Its been a long, hard legislative battle, this fight for comprehensive health care reform. We've had many bad days and good days, and there will be plenty more of both in these closing weeks.
But I want us all to take a quick second to survey the scene and observe something, not to get cocky or complacent, but on the contrary, so that we see how close we are to the finish line and redouble our efforts.
Folks, make no mistake about it: we are winning when it comes to the public option and passing a comprehensive, sustainable, and truly transformative reform of health care and health insurance in this country.
Consider this wonderful post by Ezra Klein on his blog just now:
Brian Beutler caught up with Sen. Ben Nelson to ask about new poll numbers showing that not only is the public option popular, but a partisan bill with a public option is more popular than a bipartisan bill without one. In response, Nelson averred that there's even more support for a public option that allows states to opt out. "There's support for public option generally, generically," he admitted. "When you start talking about it specifically as it relates to states being able to opt out or opt in, have their own, the support overwhelmingly goes up to 76 percent."
That may well be true (I'm not sure if I've seen poll numbers on the subject), but the fact that Nelson's position has become "states can opt out of the public option" rather than "no public option at all" suggests the goal posts on this are moving, and rapidly.
As Ezra rightly points out, Conservadem extraordinaire Ben Nelson is back on his heels. That is, simply put, amazing.
Some other signs that our fight is paying off:
Again, tipping my hat to Ezra and his analysis, what sounded like a typically vacillating and wussy statement from Harry Reid yesterday actually signaled some very good news. I'll let Mr. Klein explain:
"We’re leaning towards talking about a public option," said Harry Reid at a press conference today. Greg Sargent, along with a lot of other reporters, thought this was a weird comment. I think it reveals more than people realize, and it should make public option supporters very happy.
The negotiators can do one of two things with the public option. Figure out a compromise to put in the bill during the negotiations phase, or ignore the issue completely and let it get decided on the floor. In other words, they can talk about it or they can decide against talking about it. This quote suggests that they're leaning towards figuring out the issue in negotiations rather than leaving it to the floor.
That's a big win for public option advocates. If they get something in during negotiations, opponents will need to muster 60 votes to remove it on the floor. If the public option has the 52 supporters that Sen. Tom Harkin estimates, then that's impossible.
You want more signs that we're winning?
Michael Steele, the proverbial cow on the tracks standing in the way of health care reform, essentially acknowledged that what's coming is a pretty strong motherfuckin' train (h/t KosTV):
Need more encouragement? Nancy Pelosi smells blood and is kicking into high gear. HuffPo:
Nancy Pelosi is ready to rumble. The House Speaker told her Democratic caucus Tuesday night that she plans to bring a health care reform bill with a robust public option to the House floor for a vote, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) tells HuffPost. But first she needs to know that the party is with her.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been tallying support for a public insurance option tied to Medicare reimbursement rates over the last several weeks. According to people in the room Tuesday night, Pelosi told her members that the caucus is close to the 218 votes needed to pass the bill. She went on to say that the few remaining undecideds - or undeclareds - needed to let Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) know by Wednesday where they stand.
The caucus will meet again Wednesday evening to retake the Democratic temperature. If the 218 votes are there, the party will plow forward and go to conference committee negotiations with a strong hand.
Not convinced? Wondering where the CBO is going to come down on all this. Epic:
Obama has sought to spend no more than $900 billion over a 10-year period. The initial cost of the House bill was more than $1 trillion. On Tuesday, House Democratic leaders received a new cost estimate of $871 billion from congressional budget umpires who measured a robust version of a so-called public option for health insurance, according to a Democratic aide.
The CBO is essentially providing the nail in the coffin of GOP talking points about adding to the deficit. Including a Public Option means being fiscally responsible.
To Recap:
-Anywhere from 57% of the public to 65% to over 70% support the public option, depending on which polls you go by. But all of them spell strong majority.
-Most Americans rank having a strong bill with a public option as being more important than achieving bipartisanship.
-Around 70% of doctors favor a public option.
-The CBO leaves no doubt that a public option will save massive amounts of money; and the stronger the PO, the stronger the savings.
-Conservadems are on their heels.
-State Opt Out clauses take away their last talking point.
-House and Senate Progressives smell the blood in the water and are stepping up their game.
Most importantly, as Mitch Stewart of Organize for America told us in an email today, WE are kicking ass:
As you know, we set a big goal: 100,000 calls to Congress placed or committed to in a single day by OFA supporters and allied organizations. By 2:30 p.m., you had crushed it. So, we gulped and said let's go for 200,000, not knowing what would happen. But the calls just kept pouring in -- keeping phones ringing off the hook in congressional offices in D.C. and your representatives' district offices around the country.
Then, OFA supporters gathered in over 1,000 living rooms and community centers from Macon, Georgia to Missoula, Montana. You called hundreds of thousands of key voters in your community and got them to agree to call Congress and speak out for reform, too. President Obama joined in at a call party in New York -- and he had some amazing words of support for the folks like you who make this movement possible.
I'm looking at the numbers, and with almost all of the reports now in, the tally wasn't 200,000 calls placed or pledged -- it was 315,023. You did it.
That's 315,023 calls to besieged congressmen just yesterday (major h/t to yesterday's Rec'd diary by Femlaw)
Now, what's the point of all this?
The point of all this is the following:
It all means nothing if we let up just before the finish line. There might be as many as two months left in this fight, Kossaks. And you know "Waterloo-seeking" Republicans are going to step up their game. You know the insurance companies are going to step up their game (see AHIP's Epic Fail just last week). Victory is ours but we have to take it, which means doubling our efforts between now and the end. Remember September-November of 2008? Remember that excitement when you could just about taste victory and it got you out the door knocking, phonebanking, donating. Well, taste it again folks because its there for the taking. Register with OFA, canvass, phonebank, call your congressmen daily.
We are going to win this.