Joe Lieberman says he will filibuster any healthcare bill with a public option

  While the usual RINOs; McCain, Snowe, and Collins, sit on the fence about healthcare reform and the public option it looks as though we can look towards at least one Senate Democrat, Joe Lieberman, to filibuster any healthcare reform bill that includes a public option. Before you jump on me for calling Lieberman a Democrat, I know that technically Joe Lieberman is an independent but he caucuses with the Democrats and for most intents and purposes he is a Democrat.

We’re trying to do too much at once,” Lieberman said. “To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don’t think we need it now

  He is threatening to join the Republicans and vote against any healthcare plan that includes the public option.

 can’t see a way in which I could vote for cloture on any bill that contained a creation of a government-operated-run insurance company,” Lieberman added. “It’s just asking for trouble – in the end, the taxpayers are going to pay and probably all people who have health insurance are going to see their premiums go up because there’s going to be cost shifting as there has been for Medicare and Medicaid

  This is bad news for Harry Reid and the Democrats who are still trying to muster the required 60 votes. With a few exceptions the Republicans are united against this bill, the key for this bill’s passage lays with the Democrats. They can not afford to have defections and Joe Lieberman’s defection has to be troubling to Harry Reid.

  Without the votes of Joe Lieberman and Robert Byrd (who is most likely too sick to vote) the Democrats only have 58 votes if no other Democrat defects.

  I expect that at least two of the three aforementioned RINOs will vote in favor of healthcare reform, meaning the Democrats can not lose another vote. It is going to be a close call whether this bill passes or not, there have already been many twists and turns in the debate and I expect more to come.