A Reminder That The Public Option Is A Compromise For Progressives

I think this should be shouted from the hilltops. Congresswoman Maxine Waters speaks a lot of truth to power in this interview on MSNBC. From how culpable Rahm Emanual is for the current state of negotiations after he recruited so many Blue Dogs, to the incoherent contradictions in the Blue Dogs' demands. But what she really hits on here is something that I feel like the liberals and progressives have done a horrible job of stressing.

The public option itself is a compromise for progressive Democrats.

The truth is we would MUCH rather have a single payer system which would both curb costs AND cover everybody. But because President Obama backed away from that on the campaign trail and because some of the Democratic leadership are simply too cowardly to put forward a bill that best helps accomplish the goals as set forth by President Obama.

But the debate has been framed almost from the start as between having a public option and not having one. That of course pulls everything about the debate right ward. Now part of this is the fault of progressives and liberals in Congress who don't get in front of the camera and argue our point of view. Leaving the fight for public opinion up to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid is just a foolish proposition. Mrs Waters and other progressives should be in front of the cameras every day pulling the debate back to the left. But for some reason they aren't and we all know that the Villagers prefer "centrist" ie "bought off" Democrats rather than liberal or progressive Democrats.

Can we have more of this please?