Republican Senator Olympia Snowe has said she’ll support democratic health reform legislation this morning. Ms.Snowe: You are a hero. We’re following the action at Talking Points Memo‘s live blog, here in the Mercury news room. So far, this is among my favorite lines:
1:50 p.m.: Did you know that Ron Wyden supports consumer choice in the insurance market? Well, he does.
If you’ll allow this journalist to paraphrase what I suspect the TPM blogger was trying to convey:
1:50 p.m.: SHUT UP YOU F___ING WINDBAG!
Update, 11:04: Here’s Snowe’s speech:
Update, 12:04 The finance committee has passed the bill, 14-9. From the LA Times:
“I never count chickens before they are hatched, but this is obviously another step forward,” President Barack Obama said today after Snowe announced her support and the Senate Finance Committee was nearing its vote.
Despite the committee’s approval, key provisions of the legislation remain to be resolved, including whether the bill ultimately will include some form of a government-run health insurer, the so-called “public option.” Some senators favor a provision that would allow states to exempt themselves from providing a government option to consumers—a bid to sway moderates who otherwise might oppose a mandatory plan.