It is time for some very simple political math. The public option–or a public alternative like a Medicare buy-in–has always been extremely popular. Despite a multi-million dollar, all-out campaign against it, the public option never stopped polling well. Back when the health care bill still contained a public option, the health reform was more popular. [...]

Someone suggested that we leave an open thread for Massachusetts voters to let us know if they voted in yesterday’s election, who they voted for, and why they made the decision that they did. This election was deeply personal for them, and I think leaving a place for them to express that — without criticism [...]

Call Earl Blumenauer’s office and ask him if he intends to vote no on any health care bill that does not have a public option like he said he would. Let him know that 90% of our readers think he should return the money if he doesn’t (or perhaps, as some have suggested, give it to Hatian relief).

Earl Blumenauer: DC Office: (202) 225-4811, OR Office: (503) 231-2300

Now that Martha Coakley has lost, it seems that there are only two paths to passing health care reform–and both use reconciliation. One path would be a new, redesigned bill passed using reconciliation. The other would be to force the House to pass the Senate bill as is. Given that the Senate bill is unlikely [...]

Let me put this as simply as possible. Democrats control everything in Washington right now. They control the White House. They have a huge margins in the House and in the Senate. Democrats have larger margins in both chambers than any party has had for decades. They have zero excuses for failing to deliver. Americans [...]

Ezra Klein says that “a Democratic Party that would abandon their central initiative this quickly isn’t a Democratic Party that deserves to hold power.” I would add that if they don’t stand up to the lobbyists they’ve kowtowed to from the start, “holding power” won’t be anything they have to worry about.

I’m sure Sullivan enjoys excercising complete control over every word that appears on his blog. Some of us enjoy a variety of opinion and the back-and-forth of allowing different voices to express theirs too. It’s a mistake to extrapolate too much from one setup to another — and an even bigger mistake to trust someone else to make those distinctions for you without at least checking their links.

Welcome to 2010.

Today, House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer indicated possible support for the rush strategy to pass health care reform. House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday the U.S. Senate’s version of healthcare reform was “clearly” better than nothing and the overhaul could pass the U.S. Congress within 15 days. Fifteen days is [...]

Theoretically, this “sidecar reconciliation” could happen quickly in the Senate, since the underlying bill has already passed. The Finance and HELP committees would probably have to approve, and then it could go to the floor for a vote.

None of this, by the way, is a function of what happens to day in Massachusetts. It can — and should — happen regardless of what happens with the Coakley/Brown election in Massachusetts today. The Democrats have a huge perception problem that the health care bill is just the bank bailout extended to the insurance companies, and they need to fix it if they want to turn the ship around before the 2010 elections.

I looks like the House currently does not have the votes to pass the Senate bill as is. So the only option seems to be to revive reconciliation. After reviewing the latest terrible poll numbers, Steve Driehaus has decided to double down on supporting the Stupak anti-abortion langauge. Jane asks if the House members who [...]