Landrieu’s Ambivalence on Health Reform Costs Her Keynote at Florida Fundraiser

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) was orginally scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Palm Beach County Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser. (The fundraiser had previously been known as the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, but this year was renamed the Truman-Kennedy-Johnson dinner.) Landrieu was disinvited by the local party committee because she has not yet decide to support cloture on health care reform.

Landrieu, a moderate who recently described herself as “extremely concerned about a government-run, taxpayer-funded, national public plan,” has not committed to voting to cut off a likely Republican filibuster and forcing a vote on the legislation.

Democrats need 60 votes to invoke “cloture” and force a vote.

“We just didn’t want to have a keynote speaker who’s not committed to cloture. It would have just been wrong,” said Siegel, who said party higher-ups and rank-and-file members had voiced displeasure with the choice of Landrieu as a keynoter.

Voting against a bill you don’t agree with is one thing. Joining with Republicans to prevent one of the most important Democratic pieces of legislation in decades from getting an up-or-down vote in the Senate is another. To the Palm Beach Democratic Party, it is was step too far.

Related posts:

1. Landrieu: Trying to Find the “Center” of Health Care Reform
2. Liveblog: Senate Vote on Cloture for Health Care Reform Bill
3. Mary Landrieu: “At Some Point, Harry Reid Will Have To Indulge Us Spoiled Children”
4. DFA Won’t Pull Their Health Care Ads Attacking Mary Landrieu
5. Change Congress and PCCC Will Not Pull Ads Attacking Mary Landrieu