Getting a vote

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a vote on the Baucus healthcare bill for Tuesday. From what I know of the bill, there is not much to love there though it is crucial that this beast get out of committee. It seems that the Senate and White House have finally realized that they will probably get zero GOP votes for any legislation in the Senate and as such, need to get something passed in order to get something into conference with whatever the House produces. My best guess is that the Finance Committee has been working to get something that can pass the full Senate knowing that anything the Senate passes will get radically changed in the conference committee anyway so the actual particulars aren’t really all that relevant.

That said, the real battle will be fought when the progressives and the Blue Dogs attempt to reconcile the two versions. My hope is that Obama and more probably, Rohm Emmanuel, will lay down the law during those negotiations. I know Obama is not really the type to throw elbows; Emmanuel, however, is a different story. When it comes time to twist arms and crack skulls, he is the guy you want but everything hinges on getting a bill out of committee and on the floor.