In health care debate, two powerful South Carolinians face off

U-S House leaders who passed a health care reform bill this week are optimistic as it now goes to the Senate. But there’s a still a battle ahead. For every bill there are two sides to the debate. On one side, South Carolina’s Sixth District Congressman James Clyburn leads the fight for passage for the Democrats.
“And for us this caucus to coalesce around a legislation that we have just passed this evening goes well with the people of this caucus, and it goes well for the people of this great country,” says Clyburn.
On the other side, some, mostly Republican, believe the bill’s “public option” would be a detrimental government take-over. Only one House Republican voted in the bill’s favor, and now it has to face Senate Republicans. South Carolina’s Senator Lindsay Graham says the House bill includes items that will render it “dead on arrival” when it gets to his side of Congress.
“Over a trillion dollars in new spending, it does have the public option. So, the House bill is a non-starter in the Senate,” says Graham.