Doesn't A "Public Option" Mean The Entire Public Should Have An Option?

A watered-down public option. The Confederates don't like that, either.

Hey, Harry Reid--Grab A Mop & Get To Work.

Harry Reid: Step Up Or Step Down.

Public Option Or Big Pharma: Which Will It Be, Mr. President?

If you've been paying attention, you are aware that the Republican Party ceased to exist on January 20th, a tad past noon, just as Barack Obama said, "So help me God."

The deceased--and diseased--GOP instantly became the home of the modern-day John Birch Society. They rebranded themselves as the Party of No, and chose charlatans such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck as their inspiration.

But there are still two major political parties in the United States. They're both within the Democratic Party, however:

From Newser.com:

Harry Reid declared "90% agreement" in the Senate on health care reform today after a meeting with President Obama. Reid and Nancy Pelosi expressed optimism that the president's address to Congress tomorrow will bolster support for reform, the Hill reports. The Senate Majority Leader is confident that the speech will at least defuse some of the “ridiculous falsehoods” that have so far dominated the debate.

The two congressional leaders did not seem in sync on the issue of a public option: Reid said he and the majority of the Senate wanted it but did not see it as necessary. Pelosi, however, said the creation of a government-run health plan was “essential” for passage in the House.

So we have the pro-public option Democrats, who represent the Good Guys in the health care reform debate. Then we have the we-don't give-a-shit-about-a-public-option Democrats. Two parties, divisible, with liberty and justice for some.

Meanwhile, as Newser points out:

White House press chief Robert Gibbs didn't shed any light on whether Obama would demand a public option, but he said the president would make sure people “understand what the public option is and what the public option isn't.”

The only thing I don't understand about the public option is what the hell Robert Gibbs is double-talking about.

It's really quite simple: will President Obama go to the mat for a public option? Or will he give in to Big Pharma, the health insurance industry's money-soaked lobby, and the town hall disrupting, teabagging, talk radio-fueled frantic fringe?

Mr. Gibbs, we know what the public option is, and we want it.

Change we can believe in. Remember?

Harry Reid: Pretty Vacant.

There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply

Oh just remember I don't decide

I got no reason it's all too much

You'll always find us out to lunch

Oh we're so pretty

Oh so pretty

We're vacant

Oh we're so pretty

Oh so pretty

A-vacant...

"Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols.

Zeitgeist-dodging somnambulist Harry Reid has announced that the Senate is going ahead with their traditional August vacation before voting on health care reform. During their month-long fun in the sun, more than 400,000 additional Americans will lose their health coverage.

Everybody out of the pool!

From the Center for American Progress:

Even when the economy was growing, 46 million people in America did not have any health insurance. Since the recession began, an estimated 4 million additional Americans have lost their health insurance and 2 million have become uninsured. The recent turmoil in the job market is likely increasing the number of uninsured at the rate of 14,000 a day. And yet, congressional conservatives opposed efforts to stop the erosion of our health care system and help millions of Americans hold on to the coverage they have or get it for the first time.

Congressional Republicans and conservative Democrats think that delays can help slow and ultimately kill efforts to pass real health care reform, especially with a public option. And instead of facing that challenge head-on by calling on senators to stay in D.C. until work was completed and a vote was held, Reid reached for his Bermuda shorts.

How Harry Reid rose to the rank of Senate Majority Leader is a question for another post. The question for this post is, "Hey, Harry--whose side are you on, anyway?"

Get Smart.

From Roll Call:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday ordered Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to drop a proposal to tax health benefits and stop chasing Republican votes on a massive health care reform bill.

Reid, whose leadership is considered crucial if President Barack Obama is to deliver on his promise of enacting health care reform this year, offered the directive to Baucus through an intermediary after consulting with Senate Democratic leaders during Tuesday morning’s regularly scheduled leadership meeting. Baucus was meeting with Finance ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Tuesday afternoon to relay the information.

According to Democratic sources, Reid told Baucus that taxing health benefits and failing to include a strong government-run insurance option of some sort in his bill would cost 10 to 15 Democratic votes; Reid told Baucus it wasn’t worth securing the support of Grassley and at best a few additional Republicans.

Welcome to The Show, Harry. You need to be the "Chief" because Baucus is clearly "Max." And the GOP is nothing but KAOS.

UPDATE: Once again, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders takes the lead. Read about it here.