WASHINGTON — In a surprise setback for Democratic leaders, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, said on Sunday that he would vote against the health care legislation in its current form.


The bill’s supporters had said earlier that they thought they had secured Mr. Lieberman’s agreement to go along with a compromise they worked out to overcome an impasse within the party.

But on Sunday, Mr. Lieberman told the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, to scrap the idea of expanding Medicare and to abandon the idea of a new government insurance plan, known as a public option.

On a separate issue, Mr. Reid tried over the weekend to concoct a compromise on abortion that would induce Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, to vote for the bill. Mr. Nelson opposes abortion. Any provision that satisfies him risks alienating supporters of abortion rights.

In interviews on the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” Mr. Lieberman and Mr. Nelson said the bill did not have the 60 votes it would need to get through the Senate.

Senate Democratic leaders, including Mr. Reid and Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, said they had been mindful of Mr. Lieberman’s concerns in the last 10 days, so they were surprised when he assailed major provisions of the bill on television Sunday. He reiterated his objections in a private meeting with Mr. Reid.

A Senate Democratic aide, flummoxed by Mr. Lieberman’s stance, said, “It was a total flip-flop and leaves us in a predicament as to what to do.”

Democrats are desperately trying to round up 60 votes and conclude Senate debate on the health care bill before Christmas.

Mr. Reid could not immediately figure out how to achieve that goal at a meeting he held Sunday with senior Democratic senators and White House officials, including Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said that passage of the bill was looking less and less inevitable. The Democrats “are in serious trouble on this,” he said, “and the core problem is the American people do not want us to pass it.”

On television Sunday, Mr. Lieberman said: “We’ve got to stop adding to the bill. We’ve got to start subtracting some controversial things. I think the only way to get this done before Christmas is to bring in some Republicans who are open-minded on this, like Olympia Snowe.”

Senator Snowe, of Maine, has tried to find common ground with Democrats. But she has rejected Mr. Reid’s proposal to let uninsured people ages 55 to 64 purchase coverage under Medicare.

Mr. Lieberman described what it would take to get his vote. “You’ve got to take out the Medicare buy-in,” he said. “You’ve got to forget about the public option. You probably have to take out the Class Act, which was a whole new entitlement program that will, in future years, put us further into deficit.”

The Class Act refers to a federal insurance program for long-term care, known as Community Living Assistance Services and Supports.

Mr. Lieberman said he would have “a hard time” voting for bill with the Medicare buy-in.

“It has some of the same infirmities that the public option did,” Mr. Lieberman said. “It will add taxpayer costs. It will add to the deficit. It’s unnecessary. The basic bill, which has a lot of good things in it, provides a generous new system of subsidies for people between ages 55 and 65 and choice and competition.”

Mr. Nelson said he wanted to know the cost of the Medicare buy-in. “I am concerned that it’s the forerunner of single-payer, the ultimate single-payer plan, maybe even more directly than the public option,” Mr. Nelson said.

Mr. Lieberman cautioned Senate Democrats to limit their appetite for expansive new programs.

“The bill itself does a lot to bring 30 million people into the system,” Mr. Lieberman said. “We don’t need to keep adding onto the back of this horse or we’re going to break the horse’s back and get nothing done."

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So. This begs the question.

Is Mr Lieberman now going to be called " Anti American " because he won't vote for this bill in it's current form??

of course he will

it's the American way to demonize those who don't agree with you

But but but....

Aren't the Dem supporters here always saying that the Dems are great because they can think for themselves???

So...if they decide that Lieberman is " Anti American "....wouldn't that make the hypocrites??

Ya know..I kinda wonder if Pelosi is gonna make Nazi references about Lieberman now. lol

Dat's really gonna' pi$$ off da Mastah!!
Reckon, he'll be shown the pitchfork??

Oh, come on!!!

NONE of the Democrats/Progressives here on Mingle want to poke their heads in here and add their two cents??

Come one. Lieberman isn't a true American because he won't vote for this is he?

He's nothing more than a Naziesque trouble maker who doesn't want to do what's " right " for America.

Isn't that what an awful lot of Democrats kept saying about the American people who protested against the bill??

He's just a shunned and angry Democrat.
He'll come around as soon as they promise to let him back in the Party.

Soooo....that means that unlike the rest of the Democratic party...he really can't think for himself???

He can't actually think the Health Care bill, as it stands, is a bad idea??

He's just pissed at the party so he's being contrary??

Lemme guess....he's just a closet Republican????

I didnt say that.

I've never really liked Liberman so it doesn't really matter to me what you call him. I'm just saying he might just be making a deal with the Party leaders. He dang sure isnt a true Independent.
Time will tell which way he votes.

He very well could be.

But, just because he doesn't vote along the party line, doesn't mean he isn't a Democrat.

it just means that he doesn't think this bill is a good idea and won't vote for something that he thinks is bad for the country.

Considering that a lot of Libs accuse the Republicans of being robots that vote to block something just because they can, then Lieberman should be hearing applause from the Libs for thinking on his own.

He's registered as an Independent.

All Democrats don't vote along Party lines. If they did they wouldn't need Lieberman to pass the bill.
Seeing that a few Republicans are risking Party wrath and voting outside party lines of late. Three I think are.
Lieberman's vote may not be necessary anyway.

He may not think its good. You may be right. Or
he may just not have the guts to refuse the lobbyist's favors.

I'm not a Dem. LOL

Meh. Some Reps are risking the party's wrath....so are a few Dems.

I'm not a Dem either. Nor am I a Republican. I don't totally agree with either party's ideas.

I see things from both perspectives and hope that they'll be able to find a decent compromise.

Me too!

Heh. I think we just differ on the idea of " compromise " in the current situations...lol

Compromise is good, but the Republicans don't bring much to the table to compromise on.
All the do is try to stop everything!

That aint compromise!

I agree.

It would be nice to see them actually propose their own ideas rather than just rubber stamp a " No " on anything the Dems come up with.

Egads, all these posts and no one seems to understand that Liberman is not representing his constituants, he represents Big Insurance/Big Pharma...

PLEASE look up "Corporate Socialism" and understand the resistance to HC reform. The Ins Ind spends $1.4 million a DAY to defeat HC reform for it's continued bloated profits and ineffective HC policies.

You have access to all the emails and letters that have come in to the offices of every Senator??

You know for a fact that every letter and email has been demanding that he vote for the bill??

Lemme guess.." All the polls say that America wants this ".

Well...polls can say whatever the people in charge of taking the poll wants the results to say.

$1.4 Million a day goes to what? Laundry? You overlook that while many are directing their anger and opposition to HC reform are overlooking that they are just paid or non-paid shills for big insurance. The T-baggers have taken the lead and a toll in brainwashing people to oppose reforms...I find that too many people sit in ignorance on this subject.

"death panals", "kill grandma", "socialism"...etc have people believing the lies...and people constantly send emails to senators based on these lies...

Here's the bottom line, the US spends twice as much on HC than any other industialized nation yet ranks 37th in HC quality. We need reforms or HC costs will definately bankrupt our economy...

how about a 12 trillion dollar debt? we are already bankrupt.