When the average voter is asked an intelligent, non-loaded question regarding what is popularly called the "public option", support seems overwhlelming. It is also true that when the "public option" is called "government takeover" of insurance public support drops well below 50%.
It seems to me that most of this debate truly is a matter of semantics. And because a public option is absolutely critical to any kind of effective short and long term medical cost control, maybe its time to think about "a rose by any other name"..
Why not change the talking point to allow anyone, any business or any group to simply buy into Medicare. Stop saying "public option". Start saying "Medicare". Start talking at the very beginning about how this will "Strengthen Medicare". In every TV interview, supporters and/or Obama officials must say the words "Strengthen Medicare".
The long term problem we have always faced is losing the war of words with the forces of evil on the right. They are much better at sloganeering than any thoughtful Democrat has ever been. Why not pretend to capitulate to the right and admit there will be no "government run" health care provision in the bill. We are just going to allow anyone who wants to, to buy into Medicare at their own cost, and we'll help subsidize those few who can't afford health care premiums.
The evildoers will come back and say "It's just a government takeover by another name". And our obvious response would be "You think Medicare is a government takeover; how dare you attack Medicare!".
We need to grab the rhetorical high ground. How can you be against allowing someone to voluntarily buy into a popular government sponsored health insurance plan? Easy if you successfully label it as "government takeover". Not so easy if you simply call it "Medicare", which has the added benefit of being an existing program that does not require a new start from scratch bureaucracy.
The bottom line need to change the status quo and give everyone a right to government sponsored health insurance seems to me to be paramount. Once that right is esconced in law, reconciliation rules apply and future changes, which we can assume may be more generous, can more easily pass without the threat of filibuster.
If the "public option" [not necessarily a bad moniker when originally proposed but now inevitably tarnished] fails because of semantics, what a tragedy for all of us.
The right to buy into Medicare sets us on the glidepath to single payer, "Medicare for all"! Let's not lose the forest because the bad guys renamed the tree.