Obviously, like many Kossacks, I have been following the health care fight for some time. Over the last 24 hours, it 'seems' that Americans have lost a major battle, but I am not sure. I want some questions answered, and I hope you all can do it.
Obviously Kent Conrad is on a steering committee, he is a focal point and also attempting to kill the public option. But he can't be the only one, and his committee is not the only involved in this process. So I want to know the following:
- Is it really the case that this one can prevent this from happening if we don't have his vote?
- When Conrad says that the Senate "doesn't have the votes", who and how many of these senators will vote no? Do we know this for sure?
- It seems that there was a lot of wheel spinning during the break, and progressives expended a lot of energy during this time, and are now exhausted. This obviously works in the favor of the profiteers. What is the truth? Is it all talk or is it real that the public is sinking?
- Do we know if any reps in either house has flipped his/her vote to NO after claiming otherwise?
- Does anyone even know what point the bill is at? Has it even made it out of all the subcommittees?
- Does the bill even begin to cover dental/mental health?
Anyway, I think these kinds of questions are helpful in understanding where this whole process is. Could you post a reply diary? It would be much appreciated.