Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

October 26, 2009

Reid Will Put Public Option to Vote

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "will announce this afternoon that he plans to push ahead with a public option vote -- one that includes an opt-out provision for states -- even though he's currently short several votes for passage, according to people close to the situation," Politico reports.

Reid has 3:15 p.m. press conference to discuss details.

"Leadership sources tell me that Reid, who spoke with virtually every member of his 60-member caucus this weekend, currently has between 56 and 57 votes for the opt-out, which is being pushed by Sen. Charles Schumer, according to Democratic aides."

Update: The Washington Post confirms that Reid will push the public option with a provision that allows states to opt out, noting it's "a major reversal from just two weeks ago, when Reid was leaning against the idea."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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