Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Tuesday, October 27.1. David Dayen reports on Joe Lieberman threatening to filibuster any bill with a public option. Dayen points out that Lieberman's current position represents a complete reversal of what he was saying during the 2006 U.S. Senate election. Given this behavior, Dayen wonders, "why does Lieberman still have his committee gavel and what is Obama doing about it?" Good questions.
2. Dayen adds that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said earlier today, "I have not heard of any specific calls that the President has made" to "moderate" Democrats regarding the health care reform plan announced yesterday by Senator Reid. Dayen concludes that "the accountability moment needs to come before the next election" and "[it] needs to come from the Oval Office." No argument here.
3. Jon Walker notes that "all major polls show that support for the public option is growing while opposition is fading." Except, of course, in the Senate office of Joe Lieberman. Grrrr.
4. Walker writes that Thomas Carper (D-DE) "is pushing for the public option opt-in and [Joe] Lieberman is looking at state-based public plans." Walker points out that these are "two very different proposals...rang[ing] from terrible to worthless." I'm trying to decide which is worse, "terrible" or "worthless." Tough choice! :)
5. Scarecrow asks why Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is disappointed with a state opt-out for the public option, even though she "just got everything she requested." Scarecrow concludes that "perhaps [Snowe] meant not only that she didn’t want Mainers to have the choice of a public option, but she also wanted to deny that choice to the citizens in every other state, even though large majorities in most states (never mind Maine) want this choice." How generous of "Empress Snowe!"
6. Jane writes that the "public option has received the lion’s share of attention in the health care debate, but there is an equally important one relating to generic drugs that could mean the lifesaving drugs of the future remain too expensive for all but the wealthy." Hamsher is referring specifically to "biologics" which are "drugs made from living organisms [that] are considered the miracle drugs of the future." Meh, miracle drugs. Next thing you know, these crazy Democrats will want life-saving embryonic stem cell research as well! (snark)
