Ask, and ye shall receive. Yesterday the co-chairs of the House CPC wrote to Pelosi, reiterating their support for a robust public option and resolving to oppose the Blue Dog weakened bill.
Today, Nancy Pelosi nixed the Blue Dog deal.
Pelosi’s decision to abandon the agreement that was made with a group of Blue Dogs to get the bill out of committee would steer the healthcare legislation back to the left as she prepares for a floor vote.
Pelosi is planning to include a government-run public option in the House version of the healthcare bill. She wants to model it on Medicare, with providers getting reimbursed on a scale pegged to Medicare rates.
"The speaker is full-steam-ahead," said a senior Democratic aide....
Pelosi has also told her fellow leaders she still wants an income surtax on the wealthy, rather than a tax on "Cadillac" health plans, as a means to help pay the $1 trillion cost of the bill. The rest is to be made up with savings in Medicare by eliminating wasteful spending.
I'm thinking that Mike Ross probably won't be leading the fight for the Blue Dogs in this round.
I hope Harry Reid and the rest of the Senate leadership is paying attention to this. The House is looking more unmoveable on a true, comprehensive bill by the day.
For more discussion, see FistJab's recommended diary.