Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said on CNN a few moments ago that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will have to be a magician to please everyone when he mergers multiple Senate committee health reform bills into one that'll reach the Senate floor.
"Now the task is to the majority leader," Nelson said. "He's almost got to be Houdini to put together a package that can get 60 votes."
Nelson also said he expects "some version of the public option" to be in the final bill, though he said it may hinge on Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
"Olympia Snowe of Maine is quite key here," Nelson said. "And if her vote is critical in the future, then she may insist what is a kind of public option."
Nelson then went on to describe what sounded a lot like the "trigger" option.

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davcbr
October 14, 2009 10:29 AM
"He's almost got to be Houdini to put together a package that can get 60 votes."
Doesn't need 60 votes once he puts it together.
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melior
October 14, 2009 2:25 PM
Senator Nelson needs to listen clearly and understand: we will work relentlessly and mercilessly to unseat him next election cycle if he sells out for a "trigger", "opt-out", "co-op", or any other bullshit charade in place of an actual public option to force real competition with private insurance corporations.
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rbe1
October 14, 2009 2:37 PM
Democrats, the party of the people who don't believe in themselves.
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rwc
October 14, 2009 3:45 PM in reply to rbe1
No, it's more like, Democrats, the party that has a strong minority of real progressives in it but also a lot of corporate suckups, who in cahoots with the GOP, have just about always ran this country, even when the Dems hold large majorities.
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dougom
October 14, 2009 4:32 PM
He wouldn't have to be Houdini if he didn't have to deal with people like you, Conrad, Baucus, and Leiberman, Ben ol' pal.
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Florida Democrat
October 14, 2009 6:06 PM
At last weekend's Florida Democratic Convention the delegates prevenyed Senator Nelson from speaking for over 5 minutes by standing in unison and chanting "Public Option". Apparently, Bill wasn't listening to his base.
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Florida Democrat
October 14, 2009 6:08 PM in reply to Florida Democrat
Please read "prevented" instead of prevenyed.
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