we know a “well-crafted trigger” must mean one that is designed to never be pulled. Snowe’s original trigger amendment was crafted in a way to insure that it was never pulled. This should not be surprising. Snowe has repeatedly stated that she is so strongly against a real public option that she would filibuster the bill she helped write if it included one. She claims her inspiration for the public option trigger is the public plan trigger in Medicare Part D, which, guess what, has never been pulled.

The trigger is not a compromise. It is not the threat of a public option. It is not the possibility of a public option. It is not an eventual public option. It is nothing more than a ruse to pretend that they did not completely kill the public option.

Louisiana Sen. Landrieu out as Palm Beach County, FL Democratic keynoter; locals disliked her stance on health care cloture


by George Bennet
November 3rd, 2009

Democratic Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu is out as keynote speaker for the Palm Beach County Democratic Party’s annual fund-raising dinner next week because party leaders dislike her stance on health care reform, county Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel said today.

Landrieu, a moderate who recently described herself as “extremely concerned about a government-run, taxpayer-funded, national public plan,” has not committed to voting to cut off a likely Republican filibuster and forcing a vote on the legislation.

Democrats need 60 votes to invoke “cloture” and force a vote.

“We just didn’t want to have a keynote speaker who’s not committed to cloture. It would have just been wrong,” said Siegel, who said party higher-ups and rank-and-file members had voiced displeasure with the choice of Landrieu as a keynoter.

Landrieu’s office couldn’t be reached this morning.

The Democrats’ annual dinner — formerly known as the Jefferson-Jackson dinner but this year rebranded as the Truman-Kennedy-Johnson dinner — is Nov. 14 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Asked who will be the keynoter now, Siegel said, “We’re working on that.”

Out, out, damn spot.

[Cleita]

1. How does she call herself a Democrat.

The trigger is useless. It's been tried before and it never "triggers".

[Bitwit1234]

12. Jindayl 's win scared her

she is afraid she will lost her seat. And those type should We might as well have a republican than a democrat who acts and votes like one. At least you know where you stand.

[Zodiak]

14. No she has always voted this way

Her record on big issues for the two years I followed her votes were about 10% for the Democratic party and 90% for Republicans. Only Ben Nelson scored lower.

We can do MUCH better than Landrieu.

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Birds of a feather...

[dgibby]

3. Where is LBJ when you need him?

He knew how to round up these "stray" dogs-just pick them up by their ears and shake 'em until they get the message.

[joeycola]

9. I wonder also!!

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Fuck that false "Democratic" coward.

And fuck EVERY Republican in Maine.

[Individualist]

5. "Landrieu, a moderate..." Moderate and centrist are the labels DLCers hide behind.

[MisterP]

6. can't you just feel the pragmatism and the superior ability to get things done? *sarcasm* nt

[bertman]

7. Louisiana, home of David Vitter, Kathleen Blanco, Ray Nagin, David Duke, Bobby Jindal.

Need I say more.

[Toucano]

8. She is the face of political corruption in the United States today.

I know this poll is old, but it is the best one I could find (in the sense that it asked the right questions).

http://www.aarp.org/research/surveys/care/health/hcrefo...

Perceptions of Health Care Reform among 18+ Louisiana Residents: Challenges and Opportunities

Of 800 age 18+ Louisianans surveyed...

* 66 percent support using some Charity Hospital funds to expand the Medical Homes system’s availability
* 52 percent believe Louisiana health care is currently in a state of crisis or has major problems
* 89 percent consider making health care affordable for all residents extremely or very important
* 83 percent agree that all Louisianans should have access to the same basic health care coverage
* 77 percent agree that employers, individuals and the government should contribute to a system to provide everyone with the same basic health care coverage
* 60 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate for public office supporting creation of a system to make the same basic health care coverage available to all state residents at affordable rates

She is not representing the will of the people.

[jus_the_facts]

10. She hasn't for a long time ...I loathe her as the traitor she is.

[monmouth]

11. Palm Beach Count Dems say NO to LA Sen. Landreiu...

They dis-invited her as speaker at their annual dinner because of her stance on the HRC bill.

[inna]

13. KR+4. Needs another rec.