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D.C. Dispatches by Derek Wallbank

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    Senate leaders set health-care vote for Saturday evening

    By Derek Wallbank | Published Fri, Nov 20 2009 1:39 pm

    WASHINGTON D.C. — It was always noon in the O.K. Corral, but here it's Saturday evening.

    Senate Democratic leaders have set the time for the first official showdown over health care reform in that chamber — 7 p.m. central time. The vote is on a procedural motion to bring the 2,074-page health-care bill to the floor for debate, and 60 votes are needed.

    Spokespeople with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken today said the two will be among those voting in favor of the motion to proceed — though that was never really in doubt. The big question is whether or not a year-long courting of three centrist Democrats — Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska — and of Maine Republican Olympia Snowe will pay off.

    Following this vote, proponents will again have to clear the 60-vote hurdle to end debate and then find a majority on the final vote. Neither of those two votes have been scheduled.

    Both Franken and Klobuchar are scheduled to deliver remarks on the floor Saturday in favor of advancing the legislation; Franken at 2 p.m. and Klobuchar at 4:10 p.m.

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    minnpost.com/derekwallbank


    Derek Wallbank is MinnPost's Washington, D.C., correspondent, covering Minnesota's congressional delegation and reporting on developments out of Washington that are important to Minnesota readers. After graduating from Michigan State University, he covered Michigan politics for the Gongwer News Service, a publication aimed at political insiders. Later he became a reporter for the Lansing State Journal, writing about education and politics and founding the Journal's respected politics blog. Most recently he was a researcher and reporter with Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at dwallbank[at]minnpost[dot]com.

    More dispatches by Derek Wallbank