Surprise At The Spines

After years of folding like lawn chairs and giving the Republicans everything they asked for, the revolt against the death of the public option by Democratic progressives has stunned even the jaded NY Times.

Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority’s cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks.

Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.

“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”

The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier. The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers.

On the other hand, such a change could alter the dynamic of talks surrounding health care legislation, and even change the substance of a final bill. With no need to negotiate with Republicans, Democrats might be better able to move more quickly, relying on their large majorities in both houses.

As a friend of mine told me, if Democrats do this, they must be ready to accept the consequences and the responsibility. That's fine and fair. After all, Republicans took responsibility for their screw ups in the Middle East and with Medicare Part D and tax cuts for the wealthy and got tossed out of office by the voters, giving the Dems the largest Congressional margins in generations.

However, I've been saying for months now that the Republicans never had any intention of helping the Democrats pass any health care reform. Not a single Republican was ever going to vote for health care reform with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, not even for the reform plans Republicans wanted to see implemented, not if it means Democrats get to take credit for reforming health care. It's long-term political suicide for the GOP especially given their current trajectory rejecting minorities. Allowing the Democrats to deliver meaningful health care reform means the GOP is done for for the next couple of decades, minimum.

Rahmbo has figured out the GOP Plan, at least. So has Nancy Pelosi, she's behind this progressive push all the way, and the Republicans have finally made a critical mistake in this battle: they've dismissed co-ops out of hand, allowing the Democrats the political cover and momentum to regroup and start publicly attacking the GOP on the fact that they will never accept any health care reform whatsoever.

The narrative has changed, it's no longer Town Hall Blitz 24/7, but public option versus co-ops, and the Republicans have come out and said "neither." It's one thing to be seen as protecting the country from the Democratic plan, but it's another thing entirely to say "We won't even vote for our own reform proposals." Moderates who were hoping for the Republicans to tone down the Dems' plan and then get behind it are suddenly finding out that the GOP never had any intention to pass a reform plan whatsoever. That's got them annoyed.

And finally, people are seeing that the Democrats are holding firm on something for the first time in recent memory. That alone is worth a significant boost...and people are also realizing that the Democrats really do have the numbers to pass health care reform without the GOP.

And if the GOP isn't willing to go along with any health care reform at all, people are realizing that it's not such a bad plan after all.