>>> IT IS 11:00 A.M. OUT ST, 2:00 P.M. IN WASHINGTON.
WE ARE FOLLOWING SENATOR JOHN McCAIN BREAKING NEWS, ANNOUNCING
MOMENTS AGO THAT HE IS A NO ON THE GRAHAM/CASSIDY HEALTH CARE
BILL. IT PUTS HIM AT ODDS WITH SENATOR
LINDSAY GRAHAM, WHO HAS OFTEN BEEN ONE OF HIS FIERCEST ALLIES
IN THE SENATE. NBC NEWS CAPITOL HILL
CORRESPONDENT KASIE HUNT IS GETTING MIC'ED UP.
JOHN McCAIN RELEASED A STATEMENT, SAYING I CANNOT IN
GOOD CONSCIENCE VOTE FOR THE GRAHAM/CASSIDY PROPOSAL.
I BELIEVE WE COULD DO BETTER WORKING TOGETHER.
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, AND HAVE NOT YET REALLY TRIED.
NOR COULD I SUPPORT IT WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MUCH IT WILL COST,
HOW IT WILL AFFECT INSURANCE PREMIUMS AND HOW MANY PEOPLE
WILL BE HELPED OR HURT BY IT. WITHOUT A FULL CBO SCORE,
REMEMBER, THE CBO SAID IT WOULD TAKE WEEKS TO SCORE THIS BILL,
WHICH WON'T BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF THE MONTH, WE WON'T HAVE
A RELIABLE ANSWER TO ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS.
THEY WANT TO GET THIS DONE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30th,
OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S THE TIME FRAME THEY CAN DO IT WITHOUT -- BY
ONLY USING A SIMPLE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY, MORE THAN 50 VOTES, 51
VOTES. KASIE HUNT IS WITH ME NOW.
KASIE, THIS SHOULDN'T COME AS THAT MUCH OF A SURPRISE.
JOHN McCAIN WAS CALLING TO GO BACK TO REGULAR ORDER, TO HAVE
HEARINGS ON SOMETHING LIKE HEALTH CARE, A BILL AS IMPORTANT
AS THIS, SOME BIPARTISAN EFFORTS THERE.
THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. THEY WERE TRYING TO RAM THIS
THROUGH. >> Reporter: I HAVE TO TELL YOU,
I'M A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED THAT WE ARE GETTING JOHN McCAIN
COMING OUT FRONT ON THIS BEFORE WE HAVE HEARD FROM LISA
MURKOWSKI OF ALASKA, BEFORE WE DEFINITIVELY HEARD FROM SUSAN
COLLINS OF MAINE. I THINK THAT TELLS YOU A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT HIS THINKING IN CONTEXT OF WHAT WAS GOING TO
UNFOLD OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
THINK ABOUT IT. THEY HAVE A HUGE HEARING THAT IS
NOW SCHEDULED FOR 2:00 IN THE AFTERNOON ON MONDAY.
THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE ONE PUBLIC AIRING FOR THIS BILL.
McCONNELL, THE MAJORITY LEADER, HAD SAID HE INTENDED TO PUT IT
ON THE FLOOR NEXT WEEK. THAT WOULD PUT IT ON THE FLOOR
PROBABLY TUESDAY WITH VOTES WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY,
CONSIDERING THERE'S ANOTHER JEWISH HOLIDAY.
BUT WHAT THIS REALLY DOES IS THROWS UP A QUICK STOP SIGN IN
THE ROAD, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE VOTE COUNT RIGHT NOW, IF
MURKOWSKI AND COLLINS WERE BOTH TO GO AHEAD AND SAY THEY WOULD
VOTE FOR THIS, THAT OF COURSE WOULD STILL ALLOW IT TO GO
THROUGH. BUT I HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE AND
WE HERE AT NBC NEWS ARE REACHING OUT AGAIN TO SENATOR COLLINS AND
SENATOR MURKOWSKI'S STAFF TO SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY UPUPDATES HERE.
BUT I'M NOW, I WOULD BE EXTREMELY SURPRISED IF IT GOT TO
THE POINT WHERE THIS WOULD POTENTIALLY HAVE 51 VOTES.
I THIS I THE LENGTH OF THIS STATEMENT JOHN McCAIN PUT OUT
SAYS HE KNOWS THAT AND IN SOME WAYS, I THINK HE MAY BE TRYING
TO SPARE HIS PARTY ANOTHER EMBARRASSING SHOWDOWN ON THE
FLOOR OF THE SENATE. NOW, THE OTHER THING IS, HE
NOTES IN THIS STATEMENT THE BILL'S AUTHORS ARE MY DEAR
FRIENDS AND I THINK THE WORLD OF THEM.
THIS IS -- >> WE KNOW THEY HAVE A STRONG
RELATIONSHIP. >> Reporter: VERY STRONG.
IT WOULD BE FAIR TO CALL LINDSAY GRAHAM AND JOHN McCAIN BEST
FRIENDS IN THE SENATE. THEY ARE OFTEN PALLING AROUND
TOGETHER. LINDSAY GRAHAM OF COURSE WAS
VISIBLY UPSET WHEN HE FOUND OUT HIS FRIEND McCAIN WAS BATTLING
CANCER. THEY ARE OFTEN SPOTTED TOGETHER,
THEY ARE ON THE PHONE TOGETHER. THEY REALLY DO PAL AROUND.
LINDSAY GRAHAM, I SPOKE TO HIM A COUPLE TIMES LAST WEEK, HE WAS
IN A PRETTY UNUSUAL POSITION WITH THIS BILL.
HE IS SOMEBODY WHO IS OUT FRONT PUBLICLY ON A LOT OF THINGS, BUT
VERY RARELY DOES HE FIND HIMSELF IN POSITION TO BE THE ONE WHO'S
SELLING A MAJOR PIECE OF LEGISLATION OR HAS SO MUCH
RIDING ON SOMETHING THAT HE'S DOING.
AND IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR HE WAS FEELING THE PRESSURE LAST WEEK.
SO I THINK THAT IT COULD PUT A STRAIN ON THEIR FRIENDSHIP.
I'M SURE THAT McCAIN LET LINDSAY GRAHAM KNOW ABOUT THIS.
I'M GOING TO DOUBLE-CHECK THIS. BUT I WOULD IMAGINE THEY WERE IN
COMMUNICATION BEFORE THE STATEMENT WENT OUT.
>> GAVE A HEADS-UP ON THIS. >> THAT WOULD BE THE TYPICAL
DECORUM HERE. >> IT'S A SEVEN-PARAGRAPH
STATEMENT, IF YOU HAVE BIG TYPE LIKE I DO, IT SPANS THREE PAGES.
JOHN McCAIN IS OF COURSE THE PERSON WHO -- ONE OF THE PEOPLE
WHO TORPEDOED THE LAST ATTEMPT AT HEALTH CARE IN THE SENATE.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN GOING FORWARD?
IF THIS DOES, IN FACT, END UP KILLING THIS BILL, NOW IT'S
LOOKING MORE LIKELY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR REPUBLICANS?
CAN THEY GET ANYTHING DONE GOING FORWARD?
>> WELL, LOOK, I THINK THE CONCERN, AND ONE OF THE REASONS
WE SAW THIS FLARE BACK UP AGAIN THE WAY THAT IT DID WAS THERE
WAS A PERCEPTION BACK AT HOME OVER THE AUGUST RECESS FROM A
LOT OF PEOPLE WENT BACK TO THEIR HOME STATES AND DISTRICTS AND
THEY WEREN'T JUST HEARING FROM CONSTITUENTS.
THEY WERE WERE HEARING FROM LOE DONORS, LONG-TIME SUPPORTERS,
PEOPLE THEY HAD KNOWN FOR YEARS WHO SAID HEY, WHY CAN'T YOU GET
ANYTHING DONE. AND THAT CHANGED KIND OF THE
PREVAILING MOOD ON CAPITOL HILL AROUND THIS.
NOW, I WOULD SAY LEADERSHIP IS MORE INCLINED TO FIX THAT BY
TRYING TO PASS TAX REFORM. THEY FEEL LIKE OKAY, LOT OF
THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR A REALLY LONG TIME WILL
FORGIVE US IF WE CAN SHOW THEM WE CAN PASS A MASSIVE TAX CUT
THAT WILL HELP THEM. THAT WILL ULTIMATELY DEMONSTRATE
THAT WE ARE PAST THE FAILURE OF HEALTH REFORM.
BUT THERE WERE OBVIOUSLY THESE VOICES INSIDE THE CONFERENCE
THAT WANTE WANTED THE TRY AGAIN HEALTH CARE.
MY READ OF THE TIMING OF THIS, THIS IS AGAIN JUST MY ANALYSIS
AND I SHOULD EMPHASIZE WE ARE STILL MAKING MORE AND MORE PHONE
CALLS ABOUT THIS, BUT THIS I THINK LESSENS THE EMBARRASSMENT
POTENTIALLY OF HAVING ANOTHER VERY HIGH PROFILE FAILURE ON THE
FLOOR OF THE SENATE. THIS IS FRIDAY AFTERNOON, 2:00.
WE ARE HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND. INSTEAD OF SPENDING THE WEEKEND
AND SUNDAY SHOWS TALKING ABOUT WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY AND
AMPING UP THE PRESSURE AROUND THIS AND HAVING EVERYTHING
FOCUSED ON IT EARLY NEXT WEEK, THIS POTENTIALLY DEFUSES IT.
IT'S STILL AN EMBARRASSING EPISODE POTENTIALLY.
WE HAVE TO SAY WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT COLLINS AND MURKOWSKI.
>>