Reply #13: Wait for the joint committee bill

[gratuitous]

By rule, that goes to an up-or-down vote, no amendments allowed.

No sense taking out the filibuster, which is actually a pretty useful tool under certain circumstances. Democrats should be pushing the "up-or-down vote" meme, and particularly pointing out the number of popular votes that stand behind their position. For example, when the Senate Finance Committee voted down a public option in its final bill, the number of popular votes that backed the 13 Senators voting against the public option was fewer than the number of votes backing the 8 Senators who voted for it. That is, the minority actually represented more voters, and more accurately represented the mood of the country, which backs a public option by a substantial majority, far more than the number of people who ever backed the invasion of Iraq.