Only 21 of 59 Senate Democrats support the public option for health care at this point.

[madfloridian]

At least this is the best I can find out. I notice even the talk show hosts are having trouble getting straight answers. 21 is not very many at all. I was just looking at the list that was posted at the bottom of a Think Progress blog yesterday. It briefly lists those who have come out in support of the government funded option.

I feel that a couple of them, maybe more, including Schumer. want to modify away some of the good parts of it. Hard to get information.

From the Wonk Room at Think Progress

Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) office has just issued a press release announcing that "FIVE ADDITIONAL SENATORS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION."

This brings the total in the Senate to 21:

Sens. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI),
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
Russ Feingold (D-WI),
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD),
Claire McCaskill (D-MO),
Sherrod Brown (D-OH), J
John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV),
Dick Durbin (D-IL),
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY),
Tom Harkin (D-IA),
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI),
Carl Levin (D-MI),
Jack Reed (D-RI),
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI),
Bernie Sanders (I-VT),
Bob Casey (D-PA),
Jim Webb (D-VA),
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI),
Jeff Merkley (D-OR),
Ted Kaufman (D-DE), and
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

It's hard to see which ones are not there, but two pop into my mind at once. Patrick Leahy and Bill Nelson.

I compared the list above with the New Blue Dog Coalition formed by Evan Bayh....which he prefers to call a "moderate coalition." I did this because I think this group will keep many of the goals of this administration from getting done.

Democratic "centrists" empower Republicans

When Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) announced the formation of his new "centrist" Senate caucus on MSNBC yesterday, he was a little evasive about his group's membership.

For what it's worth, Roll Call had an item about Bayh's endeavor -- it's apparently being called the "Moderate Dems Working Group" -- citing a press release of its membership. Bayh will apparently lead the group, along with
Sens. Tom Carper (Del.) and
Blanche Lincoln (Ark.).

The rest of the membership includes,

Sens. Mark Udall (Colo.),
Michael Bennet (Colo.),
Mark Begich (Alaska),
Kay Hagan (N.C.),
Herb Kohl (Wis.),
Mary Landrieu (La.),
Joe Lieberman (Conn.),
Claire McCaskill (Mo.),
Ben Nelson (Neb.) ,
Bill Nelson (Fla.),
Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and
Mark Warner (Va.).

That's 15 people are willing to be identified with the group. Bayh said there are "three or four" other Democrats -- he said they're in the "witness protection program" -- who are affiliated with this, but didn't want their names on the announcement. Ryan Powers noted three Democratic "centrists" who "have been reported as attending Bayh's meetings in recent weeks," but whose names weren't disclosed: Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.), Klobuchar (Minn.), and Pryor (Ark.).

That brings the total up to 18 -- about a third of the Senate Democratic caucus -- which is anxious, for reasons I'll never fully understand, to water down the popular agenda of a popular president.

I see McCaskill's name is on the list in support of the public option. I don't see any of the "known" others. Of course we can't be sure of the "unknown" cowardly others on Bayh's list who refuse to have their names listed.

It is going to be a real fight to get a government-run public option through the Senate. I think that is what Dean was trying to say on Ed's show today, and Katrina Vanden Heuvel as well. Ed seemed a little upset that Dean would not say more about the single payer, but he was being realistic.

Single payer at this point would do too much harm to the insurance companies, but perhaps down the road would work as more and more people chose to go with a government option.

Kathleen Sebelius could never come out and say that having the Medicare option opened up to those who want and need it would lead to single payer in the future, but gradually. She said that it would not. What else could she say?

But if you think about it, the fight the insurance companies will put up shows that they think that it will....lead to single payer that is. They are actually asking to be regulated, that tells us something.