Evans Politics, October 23, 2009
Which Way Is It Going to Go Down?
The Public Option vs. The Snowe Trigger, Daily Kos, October 23, 2009, by Jed Lewison, quoted verbatim:
“Update (5:14PM): As reported by Marc Ambinder, the White House denying — on the record — reports that it is trying to weaken the public option.
The White House is denying reports that officials are pressuring Sen. Harry Reid to scale back the scope of the “public option” that’ll be attached to the Senate health insurance bill. Talking Points Memo reported, based on unnamed sources close to the negotiations, that the White House is ‘skeptical’ of a public option that includes a state opt-out choice, preferring — and advocating for — a public option that would kick in only if the private exchange failed to lower costs.
‘The report is false. The White House continues to work with the Senate on the merging of the two bills,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a top White House aide whose portfolio includes health care. “We are making good progress toward enacting comprehensive health reform.’
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Original post:
“We’re hearing all sorts of conflicting stories today about the public option and the Snowe Trigger.
“On the record, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and deputy press secretary Bill Burton have reaffirmed President Obama’s support for the public option.
“Off the record, several sources (not necessarily from inside the administration) have said or indicated the opposite (Politico, CNN, TPM, Sargent): that President Obama is actively pushing for the Snowe Trigger, which would strip the public option from health care reform and implement it if and only if certain thresholds are met in the 2015 time frame.
“So what’s going on here? Perhaps the best answer is that we don’t know, and we won’t know until the last vote has been cast and the bill is on its way to the President’s desk. For some perspective, think back to 2003′s prescription drug coverage vote in the House. The vote was literally kept open for hours as Republican leaders scrambled to find members willing to support their legislation. This one could easily be just as close. There’s too much at stake. It’s too big a fight.
“Still, even though we don’t know the final outcome, there is a lot that we do know, including:
- The Snowe Trigger isn’t the public option nor is it a form of it. Politicians who support it have every right to do so, but if they are doing it to appease progressives, they are making a huge mistake. Not only will they be opposing the public option, they will insulting our intelligence.
- Most Americans support the public option, and they want health care reform to include it, even if that means no Republican support.
- The insurance industry hates the public option and would do anything to kill it.
- Congressional leadership and the Obama administration both support the public option, but there is a clear willingness to drop the public option in favor of the Snowe Trigger if that’s what it takes to declare ‘Mission Accomplished.’
“Once you take stock of these basic facts, it becomes apparent that despite the flurry of noise today, nothing much has changed. We’re still in the middle of the biggest legislative battle in ages, and the only way we’re going to win it is by continuing to make sure our voices are heard.
“It’s fairly clear from the volume of leaks that nobody on our side of the aisle wants to be seen as the one who killed the public option — not the White House, not Majority Leader Reid, not Speaker Pelosi. That’s an indication that they understand just how important the public option is to the Democratic Party base and voters across the country.
“Unfortunately, it is still apparent that there are some in leadership who believe we will accept something like the Snowe Trigger as a substitute. Our next task is to disabuse them of that notion.”
See Updated: I’m DONE with “multiple sources”. Horse’s Mouth ONLY at this point!, Daily Kos, October 23, 2009, by mdmslle.
See Reid Covering Up Secret Filibuster, Firedoglake, FDL Action, October 23, 2009, by Jane Hamsher, founder, Firedoglake, published at The Huffington Post as Why Is Harry Reid Covering Up a Secret Senate Filibuster?
See The Health Care Reform Political Time Bomb, Firedoglake, FDL Action, October 23, 2009, by Jon Walker: “I think the single greatest political disaster in store for Democrats over the issue of health care reform is not about policy, mandates, or taxes; it is about time. Americans for the most part do not know that they will be forced to wait for three years before reform really starts.”
See Now The White House Is Pushing The Trigger: The Fog of Washington, Firedoglake, October 23, 2009, by David Dayen.
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