Reid Pulls Plug on GOP-Friendly Health Plan

Says Baucus measure gives too much ground in trying for GOP votes

(NEWSER) - Just hours after Max Baucus unveiled an $87 billion jobs bill that had the support of two Republicans on his Senate Finance Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid shot it down, saying the measure bent over backward to score GOP support, and went beyond the goal of creating jobs. More»

'Liberal lion' invoked by both left and right, but what would he think?

(NEWSER) - The memory of Ted Kennedy was a vivid presence today on both sides of the aisle as the Senate passed its version of his signature issue, health care reform. The late Massachusetts senator “remained the Democrats' spiritual floor leader,” Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post , and almost everyone credited him for the success. The tributes didn't sit well with some Republicans. More»

Kennedy's death left a void—and no one is stepping up to fill it

(NEWSER) - As Democrats fight among themselves over health care, it’s becoming painfully clear that they lack a clear public leader on the issue, writes Manu Raju for Politico. In part it’s because, with a number of House and Senate committees involved, there are too many cooks stirring the pot, and in part because there’s no Ted Kennedy-esque figure who commands respect. Liberals distrust Max Baucus; Chris Dodd, who stepped in for Kennedy and drafted a competing bill, is more focused on financial reform. More»

(NEWSER) - The health care reform bill is now in the hands of the Senate Finance Committee and chairman Max Baucus won't be rushed, Politico reports. The Montana Democrat, under pressure from the White House to get a deal done, has been locked in talks to build bipartisan consensus for financing the health care overhaul, while the window in which President Obama can achieve his goal of getting a bill done by August is rapidly closing. More»

Dems may look to income tax hike to cover cost of public option

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid met with Republicans yesterday to diffuse some of his tough talk on health care reform, but as Politico reports, the Senate majority leader has forced a scramble for $320 billion over 10 years to pay for the plan. Reid said he would not support a bill that taxed federal health benefits, but the alternative may be just as unpopular: an income tax hike on Americans making $250,000 or more. More»