Why Obama Proposal’s Lack Of Public Option Isn’t Necessarily A Catastrophe

[kpete]

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog
Posted at 02/23/2010, 01:12 PM EST
Why Obama Proposal’s Lack Of Public Option Isn’t Necessarily A Catastrophe

A bunch of people are wringing their hands rather loudly over the fact that the proposal Obama unveiled yesterday doesn’t have a public option in it. And that’s understandable: It would have been better for the public plan’s prospects if Obama had thrown his weight behind it in his first affirmative presentation of a specific health reform proposal.

But still: People need to chill out. The lack of a public option in the President’s proposal is not necessarily a catastrophe and doesn’t necessarily spell doom for it.

For those who are pushing the idea of passing the public plan via reconciliation, the chronology they were envisioning never was contingent on Obama including it in the proposal he takes to the summmit. The whole point all along has been to push Dems to stage a reconciliation vote on the public option after the decision is made to do reform as a whole via this route. This would only take place after the summit.

There was never any reasonable chance Obama would take a public option to the summit. The gathering is supposed to signal a willingness to compromise with Republicans in some fashion. Including the public plan would have just made it far easier for Republicans to cast Obama as acting in bad faith, since it’s been the provision most aggressively derided by the GOP as the centerpiece of the dreaded “government takeover” reform represents.

more:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/why-obama-proposals-lack-of-public-option-isnt-necessary-a-catastrophe/

[Better Believe It]

1. What's left to compromise? The insurance industry has what they want.

[Donnachaidh]

2. And don't forget Pharma -- that backroom deal got done very quickly

Don't expect anything to be done for the voters now that future campaign contributions are covered ad infinitum. And the SCOTUS ruling put the seal of approval on all the little deals.

[Hawkowl]

3. Only catastrophic to Obama's re-election chances

I can't believe I used to think Obama was a political genius. The lack of a public option would be the beginning of the end of his administration's ability to accomplish anything. It will be his signature sign of weakness (think Carter's Iranian hostage crisis). What a maroon!

[tabatha]

4. Sensible article.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

5. Ah the ol' 3 Dimensional Chess theory n/t