Republicans Talk Turkey on Health Care

The smell of defeat was in the air Friday when Senate Republicans held a news conference denouncing their Democratic colleagues’ health care reform bill.

That legislation faces a key procedural vote Saturday night. Republicans are united against it. But unless they can peel off at least one Democrat, the legislation will get the 60 votes it needs to be considered by the Senate.

Republicans offered plenty of reasons why the bill should be blocked: It will result in higher premiums for Americans who already have insurance; it will raise taxes for many small-business owners; it will cut Medicare benefits; and it will lead to rationing of health care, they argued.

But you got the sense that they already were conceding defeat, at least on Saturday’s vote. There was no Winston Churchill in the room, no fiery “we will fight them on the beaches” rhetoric. Instead, the best lines came from a shoe salesman, who claimed that most Americans don’t like the Democrats’ bill.

If customers complain about the shoe you’re showing them, you better show them something else, said Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, who owns three shoe stores with his wife.

“This is not the shoe they wanted to buy,” Enzi said of the Senate’s health care bill. “This is a shoe for somebody else. But they’re going to have to pay for it.”

Enzi’s shoe analogy was matched only by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who noted the 2,074-page bill weighs more than 20 pounds, the same as her typical Thanksgiving turkey.

“There you have it,” she said, as the bill sat stacked on a chair next to the podium.

The only message of GOP hope came from Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, who noted that public opinion in conservative states was running 2 to 1 against health care reform. He hoped this would persuade “our more moderate colleagues” to “respect the wishes of their constituents.”

Kyl probably was thinking about Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Lincoln hadn’t tipped her hand as of Friday afternoon, but Landrieu sounded like she was going to support the bill, issuing a press release praising the insurance exchanges that the legislation would create for individuals and small businesses.

After the press conference, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said he expects Democrats will get the 60 votes they need Saturday. He also held out little hope that Republicans would prevail on any amendments to improve the legislation.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota said Democrats may win the procedural vote Saturday, but “they’ve got some major problems getting 60 in the end” because of provisions in the bill that are adamantly opposed by some Democrats.

This leaves Republicans on the sidelines, at least inside the Capitol. Their only hope is a war of attrition. Public opinion eventually could convince a Democrat or two to vote against the bill, or there could be an irreconcilable split among House and Senate Democrats on side issues like abortion.