Defections have some Democrats casting about for Plan B - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com

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By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s appeals for party unity landed with a thud Tuesday with the very group he needs for his public-option push to pay off: centrists who hold the key to health reform.

And not just any centrists but one who makes liberals see red: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP attempt to block the bill from moving to final passage.

Lieberman’s comments dealt a major setback to Reid’s push to pass a bill with a public insurance option, so much so that other Senate Democrats — notably Delaware Sen. Tom Carper — were already sketching out a Plan B to get the votes, most likely through a more watered-down version of the public option.
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