If Opt-Out is in the final bill sent to Obama's desk, I will no longer volunteer my time or money to the national party or its chosen candidates.
Therefore, I pray that the House version of the bill does not include Opt Out.
If it does not, I will do everything I can to insure the Senate's version of PO -- aka Opt Out -- is stricken and that the House version of PO takes precedence. And I hope everyone reading this will follow along.
But if both bills include Opt Out, I will know that blue state voters in red states have been sold out by blue state Democrats including Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama.
If that happens and Obama signs the bill, it will be a gift to struggling Republicans hoping to turn around their flagging fortunes in 2010.
I am being practical and not optimistic on this matter. I know how the majority of Kossacks feel about this.
For example, here's what just one recommended diary said today:
Individual states may be able to opt out of the public option. But that process will require state level politicians to take a stand against expanding access to health insurance and for continuing the broken system of insurers paying bonuses to employees who deny the sick the care they need.
It's unlikely that state-level politicians would take this path; and even if they do, voters have the ability to hold them accountable at the ballot box.
As if.
Come to Louisiana and canvass my neighbors, door to door. If you did, you'd discover that the vast majority of them would love nothing more than to poke their eyes out with hot irons than vote for anything that had Barack Obama's signature on it.
What this means is that my family gets nothing so that your family in a majority blue state gets health care reform.
WTF?
And I'll bet you a nickel there are other states just like mine. If you think otherwise, you are sadly naive.
Separate but equal -- the greatest gift we could give the Republican Party in 2010.
Don't do it -- fight for a robust public option in the House version that can kill the Senate's Opt Out in conference after passage.
Bibliography:
To Dr. Dean, Nate, & Krugman: OPT-OUT IS BAD
Opt-out: "A firebell in the night, filling me with terror."
UPDATE: Just for those who don't get irony, "separate but equal" was a reference to the landmark SCOTUS case of Plessy v. Ferguson which institutionalized segregation, aka "Jim Crow."
UPDATE 2: If, as some suggest, the opt out can only happen after some period of time has elapsed (say 3-4 years as Rep. Weiner has called for) then I'm good to go with opt out. Otherwise...not so much.