Democrats to dodge accountability on public option

Democrats to dodge accountability on public option

By Sahil Kapur
Friday, March 19th, 2010

They say they're for it, but it's likely we'll never know.

The last hope for an up-or-down vote on a public health insurance option faded on Friday, when one of its most outspoken backers scrapped his plans to force a vote on the provision.

Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told The Plum Line's Greg Sargent he'd "certainly be prepared to" introduce it in amendment, demanding that senators codify their stances.

But the self-described democratic socialist has since backed off, having "concluded that offering a public option amendment now could undermine the entire process," his spokesman told the Burlington Free Press.

The provision, which would provide consumers the choice of buying into a government-run insurance plan, has consistently polled well among the general public and is overwhelmingly favored by progressives. Staunchly opposed by the influential insurance industry, however, it has been subject to intense quarrels in Congress and was ultimately jettisoned from the Senate bill.

President Obama has repeatedly proclaimed his support for the public plan, only to exclude from his first-ever reform proposal, released just weeks ago. The House of Representatives passed it in its November bill, a month before Senate Democrats concluded they did not have 60 votes for cloture.

But now, under reconciliation, they need 51 votes, and at least 51 senators have suggested -- if not officially declared -- in statements or public appearances that they support the provision, according to unofficial whip counts conducted by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the liberal Firedoglake.

Tallying up its supposedly strong support among Senate Democrats, the Huffington Post's Ryan Grim concluded its passage was "a matter of will, not votes." Yet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced the provision's death last Friday, declaring that it's "not in reconciliation."

"This is what the Democratic Party does; it's who they are," said Salon's Glenn Greenwald, surmising that party leaders are too afraid to take on insurance companies. "They're willing to feign support for anything their voters want just as long as there's no chance that they can pass it."

So important is the public plan to progressive activists that a number of them, such as Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, have campaigned to scuttle the current bill and reprimand Democrats who vote for a package without it.

"This is an incredibly disappointing moment," wrote Hamsher on her blog. "I just wish our representatives would have the decency not to lie to their supporters about what they will do, and not make promises they quickly break."