Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear today what the GOP has been suggesting for months: moderate Democratic senators fearful that voting for health care reform will cost them their seats (think Blanche Lincoln) can’t get away with voting for cloture and against a bill on the floor.
At a press conference this afternoon, McDonnell compared the idea to another tortured line that cost a Democrat an election. “We all recall Senator Kerry’s strained way in the 2004 campaign of explaining why he voted for it before he voted against it,” McConnell said. “And I think it is perfectly clear that most Americans will treat the vote to get on the bill as a vote on the substance of the bill.”
“So our view is that cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill is a vote to endorse a half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, $400 billion in new taxes, and higher insurance — health insurance premiums for everyone else,” McConnell continued.
Late Update: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spokesperson Rodell Mollineau responded to McConnell’s take on the cloture vote.
“We are glad that Senator McConnell has made clear his position on cloture votes,” Mollineau said. “By his logic, Senate Republicans’ vote last week against proceeding to the defense bill means they don’t support our troops in a time of war. By his logic, if Senate Republicans vote later today against proceeding to the unemployment insurance bill, it means they could care less about the thousands of Americans who are losing the relief they need every day. Thank you, Senator McConnell. Democrats couldn’t have put it any better.”
