’)Senator Joe Lieberman met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Sunday and told him he’d vote against the current Senate health care bill. Lieberman says he’ll oppose any bill that has a public option or expands Medicare.
“Leadership was definitely a bit surprised with the lines being drawn in the sand the way they were,” said the source. “We expected that he would say critical things about [the bill]. But he is not even giving us a chance to get it scored.”
The pledge by Lieberman to oppose the bill represents a potentially huge setback for reform proponents, many of who saw the latest round of policy compromises as the last true chance to corral the needed votes. That said, leadership has several fallback options (none of them promising) should Lieberman follow through on the threat.
