Small but significant victory?

It looks like the Senate health care reform bill will include a public option with an "opt-out" mechanism for states. Two things: even this form of a public option has been declared dead for months by the Beltway Punditry, which proves how out-of-touch with anything other than their circular conventional wisdom these intellectual stalwarts happen to be, and the politics of "opting-out" at the state level might get very interesting if the Party of No tries to deny access. This is a clear victory for progressives who have made it clear to the national Democrats that reform without a public option is less than a half-measure and the state-level politics over "opting out" will, I predict, play out better for Democrats than for the Party of No.

Comments

[Jamie]

These new Democrats are a slippery lot. They know its all well and good for grandstanding Congresspeople to talk the GOP game, but what Governor, who actually has to run a state, will take the wrap for denying his people something really beneficial. Like Jindal and Palin with their ridiculous pledges to give back Stimulus $$, their histrionics will last all of a week before they start lining up for cheaper healthcare for their constituents. It is, to my mind, a reasonable compromise and a genius tactic.