Remember back in July when we said the WH was being played by Blue Dogs who diluted the PO in the ECC and then demanded and got a deadly one month delay on this bill? Rahm and Messina brokered that one. Well the WH has been played very well. The Hill has a story up on key Blue Dog Ross who engineered the ECC pub opt delinking from Medicare rates. Well now as he sees deals a plenty on triggers with Snowe and possible liberal defections he has come out and will oppose any bill with a PO. How shocking.
Obama must assert leadership here and not just with a speech. Pelosi tried in vain to get a vote before recess-she members when Clinton’s bill got delayed and what happened? Industry wounded it bad and despite Clinton's late Sept speech to save it did fail. This is going to be a wild week that will determine I think the bill’s fate.
Cant say we didn’t warn against going on break at the behest of Blue Dogs. They weakened the PO now their ring leader opposes it in total. Game well played.
http://www.thehill.com/...
Key Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.) pledged to oppose a public (or "government-run") insurance option in healthcare reform legislation as lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.
Ross, the chairman of the centrist Blue Dogs' healthcare task force, told constituents in a newsletter that he would oppose the controversial provision, one of the key sticking points in the healthcare reform debate.
"A government-run public option is the wrong direction for health reform in this country and I will oppose it in the U.S. Congress," he wrote.
Ross had been at the center of the health debate during House mark-ups of healthcare legislation in late July, leading a small group of centrists against the bill as it had been proposed in the Energy and Commerce committee before winning concessions and allowing the bill to move forward.