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Much Ado About Nothing: Why Joe Lieberman's threats on health-care legislation are not surprising, and may not matter.
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| Contributor | Brandonius Maximus |
| Last Edited | Brandonius Maximus Nov 02, 2009 03:59pm |
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| Category | General |
| Author | Katie Connolly |
| Media | Magazine - Newsweek |
| News Date | Monday, November 2, 2009 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | When Harry Reid told reporters last Tuesday that Joe Lieberman was the least of his problems, he wasn't kidding. The Connecticut senator—who is technically an independent—had just announced that he'd vote against Reid's health-reform bill unless the public-option provision changes. But Lieberman will vote to allow the bill to proceed to the floor, a concession some of his moderate colleagues aren't yet prepared to make.
Already angered over his dalliances with Republicans in the last election, critics pounced, accusing Lieberman of being in the pocket of Connecticut's health-insurance industry. "I know people impute motives," Lieberman told NEWSWEEK. "But I am not at all defensive of the insurance companies." He said he'd vote to remove the antitrust exemptions on the industry, for example. But Lieberman worries that a public option creates a new, expensive entitlement when the country is already saddled with debt, perched precariously on the verge of recovery. Right now he's so concerned he's prepared to let the entire bill fail—including reforms like insurance exchanges, which he calls "extraordinarily important."
"But I want to get to the debate. I want to have the opportunity to try to amend," he says. |
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