Obama's 'Health Plan B': Outsource Public Option to 'Out-of-Network' Countries
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=8319

Bravo. It was damn well about time for progressives to grow spines and establish that they're no longer going to let themselves be rolled to appease Blue Dogs. The progressives are in a strong position here- most are in safe blue districts and they know that it's the House Blue Dogs, and not themselves, who will lose seats if voters give the Dems a hard time in Nov. 2010. So, Blue Dogs, you want to try to run on a record of preventing the people's business from being done? Go ahead, make our day.

The rep from my old district is in the CPC; here's the letter I just sent her. It's incredibly important that they hear from constituents so they know they're not alone in this fight. If you've got links to the people in the CPC, let them know you support them. The news is only showing the crazies; make sure to counter them where you can.

"Though I am no longer a constituent of yours, I nevertheless wanted to voice my strong support for yesterday's Congressional Progressive Caucus letter to President Obama. A strong public option must be the foundation of any health care reform bill, and I appreciate your strong and principled stand in favor of such an option.

"Though it seems not to be seen as such in this country, health care should be protected as a fundamental human right. A strong public health care option is the only way to guarantee adequate care for everyone, regardless of income, location, or previous health issues. It is essential that we provide this option - at the very least - to protect that right.

"This issue is more than just politics to me. I recently moved back to the United States from England - a country where, I might add, I received excellent, free health care for four years - and I do not yet have health insurance. I live in daily fear of the accident, small or large, that could bankrupt me and derail the future that I hope to build in this country. I live in longer-term fear of the important pre-existing conditions that could be omitted under whatever health insurance I might have in the future. No American should have to live this way. Please, tell your colleagues in the CPC to continue your stand in support of a public option. Right now you are the only people truly protecting me and the 45 million other Americans one accident away from disaster."

Leave it to us dems to fuk something up.

good for them. Stand strong. It's not necessarily their final move in this health reform debate, but it's good to see some people playing hardball other than traditional beltway Republicans.

I applaud the Progressives for drawing a line in the sand. Obama made a committment to the American people to deliver healthcare reform that includes a robust public option. He can't spin this. It's on tape from his own campaign commercials. He says he knows how to play Chicago style politics. Well, it's time to play Lyndon Johnson style politics and twist some arms and knock some heads and threaten to spill some secrets. This IS a ONE TIME in several decades opportunity for reform. He needs to start doing a much better job making his case and playing hardball with the members of Congress. That's what LEADERSHIP is about. By the way, it's thanks to Rahm that some of these Blue Dogs are in Congress instead of more progressive members. If Rahm is really such a nasty enforcer, it's time to prove it.

I agree. It's time for president Obama and the democrats to step up and take responsibility on Health care reform or suffer the repercussion of a progressive black-lash.

YES!!!! As another comment mentioned, progressives are the majority of the majority. It's about time they stood the hell up.

Thank you to progressive Democrats for standing up work working people.

Yesterday, NPR brought Cokie Roberts out of the cryochamber to do the only thing she does: dispense the condensed official Village Conventional Wisdom on the politics of the standoff over the public option. Typically infuriating, she just airily dismissed the possibility that "liberals" in Congress would vote against whatever sausage the Senate "moderates" deigns to produce with a wave (yes, I actually heard her wave her hand) and a sniff. She also flat out said that the "moderates" might well not have a problem with seeing the President and his agenda fail due to their actions without even the slightest note of disapproval over the lack of party loyalty--it was just an observation of fact laced with an implicit "and that's as it should be."

A house divided...oh, forget it.

Why can't we pull this thing together and agree on some basic principles? The Republicans fiddle while gleefully dancing a jig as our party devours itself.

I understand it's a complicated issue but will someone please step forward (Mr. President?) with a strong list of guiding principles for health reform that are unassailable? "This is what it *must* have: A, B, C, D, etc etc"

When your own majority party isn't sure of what you want then the message has definitely become lost for the rest of the country.

As Nate argues, it is important to get a majority in the Senate Finance committee behind a robust public option. The Senators who need pressure to get behind it are: Wyden, Baucus, Lincoln, Bill Nelson, Snowe, Carper and Conrad. They need to be reminded that they are United States senators and need to consider the national interest, not just a, sometimes tiny, state. The Democrats need to be reminded that elections have consequences: their Democratic President was decisively elected while making it clear that health care reform with a robust public option was a major plank in his program. Time for some profiles in courage!
Senate email addresses at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm