Today's Washington Post has an interesting and helpful article today about the senators to watch as this health care debate unfolds. See the list below or read the original article here.
From the Washington Post:
We derived a list of six of the most important pieces to any bipartisan health-care bill.
• Utah's Republicans: Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin HatchBennett has co-sponsored health-care legislation with Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) that has drawn considerable bipartisan support while Hatch is close personally to Sen. Ted Kennedy who, ailing with a brain tumor, has his best chance ever to see his dream of universal health care achieved. Bennett's support is complicated by political reality -- he is facing a serious fight for the Republican nomination from his ideological right in 2010. Playing a key role in some sort of health care compromise would not sit well with GOP activists in the Beehive State. may hail from one of the most Republican states in the country but both men are seen by Democrats as critical to their efforts to sell the bill.
• Olympia Snowe: The Maine Republican sits on the Finance Committee and will likely be under considerable pressure -- given Maine's Democratic leanings -- to support some sort of compromise bill. Snowe was the only one of the ten Republicans on the Finance committee who chose not to sign a letter to the president opposing the so-called "public option"; Senate Republicans badly want a united front in opposition to the public option and Snowe holds the key.
• Bob Menendez: Mendendez, more so than any other Democratic senator, has one eye on the policy of the legislation and one eye on the political implications. If the possibility of raising taxes is floated -- Obama has said the plan can't grow the deficit and there are only so many available funding sources -- Menendez is likely to raise concerns about what voting for a tax increase could mean for targeted Democratic senators and aspiring Democratic candidates. How loud does he make his case and will it change any minds?
• Mitch McConnell: Can the Senate minority leader hold his conference in line? McConnell was unable to keep Snowe as well as Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Arlen Specter (then R-Pa.) from supporting the economic stimulus package, defections that gave Democrats the magic 60 votes. With Specter having switched parties in the interim, McConnell has even less wiggle room if he wants to block the bill. The question before the Kentucky Republican is whether he can convince senators who are up for reelection in 2010 in targeted races to oppose a bill and, if so, what will the message be for that opposition be? Simply saying no is not an option.
• Ted Kennedy: The Massachusetts senator is not likely to play a major role in the coming debate due to his illness but his presence looms over the chamber and could have real influence with wavering members. Kennedy has made it his life's work to pass universal health care and brought low by a brain tumor may not get another chance to see that vision realized. Given all of that, the symbolic import of passing some sort of legislation is considerable -- particularly on Democrats who might otherwise be inclined to take a pass.
Do any of these Senators represent you? If so, let them know you want quality, affordable health insurance for all. Click here.
