Progressive Groups Turn Up Heat on Baucus, Snowe in Wake of Public Option Votes

for those pinning their hopes on the public option coming out in the conference committee, here is a take that says Baucus has all ready killed the public option:

Once in conference, negotiators will have to reconcile the Senate bill with its far more progressive House conterpart (which will include some kind of public plan). Should Reid and Pelosi stack the committee with public option advocates like Rockefeller, Schumer, or Schakowsky, the option will live another day — no Democrat would vote against a health care package simply because it includes a public option that attracts some 10 million enrollees. Conversely, if likely conferees Baucus and Conrad feel ‘constrained’ to vote with Republicans, the option will likely die.

The final legislation won’t include a Medicare-like public option that saves the government $50 to $100 billion over 10 years. Nor will the plan negotiates rates with providers and compete on a level playing field with private insurers. In fact, it won’t be a national plan at all.

Instead, the very same Democrats who defeated the national program during mark-up, will likely resurrect a discarded idea floated by the New America Foundation and momentarily embraced by the White House. That compromise will create a network of public options modeled on state employee benefit plans. The proposal could be triggered by Snowe’s amendment if reform did not meet a low affordability measure, but any state-based proposal would lack the market clout to lower overall health care spending, reform health care delivery, or hold private health insurers accountable.

Today may have been the death of the public option and the birth of state-based public options.

read more here:
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/09/29/baucus-option/

It's not a bad idea. They just don't like being called out on their bullshit. People are doing it because they're pissed off. If Congress doesn't want to see these commercials, stop pissing people off and start representing their views.

...others are just getting too mad to be reasoned with.

Like Ben Nelson. It's funny that these guys can get mad about being rightfully accused of taking a shitload of money from the insurance companies and then defending those companies against their constituents' best interests. But, put a bunch of loony right-wing screamers in front of them or their fellow Democrats, brandishing their sidearms or calling them every name in the book, and they melt like butter.

They won by those margin cuz no one actively campaigned against 'em.You really think their reputations are going to be still wholesome after folks get wind of how egregious their attidtude to unfortunate Americans are ?

Look if the same percentage of their constitutents still keep 'em in high regard,well,heck every Carnival barker ought to move to their states and put up a sale sign for the Brooklyn bridge.