Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Friday that if Republicans prevail the Massachusetts Senate seat, health care reform is dead.
"If Scott Brown wins, it'll kill the health bill," Frank told reporters, although he added that he thought Democrat Martha Coakley would defeat Brown.
Losing the Massachusetts race presents a nightmare scenario for Democrats, many of whom would want to pass the legislation before Brown is seated. But Democrats would face an onslaught of criticism from Republicans, as well as cold feet from rank and file.
And the party isn't united on what exactly would happen following a defeat.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate health committee, disputed Frank's prediction, saying Democrats would pass a bill.
"Well, those are kind of apocalyptic terms. I still think there is a wellspring of support in this country for doing something about health care because people are losing their health care every day, thousands every day. All these things are out there, so the momentum is still there for getting a health care bill."
Either way, the second-guessing has begun. Frank said Coakley should have campaigned harder for the seat held by Ted Kennedy, who passed away last summer. - Politico Story
No comments:
Post a Comment