The fix was in once the meaningless "public option" was sold to and bought by progressives as the proper vessel for health "reform," and with constant rallying for it being treated as an acceptable substitute for the promised open and transparent process that considered all options.
As comedians say, "if you buy the premise, you buy the bit." "Public option" was a bait-and-switch, and progressives got had, bad.
5:48 PM, December 15, 2009
Those progressives (like me) who warned the Democrats about Lieberman at least have the consolation of saying "I told you so". Small comfort for the loss of the public option from the Senate health care reform bill. And we're not even getting some kind of substitute. The scuttlebutt is that Rahm told Reid to cave to Lieberman (who will probably find something else to object to between now and when the final bill comes up for cloture.)
It could get put back in during the conference committee, but I assume Lieberman will raise the same stink he's raising now.
Fixing our political institutions is very important. And the Senate is one in most desperate need of reform. I understand that most of the country is more right-wing than me. That's fine. But it's not fine that the Senate gives disproportionate power to one side of the political spectrum.
posted by Zachary Drake at 9:19 AM on Dec 15, 2009
"Damn: Lieberman kills Public Option"
1 Comment -
It's worse than that, Z.
The fix was in once the meaningless "public option" was sold to and bought by progressives as the proper vessel for health "reform," and with constant rallying for it being treated as an acceptable substitute for the promised open and transparent process that considered all options.
As comedians say, "if you buy the premise, you buy the bit." "Public option" was a bait-and-switch, and progressives got had, bad.
5:48 PM, December 15, 2009