Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Friday afternoon that he would work with other Democrats and the White House to pass a public option through reconciliation if that's the legislative path the party chooses...
...This represents a major breakthrough for those Senators and activists who are pushing to get a public option considered via an up or down vote.
I can't say I've terribly optimistic about its passage, although (a) the number of Senators supporting it has grown, including relatively conservative Dems like Feinstein and Spector, and (b) the California health insurance company Anthem Blue Cross (a subsidiary of Wellpoint, where retiring Sen. Evan Bayh's wife works) is paving the way by hiking premiums an alarming 30-40%, acting as bellweather for what Americans nationwide can expect from private insurance in the months and years to come.
The public option will take exceptional political courage to pass -- not because Americans don't want it, because they do, but because of the media led by Fox News elites posing as populists to help corporate interests by misleading their constituents.
Like I said, not terribly optimistic, but would love to be surprised.
No comments:
Post a Comment