Sen. Bernie Sanders: ‘As Of This Point’ I’m NOT VOTING FOR THIS BILL

[Segami]

In the tug-of-war to gain the 60 votes needed to pass health care reform, it appeared Wednesday night that the Democratic leadership's concessions to Sen. Joe Lieberman may have cost the health reform bill a crucial supporter.


Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told Fox Business Network on Wednesday that "as of this point" he cannot vote for the Senate health care bill -- but the senator hedged his bets, saying "we'll see" what happens.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid removed a Medicare buy-in option from the health bill on Monday, following Lieberman's announcement that he would join a Republican filibuster of the bill if it included the Medicare expansion. Lieberman's vote was seen as crucial to getting the 60 votes needed to overcome filibuster.


But Sanders' comments Wednesday indicated that the Democratic caucus may have gained the support of one of its most conservative members at the price of one of its most liberal. (Sanders, a longtime favorite politician in Vermont, is a self-described "democratic socialist.")


"As of this point, I'm not voting for this bill," Sanders told Fox's Neil Cavuto. "I’m going to do my best to make this bill a better bill, a bill that I can vote for, but I’ve indicated both to the White House and the Democratic leadership that my vote is not secure at this point. And here is the reason. When the public option was withdrawn, because of Lieberman’s action, what I worried about is, how do you control escalating health care costs? How do you give competition to the private insurance companies who are raising rates outrageously every year?"


"So they gain Joe Lieberman and lose you," Cavuto said. "That sounds like a loss to me."

Perhaps realizing he may have walked into a conservative talking point, Sanders responded: "Well, we'll see what happens."


The following was broadcast on the Fox Business Network December 16, 2009, and uploaded to the Web by ThinkProgress.


video:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkuSzhNKvHw>

<http://rawstory.com/2009/12/sanders-not-voting-bill/>

[LastNaturalist]

1. Who cares. Lieberman, Snowe and Collins will now.

Some reform is better than no reform.

[mitchtv]

3. not if there is a mandate

keep "hoping"

[rhett o rick]

8. I agree and disagree. As the true Democrats bail on this horrible bill the repuks should start

considering voting for it, because it could be worse (for them and their masters).

A bad reform bill is much worse than no bill. The current bill is aimed at mollifying the masses. Fuck the ruling class. Drag out the guillotines.

[WeDidIt]

2. Doesn't mean shit if he votes for cloture. n/t

[seeinfweggos]

4. well, we'll see what happens

so will so many be so quick to call this bill a "sell-out" after bernie sanders votes for the final product?

btw - ther eis no final product.

[dflprincess]

5. If Bernie wasn't married

I would put him on my Future Husbands list. :loveya:

[Dinger]

6. Get In Line Sister

I feel the same as you.:loveya:

[dflprincess]

9. I checked - you're in Wisconsin!

If I let you have Bernie, can I have Russ? He's also on my list!

[Dinger]

10. Yeah, I Suppose We Can Work Something Out

I'm cool with that.:)

[beyurslf]

7. I hope he does vote against this terrible bill.

Reconciliation all the way. Vote it down!

[Bitwit1234]

11. Well if you sit back and look

the so called conservative democrats have gotten what they wanted. No Health Care Bill. They made a mockery out of it so that reasonable senators wouldn't vote for it. The couldn't just not vote, they thought their voters would get mad so they made it so everyone else wouldn't vote for it. And until we show them WE ARE IN CHARGE they will continue to do what they damn well please and tell us to get lost.

[Segami]

12. I'm beginning to wonder if the current eleventh hour Senate health care quagmire

has been cleverly orchestrated with the WH actively quarterbacking this watered down final version from the get-go?