The first vote came on Senator Jay Rockefeller's (D-WV) amendment. All 10 Republicans and five Democrats voted against it, thus killing the amendment. The five Democrats that voted against it weren't surprises. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT).
The second vote was on Senator Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) amendment. That amendment received Carper and Nelson's support, but Baucus, Conrad and Lincoln still joined the Republicans in opposing the public option amendment.
On a personal level, I don't care what Baucus and Conrad think. They both seem to have it in their head that having a public option in any health care bill would mean that the bill wouldn't pass. They are wrong, but they will continue to believe what they have believed all along.
The big thing is that most of the Democrats on the Finance Committee support some version of the public option, whether it's Rockefeller's or Schumer's. That is good news.
Here are ads that Democracy For America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are trying to get out on the air.
