WATCH: For Sale -- The Public Option (OBO)

Some progressive friends of mine don't seem to understand that we've already been sold out on the Public Option. That's the truth but it's not the last word. I beleive there is still time for serious pushback from progressives on the insane course of capitulation and compromise that the White House is on. I still believe that there's time for the President to do the right thing, morally and politically.

But the first step is seeing the problem for what it is. Some people don't want to see it, so I made this video.

There are actually progressives - smart people, usually - who are saying that they are holding out 'hope' until they hear the President say, "The Public Option is dead!" Of course, that's not how things work. We'll never hear that. We'll just watch as the President signs a bill that's a giveaway to the insurance industry...the same way we watched as he signed the giveaway to the financial industry.

The President and his advisors are already telling us everything we need to hear in order to know what's going on - the Public Option isn't something that President Obama views as essential and he's willing to compromise on it. If you want real health reform, there's no positive way to parse that.

Does that mean the Public Option is dead? If we sit back and put our trust in the President, it is.

But if we fight back against the President and stand with the progressives in the House, there's still a chance to save real health care reform. If we let the President know in no uncertain terms that he needs to change course and support The Public Option as a bare minimum or lose our support, there's still a chance.

If the President moves forward with his weak position on the Public Option - which is already a compromise to the real reform of single payer - he's lost my support. Will I vote for Republican in 2012? Of course not. But I sure won't vote for Barack Obama.

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Comments

[RumiSouth]

Lee, I think he's going to make the public option a separate issue from the rest of health care reform. That's to buy time to impress the facts on America, such as that the p.o. will save $400 billion from the price tag of the bill.

[BLBass]

Before being sanguine about that potential split bill, get a commitment that this is what will happen. It's too easy (assuming Obama even intends this) for Congress to say, "but we just gave you reform and it cost so much money, don't ask us to fight the same fight again!" Giving away the centerpiece of effective health reform in the interests of passing the important, but lesser (and less controversial) pieces of insurance reform is a strategic move we can consider making, but not a wise one and absolutely not without a firm public commitment to raise the issue again, and soon. As Howard Dean has repeatedly and correctly put it, if we're not going to get the public option then we should just do insurance reform as a regulatory fix -- it's not worth spending any money, let alone the trillion it would take to do current plans without including a public option, just to get the same effect Vermont got 15 years ago basically for free.

[pinkibus]

Most people in America brought America to its knees. They want to have ten shirts instead of five so companies went to Asia where they could get labor for thirty dollars a month plus vegetarian meals and a bed - sort of like slave labor but not in the land of the free. They wanted to drive SUV's so they don't care about the countries which sold the oil to America. Saudi Arabia is like a rich Taliban.. They cut off heads and women must be covered in black from head to toe. Hussein was ruthless but he refused to allow private oil companies to have the run of Iraq's oil fields. Similarly, Americans allow the richest country in the world to have a ridiculously high infant mortality rate. Lazy, criminal babies. Tens of thousands die annually because of lack of health insurance. How many Twin Towers is that each and every year and nobody cares?

[BLBass]

Booyah! now there's a video expressing what so many here can't seem to grasp.

There's an important distinction to draw. Obama (or this hypothetical CLer) "prefer" the public option but are open to other ideas. I'm open to other ideas too, but with a significant burden of proof. Don't allow opponents of reform to paint us as inflexible, because we're not. We've bent further than we ever thought would be necessary, and I for one am ready to bend still farther. But I am not willing to bend on my commitment to the best possible results, and that's what any counter-proposals must convince me would be met. So far, none of the alternatives have even come close. I'm doubtful that there exist any "workable compromises" (newspeak for giveaways) that would be successful but I am willing to be convinced. Conservatives seem to expect to gain support without putting your plans forward for criticism, which is a vain hope and an insult to Americans' intelligence.

[whyinthehell]

What's the point of having a Democratic majority - they're letting the lunatics run the asylum. It makes so little sense, it's making my head explode. There's no need to kowtow to the GOP and shiver in fear with every insane attack they release on Obama, yet it seems that's exactly what's happening. When you respond to terror-tactics, you encourage further terror-tactics; when you stand up and brush them aside as the hateful bullying they are, you can then step over them and proceed with getting the job done.

Depending on what happens Wednesday, I'm probably leaving the Democratic party. I'm incredibly fed up! I was certain that it would take a very long time to undo the damage done during the Bush administration, but when Obama came on the scene I found myself having hope and belief that I'd been wrong. I seriously thought I was voting for all the things this intelligent, convincing, sincere man promised to deliver. And I thought I was voting for a strong congressional democratic representation. Silly me....

[BarryS]

the trigg3er is useless. the ins co's will wait for the day before the trigger to institue reforms racking in billions, and then say they didn't have enough time. better to trigger into Medicare after 6 months. 55-65, one year 45-55, etc. stopping AFTER the insurance companies do what they've promised. also, include them in anti-trust laws effective in 6 month would end their monopolies, and we can break them up.

[tompoe]

Republicans brought our country to its knees. Democrats helped. It's time for Third Party candidates to rule. It's time for candidates to go beyond campaign promises, and demonstrate their commitment to America, not personal power.