It is way over-rated. It is something that the corporate media tries to impose on the Democrats to stiffle truly progressive legislation that the American people want, not the power brokers that represent monied (corporate)interests.
As this Washington Post editorial demonstrates, their desire for bipartisanship is at the expense of the only reform that matters, the public option.
Second, Democrats continued their insistence on a public option — a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers — as essential to effective health reform. Mr. Obama issued what amounted to a public rebuke of his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, for the apparently heretical act of suggesting openness to an alternative: having a “trigger” mechanism under which a public plan would be established if the private insurance market fails to provide enough competition. The president, from Moscow, restated his support for a public plan, though, thankfully, he continued to avoid drawing a line in the sand. As we have said before, it would be tragic if this issue were to drag down health reform or make it impossible to secure Republican votes. Restructuring the health-care system is risky enough that Democrats would be wise not to try to accomplish it entirely on their own.
So they are saying that including a public option will drive away every Republican vote. If they want to subvert the will of the people and vote against, then they are going to cement their role as a minority party. After all this CBS/NY Times poll shows:
A clear majority of Americans — 72 percent — support a government-sponsored health care plan to compete with private insurers, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Most also think the government would do a better job than private industry at keeping down costs and believe that the government should guarantee health care for all Americans.
CBS deserves a little bit of smackdown on this, a clear majority? 55 percent is a clear majority, 72% is almost 3 in 4 people. You know they call the 60 votes need for cloture in the Senate (which is 60%)? A super majority. To get an amendment out of Congress it needs 2/3 thirds votes in each chamber, that is only 67%, this is higher. Okay back on topic!
From the actual poll (pdf) this gem comes out about the public option that 72% of Americans support.
Even 50% of Republicans favor that.
So I say include the plan that Americans want, that includes a public option. Remember corporations do not vote, oh we know they give money in the form of campaign contributions that our politicians are constantly chasing after. But they can give all the money they want, we can vote them out. And if I were a Republican, I would be wary of putting off that 50% of my party voters, because most current Repbulicans in Congress have little chance of picking up the Reagan Democrats. Especially Senators Snowe and Collins, you vote against cloture on public option, and I hope that you are voting yourself out of office.
Has the Washington Post ever called on Republicans to be bipartisan on legislation when they were in power? If you find an example, I would welcome it, but I am not going to search for it because I doubt exists.
So back on track again, in theory the members of Congress are our representatives, and we want a public health option. I disagree with the editorial that it should be not be line in the sand as away to try and sway Republican votes. They ruled the country and left a mess, it is time to try some good old fashioned progressive policies to get the country on the right (not poltically) course.
Public option is the line in the sand. The Democrats in the Senate started this process with a handicap when Senator Baucus wouldn’t even discuss Single Payer in his committee when talking about health care reform. That is the ideal, but I am willing to settle for public option, but when public option is the far left position on the table (and would be the center-left position if single payer were still on the table) and makes for a weaker negotiating position.
But here is the beauty part, if Harry Reid could find his spine, and get his Senators to vote for cloture, we have the 60 votes, we don’t need any Republicans in the Senate for this vote.
And if the Republicans require a cloture vote, don’t just do the vote, and don’t run (as he has in the past) if you are not sure you have 60 votes. Spend days of debate on the topic. Put your most progressive Senators out there making the case for the public option. Make the Obstructionist Republican Party defend their position of opposing a public option. Get the news cameras in, get in on the record, and get footage of their corporate arguments that can be used in ads against them in the next election. And if any of the Democrats are waffling, we will get the calls into their offices to swamp, to make them think twice about their chances of re-election if they go against the will of the people.
The time to leave policy in the hands of members of Congress and the talking heads in the corporate media is over. It is time for Americans to take back our politicians, to make them serve our interests. So screw the bipartisanship that the editors at the Washington Post think is critical! Americans don’t need bipartisanship, Americans need an affordable health care system that serves the needs of the people, of the patients!
-Josh
End the Echo weblog 