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Source: Politico
Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a centrist Democrat whose vote becomes critical if the health care bill escapes the Finance Committee, doesn't see his Democratic colleagues gelling around the Baucus bill, even after the Finance chairman heeded some of their concerns.
Instead, he thinks his colleagues are starting to understand that "unless Democrats come together, it's pretty hard to get Republican support. A divided Democratic Caucus makes it very difficult to invite Republicans over," he said.
"Unless you get the Demcorats behind something, whether it's this bill or a modification of this bill...it looks to me like it's pretty hard to get Republicans to join with you," Nelson said.
Nelson, who isn't on the Finance Committee, sees cost-control as the key and he said he would be willing to back a so-called trigger to implement a program of government-backed health coverage if that's the only path toward a compromise - "I'd rather not have it," Nelson said. "But if that's what it takes to bring people together, I would certainly consider it."
During a lunch with Vice President Joe Biden, Nelson told colleagues that "the message got muddled at the beginning" of the health care debate. He cited confusion over the $500 billion in cuts from Medicare.
"They heard that money was going to be taken out of Medicare, and now they're told, 'well, but not really true," Nelson said. "That's Washington inside-the-Beltway conversation. For folks back home, that seems code for not telling the truth."
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