Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)–one of six Finance Committee members writing that panel’s health care reform bill–has been leading the charge for creating a system of regional private health care co-operatives instead of a public option. All along, he’s said that he supports the co-ops because a public option doesn’t have the votes.
But what he’s mostly elided is the fact that he himself would vote against a bill that called for a public option.
That‘s what he told a crowd of about 100 in North Dakota today.
Of course, there’s still a question of whether he’d support a filibuster of a health care bill with a public option. But in case it wasn’t obvious before, his position has probably had more to do with his ideological opposition to the public option than with a dispassionate analysis of Senate politics.
Conrad also said he’ll oppose a health care bill that provides government funds for abortion, or care for illegal immigrants.
