The power and the glory
Josh Marshall hears that Harry Reid’s giving up on a bipartisan health care bill and getting tough on wavering Dems:
When your Leader files cloture, you support him. If you want political cover, vote against final passage.
Roll Call has a similar story.
This is obviously the right thing to do given the Republicans Reid has to work with, but it puts health care reform in a precarious position.
If Reid lines up exactly 60 votes to block a filibuster, every Democrat has a chance to be the guy who saves the private insurance industry. Voters don’t pay attention to cloture votes; you can block a filibuster and still say you voted against the health care bill. But you know who does pay attention? Lobbyists. So what happens if, say, Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) decides that after this term is up it might be nice to spend some time on the golf course while his family enjoys the kind of lifestyle that he just can’t provide on a senator’s salary? Taking a principled stand against your caucus starts to look pretty good at that point.