President Obama's new healthcare proposal will likely gain only Democratic support, and that's a good thing, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said today."[T]his bill is a 51 vote plan and not a 60 vote plan -- that is great news," Weiner said in a statement. "Democrats wasted a year bowing to the altar of Olympia Snowe, Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson and it got us nowhere."
Weiner's comments suggest that Obama hopes to pass his plan using budget reconciliation, which would only require 51 votes. Democrats probably couldn't pass an entire piece of legislation using that tactic, but could use it to push through some of smaller modifications that Obama announced today.
Nevertheless, Weiner said he was disappointed Obama didn't include a public option or a broader, national insurance exchange.
"These concessions to Republicans are in the hopes of winning their support," Weiner said in a statement. "This will simply not happen. We need to stop bargaining against ourselves. Who are we making concessions to? Republicans have shown over and over again that they have no interest in real reform."