The President has been hiding behind bipartisanship, Max Baucus, Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel, and various MSM types, whose framing of the health insurance reform issues has constantly emphasized all of the obstacles making it unlikely that a robust public option would ever make it through the Congress. During the campaign the President told us all that he favored a robust public option. And since his inauguration, he has told us, from time-to-time, that his preference is for a reform bill with a public option, and on various occasions his statements in favor of a public option have been stronger than that. On the other hand, the Administration hasn’t introduced a reform bill of its own. It also hasn’t said which of the bills “on the table” in Congress are favored by the President. During the Senate Finance Committee amendment process, the Administration apparently did nothing to support Senators Rockefeller and Schumer in their attempts to include a public option in the bill. An Administration that favored a public option would have called various Senators and called in favors to get that Amendment passed. But this Administration went AWOL on its previous supporters.
The result is a situation in which the various interests in the House and the Senate remain divided over the key features of reform legislation. The President can now decide where he wants to throw his weight. If he really wants a bill with a public option, he can tell Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid that, in no uncertain terms. He can give a speech about it. He can phone various blue dogs and conservadems and let them know that he wants their vote for such a bill. He can tell Pelosi and Reed that he supports Congress using the reconciliation process to pass health insurance reform if the Democrats can’t get cloture. And finally, he can threaten to veto any health insurance reform bill that doesn’t include a public option open to all Americans. If he does these things, a bill with a PO cannot fail to pass, because there certainly will be 50 votes for it, and Joe Biden will do the President’s bidding in breaking the tie.
In short, over the next few weeks we will know for sure whether the President really wants the public option or not. If he doesn’t fight for it, we’ll know he doesn’t really want it. And we’ll also know, since he has the votes to get it under reconciliation, that he bears the responsibility for the failure of the kind of reform bill he promised in his campaign. In other words, if we don’t get that public option we’ll know that, flat out, he broke a campaign promise to those of us who believed in the audacity of hope. Mr. President, one of the bills you promised to pay in return for people supporting you during your campaign is now due. Pay It!
(Also posted at firedoglake.com where there may be more comments)