Progressives are making it clear on tv and online that there is no deal unless we get a robust public option in this bill. Period. As each day brings ups and downs with a vacillating WH eager to make a deal any deal progressives are gorwing stronger to me in voice and message.
While the WH had another muddled day on message, and a new fury with liberals over the Jones debacle progressives were the ones on message. On the same page.
Rep Ellison on CNN this morning was wonderful. He said it was time Obama pressure those who do not have his back on his initiaves. Progressives are trying to back Obama on the PO and make sure he is a sucesss. Ellison made no triangulated comments. He said there was no way he would voted for a trigger or co op. See it below.
Also Rep Waters was her usual kick ass self on ABC This Week. She, like Ellison, emphasized that Democrats can pass a real reform bill with a public option right now. She noted Republicans have been given waay to much time and they still vow to not support. No trigger is worth one GOP vote.
And best for last-Darcy Burner, head of the progressive think tank organizing the progressives in congress on the PO, made it clear tonight on OpenLeft that progs will kill this bill if has mandates for private insurance with no PO to control costs and give choice. She said she hopes Obama realizes that progs are trying to prevent a disaster for the party with a bill that has a trigger or worse.
Burner gives no if ands or buts. She makes the clear case for why progs will kill this bill if it has NO PO. Mandating private insurance uncontrolled cost wise is a regressive tax on the people. That is profoundly un liberal.
Dean was out to on Fox pushing the clear message that Dems control congress and have no excue not to turn out a real reform bill with a PO at minimum. He said there is a reason for elections.
So it appears the progs now have organized with a real message that is consistent. This portends good things to me. As Ellison noted to John King on Ben Nelson backing a trigger: the ins industry has had 60 yrs of a free ride. We progs want to reign them in.
KEEP PRESSING CONGRESS AND POTUS ON REAL REFORM. WE PROGS ARE TRYING TO PREVENT FAILURE HERE. WE WANT REAL COMPREHSIVE REFORM FOR ALL. NOW.
UPDATED: IN THE HILL THIS AM REP CLARKE FROM NY HAS SOME CHOICE WORDS FOR POTUS ABOUT HIS SPEECH AND THE PO. IF OBAMA WONT STAND FIRM ON IT SHE WARNS OF HIM HAVING A"REAL HARD TIME" GETTING LIBERALS TO BACK HIM ON OTHER AGENDA ITEMS. REMEMBER OBAMA NEEDS THEM BADLY AS THE PROGS ARE THE MOST RELIABLE DEMS . THEY- WE - ARE THE FOOT SOLDIERS AND ENERGY OF THE PARTY. CLARKE REMINDS POTUS OF THIS:
http://thehill.com/...
Why the House progressives should kill healthcare reform if there's no public option
by: Darcy Burner
Sun Sep 06, 2009
I keep having the same argument, in which someone says, "The progressives won't really kill healthcare reform, right? Even if they don't get a public option - right?"
And I unfailingly respond, "Actually, they will. And they should."
A no-public-option bill would mandate that every American buy health insurance while ensuring skyrocketing premiums. What sane politician would vote for a bill like that?
The public option is essential to the success of the reforms - not merely for political reasons, but for fundamental policy reasons.
Simply put, if you want other reforms like elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, you need a public option because:
* Reforms such as eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions only work if you have an individual mandate.
* If you have an individual mandate, rates will skyrocket unless you have a public option to provide competition (or rate controls, which aren't even on the table).
So what opponents of the public option are proposing is that we pass a bill that will spike the cost of health insurance at the same time we require everyone by law to buy it.
Given that as the alternative, we are in fact better off with no reform.
...
For this to be meaningful, they have to insure everyone, and they can't cherry-pick by charging those who need care way more than the healthy. (These are all key elements of the current proposals.) ... Great! Now lots of people won't buy insurance until somebody in their family gets really sick - since they know that the insurance company will have to cover them once they buy in, and in the meantime they can save themselves the cost of the premiums.
That clearly doesn't work: if the only people who buy insurance are the sick ones, the cost of insurance skyrockets, setting up a vicious cycle that destroys the risk-spreading insurance element of the whole thing.
The public option is the only thing on the table that would provide a meaningful check on insurance companies. It would guarantee a high-quality low-cost alternative would be available that the insurance companies would have to compete with for the business of the American people.
So yes, progressives should kill a bill without the public option. No sane Member of Congress should vote for it. ...And as for the arguments this would be catastrophically damaging to President Obama? He has a choice. He can chose to succeed with a robust public option, or he can choose to fail.
If you have ways of getting messages to your Members of Congress or to the White House, now might be a really good time to send them.
http://www.openleft.com/...
Rep Ellison on CNN State of the Union. Really great here. Says how about other members of the party compromise for once instead of progressives? Hah. Says POTUS must push conservative party members on PO. Progs are trying to get Obama’s back on what he wants. Must see TV.
Video:
http://www.cnn.com/...
Rep Waters on This Week: Says Can be No Bipartisan Deal. Time to Act.