Senator Olympia Snowe places her nameplate down as she arrives on Capital Hill on October 13, 2009
AP Photo
By CHRIS FRATES 10/14/09 5:08 AM
When Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe took her seat on the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning, she had only an inkling of how she’d vote on health care reform. She wanted the budget experts to weigh in before making up her mind.
She was in a tough spot, stuck between unanimous Republican dissent and a Democratic bill she had a big hand in shaping. She worked through the issues all weekend but never had an epiphany.
“There was no one moment, actually. It evolved,” she said. “I went back and forth — yeah, I did — because it’s not an easy question.”
But when Snowe stepped out Tuesday to become the only congressional Republican to vote for health care reform, she also shrewdly left the door open to walk away later.
“Is this bill all that I want? Far from it. Is it all that it could be? No,” Snowe said. “But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.
“My vote today is my vote today,” she added. “It doesn’t forecast what my vote will be tomorrow.”
Democrats readily acknowledge that Snowe’s yes vote gives her tremendous leverage as the Senate bill moves forward, meaning they’ll have to continue to address her concerns about affordability and excessive government intrusion into health care.
“She’s playing it really well,” a Republican health care lobbyist said. “If anyone’s running the show, it’s her.”
Snowe said she hadn’t talked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) about her role going forward, but a senior Democratic leadership aide said, “As the sole Republican to vote for the bill in committee, of course Sen. Snowe will have a key role to play.”
Snowe’s yes vote was a huge coup for Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who made plenty of concessions to bring her on board. The bipartisan nod Snowe brings to the bill strengthens the chairman’s hand as he and other Democratic leaders merge the Finance Committee bill with another from the Health Committee into a single bill to debate on the Senate floor.
Her endorsement also could give bipartisan cover to moderate Senate Democrats — Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Evan Bayh of Indiana — who are arguably more conservative than Snowe. It also frees the White House to turn its attention to gathering more Republican supporters. A possible target: Snowe’s Maine colleague, Sen. Susan Collins.
But that’s not to say Democrats can take their eyes off Snowe. A former Snowe aide says that the senator is most comfortable in the roiling tumult of negotiations.
“Remember that this is not the first time she has broken with the caucus,” the former aide said. “She used her vote to leverage a reduced price tag for the Bush tax cuts early this decade and then voted against it on the floor — even after she got everything she wanted. And there was a lot more pressure on her than there is now.”
There’s been some speculation that her yes vote could cost her a GOP leadership post, perhaps as the ranking member on the Finance Committee after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) steps down. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“The conference certainly wouldn’t entertain retribution for an irrelevant vote on an irrelevant proposal,” said a Senate GOP aide, arguing that the Finance Committee proposal is far from the final version.
But the former aide suggested Republican Senate leaders would most likely never give Snowe so much authority on the crucial Finance Committee.
“The reality is her real influence comes during negotiations, not debate, hearings or even on the floor,” the former aide said.
So expect Snowe to continue using her prowess to shape the legislation as it moves on. As she so coyly put it Tuesday, the committee vote was only a first step — and her vote could change.
from Politico.com
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