Does the fate of healthcare reform rest in Maine?
Did Scott Brown’s election really kill the healthcare bill? If the president listened to the message that the people of Massachusetts sent him than the bill is dead. But he is continuing to urge “Democrats to finish the deal” and at his State of the Union speech he claimed that we are closer than ever to passing healthcare reform and that we mustn’t stop now.
So for the sake of this post let us operate under the assumption that the president really isn’t listening to the people and that he still wants to move forward on a bill that nobody wants. Will it really be that hard to “finish the deal” if that is the course of action that the president takes?
After all, Scott Brown is only one vote out of 60, how hard will it be to replace that one vote? All that I have to do is look to a neighboring state of mine and I see two possible replacements for the vote Democrats lost in Scott Brown– Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. What is to stop the Democrats from targeting one of these senators using “incentives” like the ones Mary Landrieu, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, and Ben Nelson received in order to gain that one last needed vote?
One would think that after the Massachusetts election, and with the anger at this bill that is being displayed that nobody would be foolish enough to continue the same type of backroom deals that the people of Massachusetts rebelled against. The same type of backroom deals that Barack Obama campaigned against. But as the mayor of Las Vegas stated, this president is a slow learner. Does congress have the balls to move the bill forward by attempting to send kickbacks to either Snowe or Collins? I don’t think so, but you just never know.
This bears watching.
America's Watchtower 
It very well could… 😕
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Scary huh?
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I think because Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson got so much crap for what they did, most fence sitters will be thinking twice before they jump. But we do definitely need to keep our eyes and ears open. I am still more worried about them using reconciliation to try and pass this bill.
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I hope so, but I just don’t trust these two. We will be watching.
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I hate to say this but Collins and Snowe can be bought. I have no doubt about it. They will do what is in their best interest. I will tell you, however, I think if they help this H/C bill pass, Mainers will kick them to the curb. I know many Mainers who have had it with them. They are not representing the majority of their constituency. (?)
Despite that, I will not be surprised if Obama gets them to slide over. I think I even read that Snow (I think) was saying that there was much left that needed to be worked out for her to get behind the bill. (RINO)
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I think they can be bought also. It will be interesting to see if an attempt is made.
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Collins and Snowe are pragmatic and not stupid. They won’t ask for any sweetheart deal for Maine — too transparent. But I could see them asking for, and getting, tort reform, elimination of the union exemption on the Cadillac tax, opening insurance across state lines, or other ideas that the GOP supports. I don’t actually see this happening but it’s a very good observation.
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That would be a step in the right direction, I do think that they should all probably step back and start over.
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Are either of these two Maine gals up for re-election this time? I doubt if they are, that they would dare take a chance after the drumming of the Democrats in MA, but as you say it bears watching.
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I don’t know if they are up for re-election or not. I don’t th ink they would be dumb enough to do something like this, but I just don’t trust them.
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