With the final health care reform bill about to pass, and a financial reform bill already out of committee, some Republicans are rethinking their party’s “just say no” strategy to legislating, according to Sen. Chris Dodd.
Dodd (D-CT) told reporters this morning that “The health care thing kind of changed the atmospherics around here.”
“I think, frankly, there are a number of Republicans who went along with the strategy of ‘just say no’ who were never really happy with it, but if it worked they would go along,” Dodd said. “They saw it fail. And now they’ve had enough of it. and they really want to be involved in crafting things.”
One of Dodd’s colleagues on the banking committee, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told reporters yesterday that Republicans made a “major strategic error” by refusing to support financial regulation legislation. That bill has now passed out of committee with no Republican votes or input.
“I don’t think people realize that this is an issue that almost every American wants to see passed,” Corker said.
Today, Dodd said that Corker isn’t alone.
“People like him and others are tired of being told to just say no to everything,” he said.
Dodd said yesterday that health care “strengthened our hand” and made him more optimistic about passing financial reform.
Additional reporting by Brian Beutler
