Here are the FDL Action health care highlights for Tuesday, October 20.1. Jon Walker reports that Olympia Snowe "has been slowly ruining reform with her demands," and that "Senate Democrats need to stop bowing to her whims and put together the best bill they can to help the American people." The bottom line, as Walker puts it, is that "Americans just don’t really care that a bill is 'bipartisan'...[w]hat they want is real reform with a public option, which will make life for regular people in this country better." Come to think of it, that's the kind of change tens of millions of us voted for last November.
2. Walker writes that "Blanche Lincoln is working hard to become the most stalwart defender of the for-profit health insurance industry among Senate Democrats (that is an impressive accomplishment because Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman are giving her a real run for her money)." And here I thought it was the Democratic Party that was supposed to be for people over corporate profits. Silly me...
3. Walker argues that the Washington Post is making "incorrect and unprovable jumps of logic based on their new poll about the public option." Specifically, Walker writes that the statement, "[i]f a public plan were run by the states and available only to those who lack affordable private options, support for it jumps to 76 percent...can’t be supported by their polling data."
4. Walker reports that "Senator Ron Wyden's annoying insistence that Democrats not lie to the American people about health care reform is causing trouble for the party leadership again." In particular, Wyden "was not happy with a new talking point sent out by the leadership, falsely claiming that if you don’t like your current health insurance you would be offered a new, affordable choice." Ron Wyden, prepare yourself for the wrath of (the usually mild-mannered) Harry Reid! Ha.
5. Walker agrees with Senate Democratic aides quoted in the Huffington Post that "[President] Obama’s refusal to strongly push for the public option is the reason it is struggling in the Senate." Personally, I wonder how effective White House pressure on the Senate usually is, or even if it might backfire, but that's a discussion in and of itself.
