Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Wednesday, October 28.1. Jon Walker reports that the merged House health care reform bill is scheduled to be announced tomorrow (Thursday) around 10:00 AM EDT. According to Walker, "it will likely not have the robust public option, which is a double slap in the face." Ouch, that sounds painful! :)
2. Walker writes that even if Harry Reid doesn't realize it, on Monday, he "crossed the Rubicon" by saying he would put the public option opt-out in the Senate bill. Walker believes that having done so, Reid "can’t back down and expect to be cheered for trying his best," and that if he fails now, it "would prove him a weak, worthless, ineffectual leader." Just a guess here, but omething tells me that Harry Reid - or any politician in Washington, DC, for that matter - doesn't want to be seen as "weak, worthless, ineffectual."
3. Jane Hamsher, on the Rachel Maddow show last night, "dared Blanche Lincoln to filibuster the public option, and said that there were credible people sitting on the sidelines in Arkansas, waiting for an entry point to launch a primary challenge." Hamsher adds that Senator Lincoln "strongly supports a public option for crops, but not for people." Priorities, priorities...
4. Finally, Jon Walker writes about that Joe Lieberman is demanding the public option be completely taken off the table. By some convoluted process of "reasoning," one that seems to occur only in places like the nation's capital, Chris Dodd appears to believe that any reprimand of Lieberman for trying to kill a top priority of his president and his party would be "ridiculous." Which, of course, is in and of itself utterly "ridiculous." Not to mention, "weak, worthless, ineffectual." Heh.
