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Liberals Near Revolt Over Health Care Deal
By John Johnson
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Posted Jul 29, 09 8:29 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Blue Dogs had a good day, but now liberals are howling. After the conservative Democrats managed to shift health care legislation to the center, progressive Democrats say they might mount a rebellion of their own, report Politico and the Hill. They're mostly upset that Henry Waxman agreed to water down a government-financed public option for insurance. “I don’t think it would pass the House," said Barney Frank, who answered with an emphatic yes when asked if progressives would be willing to gum up the legislative works as Blue Dogs had done.
“It’s unacceptable. We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan," said Lynn Woolsey of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They're working up a letter to leaders and plan to get 50 signatures. Still, the deal with Blue Dogs gets the House legislation moving again (though progressives won a delay in the committee markup) and Max Baucus' Senate committee also reported progress. President Obama seemed happy, though he told a town hall meeting that it might now be October before a bill comes up for a vote, notes Reuters.