Kent Conrad Will Vote For The Public Option
For a while now Senator Kent Conrad has been maneuvering himself as some sort of health care maverick in the Senate to appease his North Dakota constituents who overwhelmingly oppose government health care. While at home during the August recess Senator Conrad said that he would oppose the “public option,” a promise he’s re-iterated since.
So how will Conrad vote once the “public option” is put in front of him in the Senate? Taking the Senator at his word one would think he’d oppose any effort to pass the bill. In reality, the Senator is going to be sneaky about it. He’ll vote for cloture for the “public option” to give it the 60 votes it needs to end debate, but he’ll vote against it on the actual vote which only requires a simple majority to pass.
He’ll vote for it before he votes against it.
In another step forward for health care reform, a key moderate Dem Senator says he will vote to bring the bill with a public option and an opt-out to the floor — getting the bill past a key procedural vote — and suggested his colleagues should do the same.
Senator Kent Conrad, in a phone interview with me just now, confirmed that he would cast a vote in favor of bringing Harry Reid’s health care bill to a debate.
“Sure,” Conrad said when asked directly whether he would vote Yes on the initial procedural vote, which is a major obstacle because it requires 60 votes. “My position would be to have a debate, have amendments. Because unless you get a bill to the floor, you can’t legislate.”
Notice that Conrad said his “position would be to have a debate.” But what is a “cloture vote?” It’s a vote to end debate.
A “yes” cloture vote is as good as a vote for the public option. And Conrad shouldn’t be let off the hook based on this cloture vote charade.
