Hennessey:
I expect Leader Reid might say to a nervous Senate Democrat, “Stick with me on the procedural votes. Vote with me to invoke cloture whenever I need it, so the Republicans can’t kill this with a filibuster. If you need to vote no on amendments or on final passage to please people back home, that’s fine, since I only need 51 votes there. You can split your vote.”
This tactic was made famous by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) during the 2004 campaign when he said of his votes to authorize the use of force in Iraq: “I voted for it before I voted against it.” He voted aye on cloture, and no on final passage. He split his vote. Only he knows why he highlighted this during a campaign.
Watch out for Democratic Senators who are considering voting for (cloture on) the Baucus bill before voting against (final passage of) it. If your Senator votes for cloture, he or she has enabled passage of the bill, even if he or she votes no on final passage. If your Democratic Senator tells you he or she may oppose the health bill, ask if he or she will oppose cloture. The cloture votes are the ones that determine the outcome.
Hennessey bets that it WILL be a shamefully partisan (D) bill when it passes.
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