Lieberman Won’t Support Public Option

The odds of health care reform passing dimmed today as Sen. Joe Lieberman (I.-Conn.) indicated he would not vote to end cloture on the legislation offered by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.).  Lieberman indicated he could not abide inclusion of a public option. 

The new comes just a day after Reid indicated he would include language in the legislation that creates a public option that individual states could opt out of.

Lieberman, a former Democrat, was reelected in 2008 as an independent, but still caucuses with his former party. Lieberman’s defection means that Reid may not have the 60 votes necessary to block an expected republican filibuster and bring the legislation to the floor. Moderate Democrats including Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Ben Nelson (D.–Neb.) and Mary Landrieu (D.-La.) also have expressed reservations about backing legislation that includes a public option.