The Ashford Zone Blog

It seems to me that the "public option" is dead.

There's talk about co-ops, which are not-for-profit private insurance companies, but I don't think there's the capital or national interest in starting those up nationwide.

But with no public option alternative to compete with the for-profit insurance companies, I don't see much in the way of actual reform.  Insurance companies will still hold all the cards, and be able to carry on their practice of "pre-existing conditions" and cutting off your benefits right when you need them.

The problem with the Obama strategy lay at his early approach.  As Jon Stewart insinuated, this should have been treated like the War in Iraq.  An impending national matter of utmost urgency.  Not supporting health care reform should have been a proxy for "hating American" (or, at least, willing to let Americans die).  But Obama didn't do that — instead, he went with the kumbayah bi-partisen approach, and got rolled.

 Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post:

Clearly, the White House feels itself on the defensive. But why?

Consider the political landscape. Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress. No matter how disciplined Republicans are in opposing any reforms — even if Republican objections are accommodated — they don't have the votes to kill a final bill.

If conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats are successful in nixing a public health insurance option and watering down other reforms, progressive voters have a right to ask why they went to such trouble to elect Democratic majorities and a Democratic president. But the Senate can still resort to a parliamentary maneuver that would require only 51 votes, rendering most objections irrelevant. Historical trends indicate that it's unlikely the Democrats will expand their majorities in 2010. Politically, therefore, there's not likely to be a better moment for health reform than right now.

It's pretty pathetic admitting that you can't even get 51 votes in your own party. But I believe you can. You just have to lead.

After buying and spreading the lies that the "advance directive consultation" in the new health care proposal was really just a "death panel" where Obama would personally go around to hospitals and do a Chief Bromden on granny, the right wing rabble rowsers have succeeded in having that provision removed from the House health bill.

The upshot?

If you are elderly and want to consult with your doctor about hospice care or living wills or other end-of-life options, Medicare won't pay for it.

The ironic thing is that this provision has been sought in health care for a long time by senior citizens.  Sarah Palin herself as advocated it; Chrales Grassley advocated it; as have many other Republicans.

And now, because it has been incorrectly and bizarrely framed as "death panels", and because Democrats had ineffective push-back against the lie machine, it's gone.

The "public option" may be dead as well.  House Democrats won't support a bill unless there is a public option, and the White House and Senate Democrats seem willing to let that slide.

Bottom line?  We might see any health care reform at all if this keeps up.

I have to say… I'm more than a little disappointed on Obama's lack of leadership on this issue.  Rather than doing what Clinton did in the 1990's — where Hillary came up with the plan — Obama came up with vague guidelines, and left to Congress to come up with the details (you know, bipartisanship and all).  As a result, the debate got mired down into bickering and outright nuttiness.

I think Obama misread his mandate from the election.  I don't think people wanted him to bring Democrats and Republicans togather.  I think they wanted a leader who would himself usher in change.  He's not doing that.

I just went over to MSNBC where they were livestreaming Obama's town hall going on in Montana.

It started up as Obama was saying this:

"I don't want — let's be clear — I don't want government bureaucrats meddling with your health decisions.  but I don't want health insurance bureaucrats meddling with your health decisions either."

Wild applause.  30 seconds, I'll bet.

That's the message we need to hear more.

UPDATE: I really think he's kicking ass on the Q&A.  A rough-n-ready Second Amendment-loving guy challenged Obama on how he was going to pay for this reform and still not raise taxes.  Obama's answer was simple and cogent and honest.  He said that he wouldn't raise taxes, but he would cut deductions for people over making $250,000.  he acknowledged that that is effectively raising taxes, but again, only on the wealthiest.  And then he defended why it should be the rich who bear the burden.  A paraphrase:

Some say, I don't care, no more taxes. I respect that. But the truth is, we gotta get over that we can have something for nothing. That's how we got into debt in first place. [big applause] Bush passed prescrip. drug bill… price tag was 100s of billions. We didn't pay for it. It got added on to deficit/debt. It amuses me sometimes when I hear opponents yell about how we can't afford this, when we're proposing to pay for it, but Bush didn't. [he never said "Bush"].

I like this interview between Larry O'Donnell (former advisor to Bill Clinton, former co-producer of The West Wing [as well as actor portraying the father of Jed Bartlet], and son of JFK advisor Ken O'Donnell who Kevin Costner played in Thirteen Days, a movie about the Cuban Missle Crisis) and, on the other side, Katy Abram (protester at a town hall rally in Pennsylvania).

Katy Abram is, I honestly believe, representative of a significant number of anti-healthcare protesters.

She is not loud.

She is not obnoxious.

She is no arrogant.

In fact, she is perfectly sweet.

But she is, sadly, very very misinformed.  She even admits, in so many words, that she doesn't know what she's talking about.

O'Donnell handles this interview politely, but he doesn't let her off the hook.  Very civil, tjhis clip.  His questions are right on target.  In fact, the questions often answer themselves, and he allows her ignorance to shine through…. politely.

Watch:

I think Katy Abrams is the poster child for many of the anti-health care protesters.

Is she reachable?  Can she be educated?

I don't know.