Up Or Down
by digby
One of the nation’s most powerful union leaders warned conservative Democratic senators on Thursday that there would be a “price to pay” if they voted to sustain a Republican filibuster on health care legislation.
Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, said he could “honor all the Nelsons” in the Senate “whether Ben [of Nebraska] or Bill [of Florida]” if they chose to ultimately oppose a reform bill on philosophical grounds. “What I don’t find acceptable,” Stern told the Huffington Post, “is that we are going to use procedure to stop discussion.”
There are 60 senators caucusing as Democrats, and that should mean something, Stern said. “If the Democrats have told people like ourselves, supporters for a long time, ‘Just give us 60 votes. Give us the money, give us 60 votes and we will show you what we can do.’ Well, it’s show time,” said Stern. It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
“The Democrats could close the door in the Senate and take a vote right there,” he said. “The question really for them, which is much bigger than health care, is are they going to shoot themselves in the foot on bill after bill by allowing individual senators to all the sudden become king or queen for the day?”
The administration needs to have a few words with the Senate as well and pull out all the stops.
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