No negotiations with legislative kidnappers.

[Tom Rinaldo]

Any version of health care reform any weaker than the Senate Bill that was introduced is unacceptable. If the current Public Option gets any tinier it will require a microscope to be visible. End tyranny by the minority. Reconciliation is an option - Use It.

When Democratic centrists get away with holding national legislation hostage to their whims through use of filibuster threats, they are no better than legislative kidnappers demanding a ransom for their procedural votes. This isn't about them voting their conscience on a bill before Congress, it is about them threatening to join a Republican filibuster against a central part of the Democratic agenda, and we should no more be negotiating further compromises with with them than we would with any hostage takers. It only emboldens them further.

All prior attempts to be "reasonable" have resulted in a) forgoing any real discussion of a single payer system, b) abandoning "Medicare plus 5", c) refusing to allow most Americans the choice of a Public Option, d) shrinking the pool of those who could choose a public option down to 6 million in the House, and d) allowing States to opt out of even offering a public option in the Senate.

So called centrists in the Democratic Party wield great power because we allow them to. They long ago learned that "just say no" works like a charm to force other Democrats to say "yes" to whatever they demand. Now they no longer even feel constrained to just threaten to vote against a Democratic piece of legislation, now they feel empowered to threaten to filibuster with Republicans, and they demand respect and rewards for doing so. We don't need their votes that badly, we just need 51. We might as well pay ransom to Somali pirates as cave to their legislative blackmail now.