I do credit his Bystander Presidency for allowing this to happen though.

I agree, with actual leadership the PO might've been settled a while back, maybe even a robust one. But instead we have this.

There's always conference, and with a bill this complicated, the conference could (and quite easily would) strip the Public Option out just so we could get "a bill" reported out and voted on.

Remember that a lot of the progressive caucus in the House might find some weasel room on their pledges if the bill that comes out of conference lacks a Public Option but Obama needs "a bill" so he can check that box on his list of things to do.

So, now is the time not to rest on laurels, but rather to redouble efforts.

Dear Friend,

I wanted to give you quick update about our work to pass a public health care option.

My amendment to add a public option to the Senate Finance Committee bill came up just two votes short of being adopted by the full committee this afternoon.

This is unfortunate news but not a surprise. Remember, the Senate Finance Committee is more conservative than the Senate as a whole. And 4 out of 5 Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care reform have passed a public option.

This is the opening day of our fight, and I will continue to work to improve the health care reform bill as we take the legislation to the Senate floor.

The more the people hear the facts about the public option, the more they support our efforts. We must continue to work together and speak out. If we continue to fight, I am confident we will pass health care reform with a robust public option.

Sincerely,

Chuck

Chuck Schumer
U.S. Senate

While progressive senators work to win 60 votes for a public option, a new alternative to the government-run insurance plan is beginning to emerge on the Finance Committee.

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said a few moments ago that she is planning to offer an amendment to give states the power to negotiate down the price of insurance. If insurance companies agree to cover a chunk of the uninsured, states would help pay for the coverage. The states negotiate with insurers to set the cost and coverage of the program. The rates wouldn't be tied to Medicare or Medicaid, but set at the state level, she said.

"It's a way to get a foothold. If you can cover 75 percent of people that way then it's definitely a public plan for the big chunk of the uninsured," Cantwell said.

The idea is modeled after her home state's "basic health plan," which offers coverage to about 75 percent of the uninsured in Washington, she said.

Cantwell said she is waiting on a CBO cost estimate before introducing the amendment.

The only committee that would present a problem was the Senate Finance Committee. The sticking point there was the public option. If he announced that he wouldn't sign anything without a public option, the bill would get nowhere in the Finance Committee, and the effort to pass a bill without resorting to the budget reconciliation process would die an early death, with the administration taking the blame for their intransigence.