Will Snowe fall again? Updated: Yes; 2:54pm Eastern Senate Finance Cmte vote is 14-9
Scroll down for updates…10:45am – Snowe wanted reassurance from CBO and Baucus that scoring “integrity” will be preserved as conceptual language becomes legislative language…1:04pm Eastern…Snowe will vote YES on government health care takeover…2:54pm Eastern Senate Finance Cmte vote is 14-9
Sen. Olympia Snowe was one of the three members of the Senate GOP Turncoat Caucus who voted for the trillion-dollar Generational Theft Act.
This morning, the Senate Finance Committee votes on the tax-and-spend government health care takeover and “all eyes are on Snowe.” The Dems have a 13-10 majority, so passage is a fait accompli. The Beltway Obamacare-pushers are just waiting to find out if they can claim “bipartisanship.”
Via NYT:
The committee, which plans to convene at 10 a.m., will let senators quiz the director of the Congressional Budget Office, Douglas W. Elmendorf, and the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, Thomas A. Barthold, on their cost analysis of the bill.
That Q-and-A session may be wonky, but senators will try to elicit answers to help build their case, for or against the legislation, with the American public.
The economics of the bill have become even more contentious in the last 36 hours, after the insurance industry released an analysis on Sunday evening concluding that the legislation would raise many people’s insurance premiums more in coming years than they would rise if Congress did nothing at all. Democrats have angrily disputed that report, and an analysis by an M.I.T. health economist has called it deeply flawed.
For many observers, the big question about Tuesday’s vote is which way Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, will finally lean.
Ms. Snowe, the only Republican who has expressed willingness to support the bill, has not yet offered any clues on whether she will vote for or against. Even Washington’s most seasoned political bookmakers are not venturing a guess.
The broad gauge of G.O.P. thinking, though, will probably be the committee’s top Republican, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, whose comments could provide insight into some of his party’s most serious reservations about the bill. And any remarks by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the voice of the Republican leadership on the committee, could provide a preview of the floor fight that lies ahead.
Seems to me she’s better off voting no now. Doing so lets her vote yes later if she can secure sufficient changes to make the bill to her liking. She also gets loyalty credit from her Republican colleagues.
If, however, she votes yes now, she angers the Republicans and makes the Democrats happy, but it makes it almost impossible for her to jump ship and vote no on the floor later. The Republicans would still be mad about the Committee vote, and the Dems and their allies wouldn’t forgive the switch.
And The Hill:
Snowe represents the biggest wildcard for the GOP at Tuesday’s Finance vote. If she supports the bill, Democrats can claim a bipartisan product heading into the floor debate.
Her vote would diminish the threat of two Democrats who have strongly criticized Baucus’s legislation and whose votes are by no means guaranteed.
A spokesman for Snowe did not respond to a request for comment for this article.Snowe’s policy concerns include weighing how the bill, which imposes a heavy tax on high-cost insurance plans, would affect her home state, where healthcare coverage ranks among the most expensive in the country.
She also has to determine whether the bill does enough to subsidize the healthcare costs of Americans who would be required under the bill to buy insurance, a concern she has repeatedly raised.
***
Here’s Sen. Snowe’s contact info:
Phone: (202) 224-5344
Toll Free: (800) 432-1599
Fax: (202) 224-1946
***
10:57am Eastern. Senate Finance Cmte grilling CBO’s Doug Elmendorf on scoring. Snowe wants the “integrity” preserved. Baucus says he’ll guarantee “transparency” and “openness.”
Jon Kyl points out that changes made in committee haven’t been incorporated by CBO. Cost estimate is incorrect: “We can’t pass the legislation as it is and know that CBO score reflects the policy we’re voting on.”
Baucus objects and calls the changes “clarifications.” Baucus asks Elmendorf to back him up. Elmendorf declines. “I’m not in a position to judge.”
Did you assume inflation indexing all along? Elmendorf demurs.
The language of the mark does not include indexing. Elmendorf assumed it. It was not in legislation voted on by Committee.
Kyl: Indexing is not a minor matter.
The issues also include defining exemptions from the fines for not complying with individual insurance mandate.
Sen. Kerry interrupts for a demagogic industry-bashing rant.
1:04pm Eastern. Snowe is going to vote with the Democrats. Surprise.
2:54pm Eastern Senate Finance Cmte vote is 14-9.
Now, in a sign of how bass-ackwards Washington is, they’ll start actually writing up the legislative language to fill out the shell they all just voted for.
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Just so you know, Snowe won her last primary with 98.9% of the vote. And won the general with 74% of the vote, the second largest margin in the history of the Senate.
So, uh, good luck with that.
What issue or issues is Snowe squarely conservative on?
I see her as a big government enabler.
The GOP is diluted and tainted by the poison of these false party affiliations.
Not a penny for the RSCC until she is expelled from the caucus, and if she has a challenger in 2012, I will contribute.
I’d almost contribute to her Democrat opponent in 2012…
Ed: No difference in the result other than there would be someone with a (D) behind their name who voted with the other Donks rather than someone with an (R) behind their name who did the same thing.
Does Madame Snowe even need to be a member of the Republican Party? We are already in the minority, unable to sustain a filibuster, so why do we need her at all?
I wish for once the GOP leadership would show some guts and DISCIPLINE a member severely. This would be a great time, and would cost the GOP very little.
Chaps has a point- Maine is one of the Northeastern states that generally doesn’t elect real Republicans.
I can’t complain too much about a center-right McCain-ish Republican from the Northeast. A Republican-Lite that votes with the caucus 60 or 70% of the time. Snowe voted conservative 12% in 2008. McCain voted 63% conservative, Kyl voted 96% conservative.
Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu is a better Republican than Snowe. 32%
I sent faxes to the GOP Senate leadership and Cornyn before, how not a penny to the national party.
I guess I’ll try it again.
Hey Thomas! Snowe’s a GOPer! If she runs for the Presidency, should I vote for her? You know, lesser of two evils and all that horse hockey?
How can anybody vote yes on a bill that is not complete. I think it’s time to get rid of all incumbents in the next three elections. That way we will be rid of all of them.
Sen. Olympia (I am curious yellow)Snowe.
Where do we get these fine statesmen?
Look again. 12% voting record. She is so obviously a Democrat mole in the caucus. People complain about McCain, but he at least votes right 60% of the time.
She needs to be expelled from the caucus.
Not to worry, I was just pulling Thomas’s chain.
After spending months on negotiating, it is simply not possible for Snowe to vote against this committees version. No one on that committee would ever talk to her again if she did not.
The next senate version will look nothing like this one.
Meantime, it would seem that the House is dragging their feet. Where is their combined version of this bill? Is it really possible thet Pelosi does not actually have the votes to pass one?
In spite of the super secret plan theories, the delay on the house floor is very telling.
People in Maine should be ashamed of themselves for constantly re-electing Snowe to office… but big surprise that they do. They seem to live with their hands out mooching off the rest of us.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0749607120091013?sp=true
I guess Reuters would consider Benedict Arnold a patriotic American.
Next time I hear Obama say this bill was passed with bipartisanship, can I yell “You Lie!”?
Yes you can. Because when Sanders and Lieberman vote for it as well, it can accurately be called “tripartisan.”
I have a sneaky suspicion that at some point in the near future Olympia Snowe will annouce her defection to the Democrat party.
Why in hell the GOP gives this dolt woman any financial support is beyond defies logic.
vote on Bills that don’t exist.
Sanders is a socialist. The demonrats are socialist. Liebermann is a socialist, who caucuses with the socialists, who lost the socialist party primary.
Socialism being communism, a glass at a time (PJ O’Rourke?)
Wade: Like giving a Nobel Peace Prize for accompliahments that don’t exist.
Nope. Lincoln Chaffee waited until he lost to officially switch, and said he stayed Republican to work as a mole from within, and the GOP was the majority then, and he got to head a sub-committee.
Only chance Snowe defects if the Republicans win back a 51-49 majority in the Senate, then and only then, she’ll switch to make it a Democrat Senate with Sloe Joe as the tie-breaker.
***
The people in blue states like Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts like the style of their representatives. They elect and re-elect them with 70 percent margins.
***
What part of RINO’s don’t you understand?
***
John Bibb
***
“No party” is now a party?
If atheism is a religion, then yes.
It’s all about $. She got promised plenty, I’d bet.
If I wasn’t so ashamed of the caliber of politician my state (MA) produces, I would be pointing a finger at Maine.
Not all of us in Maine are voting with our greedy little hands out for “freebies”.
Sadly, almost half of our population of 1.2 million is receiving some sort of welfare handout.
There are many problems that have led to this disgusting statistic.
Most of which begin and end with the politicians in Augusta. So many people here are uneducated liberals who only get their information from the local news which is all liberal of course.
Augusta passes laws without the approval of the people or after similar referendum have been defeated on the ballot. The laws and red tape and super high worker’s comp make it almost impossible for business to move here or stay here. Tax rates are some of the highest in the country. Every time someone wants to develop anything in the northern part of the state, the liberal activists in the southern part of the state (Portland area) whine about their view being ruined and chase the investors out. Etc, etc, etc.
It’s pretty much a mess.
There is a grassroots group called The Republican Project. They are working to get rid of libs from both parties and get conservatives elected again.
There is also the Maine Heritage Policy Center.
So, stay hopeful everyone. We’re working on it.
Oh, you’re right.
Every year she claims to be successful based on how much money she’s gotten sent here from the fed.
Democrat’s promises are meaningless. Baucus does not have the capacity to follow through on any promises, it is not in their party’s interest to be transparent and open, plus we know the meanings for both of those terms are a nomadic, and subject to parsing.
Snowe gave them the patsy they were searching for…and they sure didn’t have to look too far, did they? How long did it take for them to claim “bi-partisanship?”
Tyranny rules, freedom loses again.
The socialists have decided to end the American way of life, and we have the likes of Snowe and Graham for Republicans?
How does it feel to know all our children will be slaves, another sorry day of government running roughshod over the people!
Make sure to congratulate Snowe for he new title “Fellow Tyrant”!
I haven’t read any of the comments, so apologies if anyone has said this already…..
This entire health care fiasco is a “Snow Job”
I thought the economy was #1 priority, silly me….
Odopey is a fool. and all his sheeple that voted for him can KMA.
Nicely said. You’re back up to your better posting standard.
Obviously a bill honestly scored by the CBO and debated openly on its merits are too much to ask for. Coincidentally, my vote is too much to ask for for anyone who votes yes on this mess.
I won’t abide being lied to by Senators and Representative. I ask you all to take the same stand.
I’m familiar with the honest arguments for and against healthcare reform. I’m OK with not getting what I believe should be included or excluded. I’m not OK with being deliberately lied to by a Congress that is lumping 10 years of so called savings with 7 years of expenses.
That is the very definition of a lie, a deliberate attempt to deceive.
If you’re interested:
The web site for The Republican Project is: http://www.republicanproject.org
They are working very hard to get RINOs out of office and to put real conservatives in office.
The Maine Heritage Policy Center web site is: http://www.mainepolicy.org
I was a resident of Maine for three years and have many good memories of the lovely state. My sons and I spent many a starry night around the campfire after a day of glorious hunting, fishing, and trail blazing. I cannot imagine how these folks elected such a dimwit to represent them.