Glenn Greenwald at NYT on Health Care Reform: 'Do Something,' 'Transparent Year-Long Sham'

[Hissyspit]

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/can-obama-bypass-republicans-on-health

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10448060-38.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Do Something

Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional lawyer, is a columnist at Salon.com and the author, most recently, of “Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics.”

- snip -

But the plan President Obama unveiled does not include a public option. If he were truly in favor of it, why would he exclude it from his own plan?

That question is especially difficult to answer now that (a) it is widely assumed that the only way health care reform can pass the Senate is through the reconciliation process, which circumvents filibusters and thus requires only 50, rather than 60, votes for passage, and (b) numerous Democrat Senators support a public option through reconciliation.

It now seems obvious that White House’s claim of support for the public option was a pretense used to placate the progressive base (in fact, it seems committed to excluding the public option very likely because it would provide real competition to the health insurance industry and is thus vehemently opposed by the industry and its lobbyists).

Proponents of filibuster reform typically argue that the 60-vote requirement impedes valuable legislation. But it seems clear that the filibuster is a convenient excuse Democrats use to justify their inaction (we’d like to pass it but can’t because, sadly, we just don’t have 60 votes). As the health care debacle demonstrates, even with that obstacle removed, the White House still refuse to push for progressive provisions.

- snip -

Given that prospects for bipartisan support for health reform is nonexistent, the only sensible course is for the White House to push for and the Senate to pass a progressive bill that voters want, not the most so-called “centrist” legislation that most pleases corporatist and lobbyist interests.

If the Democrats’ claims all year long were remotely true, then robust reform (including a public option) can easily pass the Senate with 51 votes through the reconciliation process. There is no reason for Democrats to avoid that, and every reason for them to pursue it.

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[Kalun D]

1. IOW

we are going to find out if Obama and the congressional dems are really for us or against us.

[slipslidingaway]

2. knr nt

[EFerrari]

3. Greenwald is more sanguine than I am. n/t

[ohiodemocratic]

4. k&r nt

[bertman]

5. The President thinks he's playing it safe on this, but it's going to cost us Democrats big time.

[lwcon]

6. I'm kind of disappointed in Glenn

He keeps referring to "a public option" as if it were something meaningful:

http://www.correntewire.com/maybe_mythbusters_should_do_episode_public_option