If Dems pass a healthcare reform bill without a public option, will it help or hurt them?

[yurbud]

in the next election?

I wonder if they are shooting themselves in the foot if they go that route.

[RDANGELO]

1. If millions more people can afford health care,

These people will be more likely to vote to keep it. Eliminating or restricting the insurance companies will become an issue in future elections.

[yurbud]

8. it should have been the issue this time. Dems should have started with single payer and negotiated

down to a private option.

Instead, they do what they always do: start with a deeply compromised position and bargain it away to nothing.

[Andy823]

14. I agree.

Taking the single payer out of the picture right off the bat was just crazy. When you go up against the corruption in D.C., the money from the big insurance companies, and crooks on both sides of the isle that are doing the will of the insurance companies, you have to be smart enough to know how to negotiate. Myself I think that those who were with Baucus and his "plan", were all bought and paid for by the insurance industry, and knew from the start they had to get rid of the single payer right off so they could "help" the insurance companies kill any kind of meaningful reform. I think that any member of congress that has been bought and paid for by any big industry should not be allowed to work on negotiations that could "help" the industry that has paid them off! Of course that isn't going to happen, but one can dream!

[yurbud]

16. yeah, and I wonder why Reid pulled in equal numbers of progressives and DLCers for negotiations

I think the numbers are about 2 to 1 progressives to DLC.

[saracat]

2. How about a choice for I no longer care? This is indefensible.

[alc]

5. yours is similar to my response

I don't really care any more. It's going to be viewed in 2010 in terms of what has happened by then and secondarily on how well the whole package is understood. They can list "14 things" (or whatever number) that will kick in the first year and explain what will happen over the next 3-5 years all they want. But reality is that it's a huge mess that won't be understood for a long time and won't affect many people any time soon (if ever). And it has enough junk in it that repubs will be able to counter the "14 good things" with at least "14 scary things" (that may or may not be true, but will make scary commercials).

[FBaggins]

3. What's with "looks like" ?

OTOH... is there a poll for "If Dems pass nothing that can even be spun as healthcare reform after years of promises and overwhelming majorities... will it help or hurt them?"

This is the catch 22 that argues for finding a way to get a couple more fence-sitters to get off the fence.

[yurbud]

6. I was trying to make it unbiased so the DLCers wouldn't piss and moan and unrec

[FBaggins]

13. Well then you can't complain at the President... now can you?

Since he's just trying to avoid pi$$ing and moaning on the part of DLCers too? :)

[yurbud]

15. good point. I should just say a hearty FUCK YOU to the DLC corporate whores.

[Occam Bandage]

4. It depends on if we get an expansion of medicare/medicaid.

Regardless, any reform bill is going to be a major political victory for the White House and the Dems. The only question is whether that victory is going to be a Pyrrhic one. If they manage to alienate the left entirely, they'll find themselves in a very bad spot in the 2010 midterms.

Oh, and they're going to lose seats regardless of what happens. The only question is how many.

[ecstatic]

7. It depends on what is offered. I don't think most Americans are caught up

in whether the option offered is public or private--they just want care at an affordable price.

[yurbud]

10. if it works, I hope you're right. I have a visceral desire to see insurance companies punished

they have hurt and killed people. They don't deserve a Christmas present from Congress of millions of coerced customers.

[rucky]

9. Yes. n/t

[laughingliberal]

11. I chose the last option with this caveat

The worst parts of this bill will not be seen by the general public until 2013 or so. Many will not know what is facing them until it is upon them.

[blue_onyx]

12. Yes

I will not vote for them, including Obama

[Greyhound]

17. .

[Bitwit1234]

18. The republicans know damn well

it will hurt the Democrats. Why do you think they are trying their best to sink it. Anything and everything they can do, they are doing it. BUT THE SAD NEWS IS THE DEMOCRATS ARE LETTING THEM.