Time to Pick a Side on Health Care Reform

Independent senator wanted public options since excised

(NEWSER) - Senate Democrats might’ve secured Joe Lieberman’s vote for the health-reform bill by killing various government-funded options, but they look to have lost another independent in the process. “I’m struggling with this,” Vermont’s Bernie Sanders told Fox News tonight. “As of this point, I’m not voting for the bill.” More»

Nelson and Lieberman reject 'Br'er Rabbit compromise'

(NEWSER) - Joe Lieberman rejected the Democrats’ Medicare buy-in compromise mostly because “his objective really is to make liberals suffer,” writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. Lieberman knew that though they might have wailed and moaned, liberals would have been happy with the Medicare expansion. “It was a br’er rabbit compromise—but do please Senart’er—don’t fling me in dat brier-patch.” More»

Snowe, Lieberman, Nelson skeptical

(NEWSER) - Three senators uneasy about the proposed Medicare expansion in the health care bill could derail Harry Reid's hopes of getting the bill wrapped up before Christmas. Olympia Snowe, Ben Nelson, and Joe Lieberman—a Republican, a Democrat, and an independent—have expressed varying degrees of misgivings about the proposal and are seeking more information, Politico reports. More»

Ties to pharma, insurers make filibuster threats suspect

(NEWSER) - The threats from Sens. Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh to help filibuster any health reform bill with a public option should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with their family finances, writes Joe Conason. Lieberman's wife Hadassah spent 30 years working in the corporate health sector for pharmaceutical firms and the lobbying firms that represent them, while Bayh's wife Susan has made millions working for Wellpoint, America's biggest health insurer. More»

Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman are two of them

(NEWSER) - To get the 60 votes he needs just to bring his health care bill to the floor of the Senate, Harry Reid is going to have to rein in some of his caucus' members. Politico surveys the majority leader's biggest challenges.

• Joe Lieberman, Conn. The independent said yesterday he'll join a GOP filibuster if the bill's not changed. He's no fan of either a public option or Olympia Snowe's trigger option—though he might just be posturing.