Collecting 60 votes

With Monday's announcement by Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) that the final bill would include a public option (with the opt-out option for states) the struggle for 60 votes has heated up. Finding 50 votes to actually pass the legislation doesn't seem to be much of a problem, with the opt-out compromise giving solace to many Democratic senators at risk in more conservative districts. After all, if they can keep their constituents safe from the scourge of government-run health care, why not let other states make up their mind?

All in all, I'm very happy about this compromise both practically and politically. Since I have faith in the public option itself, its success in liberal states in comparison to the continued health care costs in the conservative ones that opt out will serve as a political boost for the Left. Trying to argue that private-only insurance is better on principal while a neighboring state might actually have a better situation on the ground would be a boon for Democrats come election time. This monolithic opposition would finally be called out by reality.

We have to get the plan through first, though. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) came out yesterday saying that not only would he vote against the final bill, but would fight its vote for cloture (the 60 vote threshold that would end the inevitable filibuster and actually bring the bill up for a vote). Whether or not Reid shows some backbone and finally strips him of his committee positions and caucusing privileges remains to be seen until after the fight: bringing down the hammer on him now would guarantee an enemy until the end of the debate, though Lieberman is going to be a consistent opponent regardless. Similarly, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and the other potential GOP crossovers have decided, to the surprise of no one, that they're greatly offended by this disregard for bipartisanship and shall pout. Snowe even said she didn't want the bill to proceed to the floor for the debate/amendment process, which is just depressing. If anyone has given up on compromise and collaboration, it's her.

Again, there's an uphill battle here. It was a pretty gutsy move to include the public option (though the opt-out compromise makes it a very reasonable middle road) and it remains to be seen if 60 votes can possibly be gathered.

Update: Oh, and Evan Bayh (D-IN) has decided along with Mitch McConnell (the Minority Leader) and other Republicans that the procedural cloture vote (needs 60) is materially the same as the final vote on the bill (only needs 50). Why this is, he doesn't say; cloture is a vote to bring about a vote. How can he possibly equate the two?
...and WHY?
This comes back to what is an ongoing problem with the Democrat's cohesiveness as a caucus. If he had a reasonable fear of retribution, that if he was responsible for health care reform's failure that he would be stripped of all his privileges, we'd be seeing a very different situation. It's nice that he feels beholden to his constituents, but the utter lack of coordination and effective whipping in the Democratic Party has let this kind of activity proliferate. Before Snowe gave the Finance Committee bill a pass, the Republicans had been 100% unified in their opposition. They have suggested no actual plans, yet were able to all agree that there was no merit to any suggestions coming from the Dems. The amount of fury poured onto Snowe for her "betrayal" has been hefty, no doubt. Where is this level of anger for Bayh?
He's not even being bipartisan! He's not introducing some new idea or a pragmatic way forward. Instead, he's taken the procedural filibusters that have gotten so out of hand and given a nice little push down the progression towards absurdity. Thanks for making a further mockery of our legislative process, sir.