I sincerely believe that if President Obama could have achieved getting the Public Option, as part of what now seems to be health care reform legislation, he would have. He held several town meetings ( while working on climate change measures, containing two wars, fixing a faltering economy, etc.) in attempts to fire up the base in which he proclaimed his support for the Public Option. However, President Obama is not some mythical hero of our own creation. He is a realist. He had to make the political calculation and executive decision in favor of salvaging all the work that we have done to get to this point. I believe progressives who worked hard to make that happen fell short in helping him make universal health care a reality. Consequently, we were undermined by political and shrewd operatives in the U.S. Senate, corporate America, and republicans. We were outfoxed-- by some in our own party. There were so many competing interests with which to deal. Each having his, her, or its own agenda.
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