A vote on Sen. Nelson’s abortion amendment could come as early as today. David M. Herszenhorn reports:
Both of the ladies from Maine have said they will oppose a bill with a public option. So: Reid’s job, it seems to me, is to find a compromise on abortion that can draw Nelson’s vote, while also finding a compromise on the public option that can draw Snowe’s. And he needs to do it soon. The Democrats would like a bill by Christmas, but the more compelling deadline is Obama’s State of the Union in January. If Obama takes the podium in January and is able to say he’s done more to implement national health care than any president since Lyndon Johnson, his second year as president will be off to a good start. If he takes the podium with no health care reform, however, and instead has only an unemployment rate around 10 percent and a variety of unpopular policies and proposals, he’ll be in trouble.
