Why did Democrats resist a public option and go with a weakened version in the final bill?

[yurbud]

One way to cut through all the bullshit and spin

[no limit]

1. There is no public option in the house bill? That's some serious breaking news here

because I read otherwise everywhere else.

[yurbud]

2. read subject line of OP--it says "weakened"

[bigtree]

6. the progressives promised to hold out for a 'robust' public option

They say that - after deciding to break the pledge they signed - that there's 'work to be done'. I wonder if they mean 'work' in the Senate bill, or do they just intend to push reform of the PO they passed on to sometime after 2013?

[spiritual_gunfighter]

3. If you want to support a public option that will only be avaliable to 2% of all Americans

feel free to do so.

[no limit]

18. I guess not having any public option would be the better choice? No thanks

You have to start somewhere. I don't like the fact they watered this down; but the fact remains that the public option will be in there. And that's moving us in the right direction; once people see how well such an option works Im sure it will be expended within a few years.

[bigtree]

20. 'I'm sure it will be expended within a few years.'

This is how folks who have everything they want or need put the neglected ones off. 'Don't worry, we'll get to you.' I'm not holding my breath with my hands folded neatly in my lap. If you believe in a strong public option you need to keep fighting for it - in THIS Congress. If you have what you need, it should be a natural thing to fight for those who don't. All of this putting it off to the future while folks who already have insurance or can afford it in some form feather their own nests is a shame, And with all of the money squandered elsewhere, we're still getting a miserly slap in the face. Despicable.

[Jamastiene]

22. It's a shame that people cannot have compassion for

others. They totally dropped the ball when it came to fighting for the public option.

[no limit]

32. Tell me what you need me to do to pass a public option, I'll do it

If you don't have any ideas outside of the call your congressman bullshit then we have to live with what we got. And this is a lot better than no bill at all and we'll be lucky if it actually gets through the senate. You can ignore that all you want but that's just the way things are.

[bigtree]

36. the 'way things are'

. . . is that this isn't the time to concede to these compromises and reversals. I think that the more we understand the state and form of this legislation, the better we'll be able to defend or advocate our positions when we do make our outside appeals. If you're too frustrated to discuss it then you should opt out of these threads.

[no limit]

38. I asked you a question. What do you want me to do to get the public option passed

I'm sorry you didn't have an answer, because at first you made it sound like you did.

[robinlynne]

26. The point is it will onyl work well if it is large and used by many people. You can read

about that from the man who created the public option concept. If not available it can not work. It will be more expensive than private prices are now. What would make it work is the large number of people enrolled. That is how you keep prices down.

[no limit]

35. Well the CBO thinks this bill will cover 96% of the uninsured. you disagree with that?

Sure, most of those wont be through the public option yet. But I don't buy your premise that it wont work. If this bill is ineffective 96% of the uninsured wouldn't end up covered. And that public option will always be there as a threat to insurance companies; if they start jacking up their prices the government can expend eligibility.

Is this as good as a strong public option? Of course not. But it's a crap load better than a trigger or a co-op. And I'll take it.

[robinlynne]

39. The public option will be priced based on "the market". Only uninsured are eligible

either at poverty level (whatever percentage they are allowing, poverty plus something) or if you work for a small business AND are uninsured for at least 6 months.
We cannot apply for the public option and switch from private insurance to the public option. And it will not be cheaper anyway, so....

I think free clinics might work better than this.

[Echo In Light]

4. Other: Knew that a strong PO was NEVER going to come about

[yurbud]

5. defeatism is retarded

[Echo In Light]

7. One man's realism is another's "defeatism."

psst... it's a rigged game, k?

[yurbud]

10. work on unrigging it or bang your head against the rigged game until they are forced to do what you

want.

[Echo In Light]

13. Great theory ... have an actual plan that means more than a fart in a wind tunnel?

The corporations have all three branches of govt bought n paid for.

So ... Write all the letters you want, blog all you want, call your Reps all you want, march all you want - don't mean SHIT to Power. Until more finally realize the lessons of history, this illusory rep democracy will continue on its path w/Power taking more and more for itself over the backs of The Many - until enough of The Many finally say, Fuck. You. (and MEAN it) Until then it remains a populace of brainwashed cowards who are willing to over-inflate the crumbs thrown to them by Power so that they don't have to face the bitter truth.

[yurbud]

21. so do support dictatorship, participatory democracy, or just rolling with whichever is on top at the

moment?

[Echo In Light]

25. The brilliance of the illusion is, it allows us to be participatory w/o threatening corporate rule

Just convince the majority of the politically indoctrinated classes into accepting and abiding the long established and perpetuated framework re their "participation."

[yurbud]

29. I agree. what do you think will work better?

It's clear that the difference between the dems and gop is window dressing on environment, gay rights, and whether we have a token social safety net or none at all.

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. Reality isn't. It's a rigged game. And not in our favor.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Yep. It was always a scam from day 1. It was a lure to get the people off the notion of single payer

and then it was dismantled to the point that it doesn't really exist.

Joe Lieberman was chosen as the person in the Senate to be the "bad cop," leaving the rest of the caucus the roll of the 'good cops.'

Joe is very important to to the Dems because he provides them with cover. That's why they love him and won't do anything to threaten his very valuable function in the Senate. He let's them collect their contributions in relative peace.

[yurbud]

16. The Democrats genius strategy: concede half the battle BEFORE you even start negotiating

then negotiate down to next to no change.

[Echo In Light]

17. Hence the expression comes to mind, Dime's worth of difference

"America has one political party with two right wings." - Gore Vidal

[jgraz]

23. Yeah, wasn't Obama's slogan "No We Can't -- Don't Even Try"?

I seem to remember something like that...

[rucky]

8. All of the above - to varying degrees.

[VMI Dem]

11. Because they knew that beaten down sheep would accept it as better than nothing.

Sad.

[Echo In Light]

15. It's called Strategy ... and in the US, it's ASTONISHINGLY easy & predictable

[yurbud]

12. this got UNrec's? can someone please balance out the trolls?

[chill_wind]

19. Already rec'd. Kicking.

[yurbud]

30. thanks

[redqueen]

14. Other - politics.

For some it was PAC contributions and lobbyists and that kinda crap.

For others it might have been that their electorate really doesn't like 'soshulizm'.

For others it might have been various other reasons, depending on your version of 'public option' (disruption to private insurance companies, ignorance, whofuckinknows...)

[jtrockville]

24. It seems our congress views their duty as representing their contributors

not their constituents. OR maybe their contributors ARE their constituents and we no longer have representation.

[Echo In Light]

27. George Carlin -"Who Really Controls America"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIC0eZYEtI

"They don't care about you at all...at all...at all."

[yurbud]

40. sad but true

[leftstreet]

28. Because Democratic Party Spinelessness is a pre-existing condition

n/t

[Echo In Light]

31. Institutional collusion doesn't equate to cowardice. Huge matter of intent within either of those.

[reggie the dog]

33. so we agree that our house is made up of a bunch

of corrupt assholes.

[Vidar]

34. Corruption.