Sometimes I feel like the lessons of the Swift Boaters were lost on a lot of people, but Carl stepped up. I wish he’d gone further and asked the Administration to reinstate Jones, but I hope that others follow suit.

If there is going to be a serious progressive movement in this country capable of standing up for health care against an industry that spends $1.4 million a day on lobbying, we can’t just look to the members of the Progressive Caucus and say “hey, you, get something done.” They need cover. They need to know that they will be supported. And people like Van Jones who have given their lives to causes we say we value like prison reform and environmentalism need to know that they will be defended, and not handed over to Glen Beck for their willingness to stand up and fight.

Politico outlines what Obama will say in his Wednesday speech.

Up until now, it’s been champagne wishes and caviar dreams for the Blue Dogs at the White House, while the Progressives were left eating table scraps in the basement.

But members of the Progressive Caucus finally got a chance to speak with the President about health care on a conference call yesterday:

Following the announcement from the White House that they were crafting their own health care bill (to memorialize the deals that they negotiated with Baucus and stakeholders), it looks like Baucus has decided he wants to write the bill after all.

On the eve of Barack Obama’s appearance in Ohio at the AFL-CIO’s Labor Day rally with Richard Trumka where he will discuss health care reform, both of the Democratic candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat will be on FDL discussing their support for a public option.

Greg Sargent over at The Plum Line made this astonishing find about the White House purposefully hiding support for the public option in its memo that’s being circulated to Democrats in Congress: The memo, by Obama pollster Joel Benenson, doesn’t mention the public option (the White House may not be committed to it) and largely cites general [...]

ill only get more entrenched if they let it pass the House on the first go-round.  Per Brian Beutler, they’re now telling “reform groups” (aka the veal pen) that the public option is a goner.

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We’re going to see what our progressive leaders are made of in the coming days and weeks — some will make us proud, some will come up short.  It’s a transitional moment and it’s important to have a bench identified, progressive leaders who will step in and take the place of those who prove they are not equal to the task of challenging the entrenched corporate interests.

If you know anyone we should be aware of , especially if they live in the district of Sander Levin (D+12), Dan Lipinski (D+11), Susan Davis (D+14), Anna Eshoo (D+21) or Xavier Becerra (D+29), let us know.