Conservative and moderate Democrats met with Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) last night to discuss possible changes to the Senate health care bill, including the potential need for a public option compromise.
Attending the meeting were key health care swing votes Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and a number of freshman Democrats, including Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Mark Begich (D-AK).
The meeting resulted in few revelations, or major developments–“Generally speaking I didn’t hear anything that changes my mind,” Lieberman told reporters. But afterwards, I asked Landrieu whether she’s concerned that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)–a public option stalwart–might not be willing to compromise on the public option any further.
“Senator Brown knows what we know, that we’ve just got to try to find a way forward, and we’re going to continue to work with him,” Landrieu said. “He’s put in a tremendous amount of time and effort.”
Landrieu also reiterated a theme that’s become common among public option skeptics. “This might be the most important political compromise to be reached, but substantively, there are far more important issues.”
So why, if it’s such a minor issue, are several Democrats threatening to filibuster the bill if it’s not removed or weakened?
“Because we have basically sort of, I think, responded to this public relations campaign waged so fiercely on both sides,” Landrieu said. “But thankfully, as we have responded to this, that has grown up around us, we have also stayed focused on some of the more substantive issues.”
