So I've heard a lot of Chicken Littles tonight talk about Reid being spineless again, and how every true progressive is running around in circles panicked over minor details in Harry Reid's billionth statement in support of the public option, and in support of reconciliation to achieve it (something I've rarely heard from our often spineless Senate leader). So I thought I'd point out something else he said today that you might find interesting:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that he was not bound by a controversial deal negotiated between the White House and pharmaceutical companies, telling thousands of Nevada voters on a conference call that "I have not agreed with anybody to do that."
The drug industry told the White House this summer that it would cut future drug costs by $80 billion in exchange for assurances that any health care legislation would prevent the government from negotiating for lower drug prices. As a result of the deal, the industry is bankrolling an ad campaign touting Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
But Democrats in Congress have balked at the agreement.
"I’m a Democrat in the Senate, and I haven’t agreed," Reid told a caller.
What's that? The rotten deal Obama apparently agreed to secretly with insurance companies to limit how much profit they'd lose in a health care reform bill? Harry Reid doesn't seem to think that's part of the deal. He certainly doesn't sound interested in including that in the version that comes to the Senate floor or the one that goes to conference. What else did he say?
Reid said that if Democrats can't get bipartisan support, they would move the bill through the fast-track budget process, which cannot be filibustered. He said that is not their preference, but he predicted that three-quarters of the bill could be passed that way.
We here at Daily Kos have been calling for this kind of talk for years. And here it is, straight from the mouth of the Senate leader. Yes, reconciliation is fully on the table. Yes, the public option can be pushed through with 50 votes if it comes to that.
So why the histrionics? This seems like every other time I've heard us panic: so many times during the primary. So many times during the general. And now the same people saying the same Chicken Little things. Obviously we need to keep doing absolutely everything we can to pressure Baucus, Conrad, Reid, and the rest to make sure we get the bill we need. Just as we need to pressure our progressives in the House to guarantee they oppose any bill that doesn't have a public option. But come on already...a top rec list diary about a strained reading of one comment Reid made? Look at the rest of what he said. He's responding to the pressure from the netroots, because of everything you've been doing. Keep it up, and we will win this.