front man for the oligarchy

[click image, C-SPAN video of speech, 50 minutes]

He may have stated quite clearly he wants a public option, but he also stated as clearly that another way to accomplish the same ends is equally acceptable to him. The Democrats, in Congress and in the administration, including his Chief of Staff, have been floating this willingness to give it up for a few months now. Each time, we go nuts and they take it back, and then come back again and talk about it.

The good aspects of the public option are that it can help keep insurance companies from charging you outrageous premiums when you have that option, as he mentioned in the speech, but the other one, the one he did not mention, is that it leaves a template for moving into a sane single payer system... leaves the door open a crack for sense to will out at some point in the future. Bearing this in mind, you might see why it ISN'T something negotiable by officials who are acting in good faith, bearing the public will and welfare in mind. The speech was prima facie capitulation to the profit imperative of a very few very wealthy people.

The public option in this CRAP legislation, while not good enough by a mile, is the only bit of it that holds any promise for this mandatory health insurance to end up not being too heavy a burden for too many people... maybe some glimmer of hope that someday someone COMPETENT can use it to slide everyone into the Single Payer format that is the only lucid and humane way to treat each other.

That speech was "We're capitalists. We never cede a cash cow for anything. I'm standing up here, running my mouth, so you will stop being angry at me for it." Rest assured, when they come up with an alternative for the public option that only SOUNDS like it will do the same thing, THAT'S when suddenly all the votes needed will line right up behind this Not Healthcare Reform. It's plain as the nose on your face.

Whether or not it is their intent, the Republicans are giving the Democrats the political cover for caving in completely to the demands of the corporate oligarchy.

Big Ag is already feeding us so many chemicals and toxins and microbes that sicken us up for Big Pharma... and drives up those premiums for Big Insurance. Now EVERYBODY will HAVE TO play this game.

That speech was a reprehensible piece of shit. It was the politically astute way to appease the greed of big companies and soothe the poor rubes who have to put up with this CIRCUS they make out of what should be BASIC common sense, BASIC common decency.

The insurance companies will want a type of public fallback position, a way to shove the very expensively sick people off their books and onto the public pocketbook. The replacement for the public option will, mark my words, provide this feature.

If he had any honor he'd shoot himself.