Mary Landrieu isn’t cheap: What about the other Senators?

We need to get something straight: Senator Mary Landrieu’s vote was not bought for $100 million, as some have speculated. The Senator cleared this up recently:

During her speech on the Senate floor, Landrieu touted the measure that she says would help her state. “I am not going to be defensive,” she said. “And it’s not a $100 million fix. It’s a $300 million fix.” But she insisted that the funds were not the reason for her vote.

You can say what you want about Senator Landrieu, but you can’t say she’s cheap. Of course, the same will also become true of her Senate colleagues. Think about it: If you blindly support the health care bill, you won’t have any goodies sent to your state that you can take credit for, while those who “go rogue” will be offered benefits for their support. Just another case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Will other Senators attempt to use their vote to extract more money for their state? If so, it’s conceivable that the price and complexity of the bill could rise substantially.

I’ve read various opinions about the bill’s chances, but I happen to think it has an excellent chance of passing in some form. Of course, it will probably look much different than the one that received 60 votes on Saturday, and it will probably be much more expensive after Harry Reid is finished playing Santa Claus.