Landrieu Disinvited For Standing In The Way Of Reform

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.