The narrative on health care reform has gone back and forth fast and furiously enough to give one whiplash. And we still haven't seen anything yet. One kossack even referred to it all as "As HCR Turns." Ha!
But there's been heaps of great news over the weekend! We're still at "As HCR Turns," but the statements I've collected here go beyond unbridled speculation. They even name names!
Really fun news and action items down there...
My inner überbrat very much wants to launch off on some random diatribe about who knows what just to leave you all hanging, but I won't do that. Here is the article and here is the salient piece:
Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who’s played a leading role in seeking a bipartisan compromise, said earlier this week that Reid and White House officials are tilting in favor of a public option that would allow states to decide not to participate.
..."What I’m hearing is this is the direction of the conversation," Conrad told reporters.
This is good news.
It would also negotiate rates with providers, as private insurers do, instead of pegging them to lower levels paid by the Medicare government program for the elderly.
This is also good news, as that sounds like higher payouts than Medicare, which I know has been a sticking point for many conservadems. But wait! There's even better good news! Russ Feingold has said a bill without the public option does not deserve his vote:
"To me that would be a very serious gap and it would be a very strong reason not to support it," Sen. Russ Feingold told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "We need a public option. We need something that would cause some control over the abuses that have occurred in the insurance industry."
Triggers, Feingold added, are "just an invitation for the insurance industry to manipulate the situation for a couple of years just so they can avoid the trigger and so they can convince members of Congress to delay it again. We need to do something now."
I ♥ Feingold.
But the best news of all is this:
The Public Option: Rumor Check
Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on October 25, 2009 at 08:56 PM EDT
A rumor is making the rounds that the White House and Senator Reid are pursuing different strategies on the public option. Those rumors are absolutely false.
In his September 9th address to Congress, President Obama made clear that he supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition. That continues to be the President's position.
Hahahahaha! Wonderful as all this is, I'm sad to say I think we just have to accept that an unadulterated public option will not be getting out of the Senate and the opt-out really is the least odious compromise.
Which brings us to Ben Nelson, who is long overdue on his turn to compromise:
Her stance is important because Democrats such as Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson say a health-care bill has to have some Republican support to win his vote. Snowe’s backing for a measure also might bring along more Republicans, such as fellow Maine Senator Susan Collins.
Just what we needed...more intrigue in Snoweville! But it would appear that a fair amount of the bipartisanship fixation is originating in the Senate, not the White House. So we need to call Ben Nelson. All day long. Remind him that a majority of Americans would prefer a Democrats-only bill with a public option to a bipartisan bill without one. Tell him he had better commit to cloture on an opt-out public option bill, with or without Snowe.
We also need to keep up the pressure on Mary La-la-la-landrieu:
One Democrat who has voiced opposition to the public option, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, said she may be willing to embrace the compromise provision being considered by her party’s leaders.
Landrieu said she was "encouraged that the conversations" among "senators who back different versions of a public option could potentially lead to a compromise" in a statement she issued after meeting last week with Reid. "This compromise should happen sooner, rather than later, so we can get to work on other critical aspects of heath care reform," Landrieu said.
So now all of a sudden she gets the urgency? Whatever, as long as she's coming aboard - keep calling her and reminding her a majority of Americans want a public option health insurance program and she had better stand with her caucus on cloture for the opt-out public option or she will lose her seat.
Snowe will too; the public option enjoys a lot of support in Maine and Queenie Poo is up for re-election in 2012. She got all lofty during the SFC vote and said "It's not perfect and it's not the bill I want, but when history calls, history calls." Yeah, well, it helps to answer the !@#$%& phone, Yer Highness. If you had, you'd understand just how historic this all really is and you'd probably give more thought to how badly being on the wrong side of history sucks. Just look at what she's passing off as her "reasons":
"A public option at the forefront really does put the government in a disproportionate position with respect to the industry," Snowe said in an interview with Bloomberg Television
That's funny...I don't recall any constitutional imperative that government not be disproportionately positioned with respect to industry. I just don't think that's part of what they're sworn to uphold and defend. Maybe we could mail Snowe a pocket constitution; she really seems to need reminders on what her job is and isn't:
I’m still struggling with affordability. The Congressional Budget Office has produced charts showing that the American people will achieve savings, but we have to make sure that is the case.
Who knew Snowe was an accountant! Only she (who is this "we," anyway?) can really know if the public option will achieve savings? What? Those dolts at the CBO wouldn't know cost-reduction from a hole in the wall, I guess? Maybe she'll have PriceWaterhouseCoopers evaluate it? Just whose word will she accept? Stay tuned on "As HCR Turns"...
Her narcissism truly knows no bounds. Some say it's AHIP pulling her strings:
"Would [inclusion of a public option] be enough for you to vote against the cloture motion?" a reporter asked Snowe on her way off the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.
"On the public option? I'd say I'm against a public option, so yes," Snowe said.
But I think she's just a self-absorbed git:
The point is I don't support a public option and none of my republican colleagues do.
Hey...Olympia! You might want to study up on the past two elections and how your colleagues are rapidly dwindling in number and stuff. Nobody cares what republicans think; we know their only response to anything is "NO!"
And really, what does it say about the Republican party when even their one lone "moderate" is this petty and obstinate? Olympia Snowe stands in opposition to something 60% of the country wants and for what? The idea doesn't quite appeal to her? Heaven forfend! Party of no, writ large in 200-point neon font.
I don't know who she thinks she is, but she needs constant reminders that both her constituents and a majority of Americans want a public option as part of health care reform. She needs to get over herself and do the right thing here, or she too will find herself right out of the Senate come 2012.
So let's keep up the pressure on our recalcitrant brats in the Senate - if we can get all 60 dem-like Senators on board for an opt-out public option, Snowe only matters to herself.
Toll-free numbers for House and Senate:
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-866-311-3405
Phone call list:
Lieberman - rumored to be behaving on cloture; still needs to hear from us
Landrieu - rumored to be coming to her senses; still needs to hear from us
Lincoln - rumored to be coming to her senses; still needs to hear from us
Nelson, B. - rumored to be infatuated with Snowe; totally needs to hear from us
Snowe - rumored to be equally infatuated with self; absolutely needs to hear from us
Bayh - rumored to not like the public option; needs to hear from us
Baucus - rumored to be...well, Baucus; needs to hear from us
Feingold - rumored to be made of awesome; tell him thanks and tell your senators to stand with him
Hagan - rumored to be still susceptible to the lures of BC/BS; totally needs to hear from us
Reid - rumored to be so very vulnerable in his next election; totally needs to hear from us about getting his caucus in line
Pelosi - rumored to be kicking serious ass; needs to hear "you go girl!" from us
House Reps - rumored to be 10 or so votes shy of a strong public option; totally need to hear from us
Obama - rumored to be everything and nothing; let's call him just because
Whatever you say on your calls, the main points are we must have the public option, it cannot have triggers and nobody gives a toss about Queen Olympia Snowe.
Off we go, then!