Kevin Drum Huh ?

Robert Waldmann

knows that either Robert Waldmann or Kevin Drum is very confused. Help me out here.

update: Drum is right and I’m wrong. Thanks guest in comments. I should have checked before posting.

Drum wrote

But even if this works, no one thinks that such a bill can get 60 votes in the Senate. This means the only way to pass it would be via reconciliation.

Huh ? How about this alternative way it can pass. The Senate passes a bill without the provision (the public option). The House passes a bill with a public option. The conference committee reports out a compromise with a public option. 218 Representatives plus 50 senators plus Joe Biden approve the conference committee report which is signed into law by Barack Obama.

No use of budget reconciliation provisions, no more than 50 senators willing to vote for a public option and a public option.

As far as I know, if there are 50 but not 60 senators willing to support a public option, the senators who are opposed can stop it only by passing no bill at all or by obtaining a majority in the conference committee.

What is Drum thinking ?