Howard Dean, a physician and the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said flatly: "I don't think it can pass without the public option."
"There are too many people who understand, including the president himself, the public option is absolutely linked to reform," he added during an appearance on CBS. "You can't have reform without a public option."
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., said it appeared that as Obama moved toward satisfying Senate centrists, he'd lose as many as 100 House members in the process and likely kill any chance of a health care overhaul.
"The president does seem like he's moving away from the public plan," Weiner said Monday on CNBC. "If he does, he's not going to pass a bill. ... There's probably a hundred members of the House who believe for various reasons that you need to have something to bring down prices. ... If the president thinks he's cutting a deal to get Senate votes, he's probably losing House votes." ...Steve Thomma at McClatchy
I don't have any problem (to my surprise!) with the notion of the Democratic party distancing itself from President Obama. It's too bad that may become necessary. But it may also be a sign of maturity on the part of progressives -- recognizing that the president has, in fact, left them. Perhaps they will also break with the notion of sustained cover-up, whether we're talking about cover-ups left over from the Bush administration, or opacity in the current administration after hearty promises of transparency.
Bob Herbert has it down pat. He believes in reform, not "reform."
It’s never a contest when the interests of big business are pitted against the public interest. So if we manage to get health care “reform” this time around it will be the kind of reform that benefits the very people who have given us a failed system, and thus made reform so necessary.
