At the start, the polls showed good support for health care reform. A Democratic House and the Senate; this time it would work differently than the Clinton attempt years ago. With polls showing public support, it could be fixed, right? Change.
Late yesterday leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus wrote to Obama saying
“A health reform bill without a robust public option will not achieve the health reform this country so desperately needs,” the letter continues. “We cannot vote for anything less…..We look forward to meeting with you regarding a robust public option in any final health reform bill and request that that meeting take place as soon as possible,”
Obama needed a reminder even during the campaign about where a big chunk of his support was coming from. An online petition and letter from the Nation Magazine forwarded to Obama urged him to follow up his rhetoric with support of progressive issues. Part of the 2008 letter read
We recognize that compromise is necessary in any democracy…………. But retreating from the stands that have been the signature of your campaign will weaken the movement whose vigorous backing you need in order to win and then deliver the change you have promised.
First Snowe , then squeeze a caucus.
Maybe it was predicable .Here from an article in late 2008 about Obama and his Chicago guys. The author a reporter with long Chicago experience who wrote in the Washington Independent said of the Obama Chicago team By and large, this is a bunch of pragmatic deal makers who view ideology – especially extreme left-wing ideology – as a weakness.
This seems relevant with news that the White House is still negotiating for a compromise bill with Maine Republican Olympia Snow. Snowe is perhaps the last remaining Republican member of what had been the bi-partisan “Gang of Six “.
A “Gang of One ” ?
Searching out a middle where none exists .
CNN reports that the compromise would not include a public option but leave the door open for a public option provision added at a later date.
The Plum Line blog says ..
should Obama jettison the public option, progressives will come under tremendous pressure to back the plan anyway. White House advisers will likely insist that liberals mustn’t deny the president a historic victory and enable a defeat that could cripple the first African-American presidency.
http://washingtonindependent.c…
Ezra Klein draws a helpful analogy to show that there are real limits to what we should accept as compromises before any plan veers into an unviable option.
This seems a good place to repeat what Howard Dean said yesterday while appearing on something resembling a news show on Fox. Curious he didn’t wind up in the administration. Dean is speaking like a governor,Obama is behaving like a senator.