The public option: how many of us remember when and why it died?

[Zambero]

28. Yes, Joe had ample help in killing the public option

The irony is that Lieberman had been the party's candidate for vice president in the 2000 election, when health care reform was at the forefront of the party's agenda, and years later even though he was in a position to make a difference, he went out of his way to enable a significant piece of progressive legislation to be severely water down. And since having the election stolen from him and Al Gore, he deemed it appropriate to position himself further right in the direction of the party that had screwed him over, endorsing McCain-Palin (I wonder what his ultimate take was on Sarah?) in '08, and taking an obstructionist stance on numerous occasions following Obama's election. The other three Senators were from conservative states and would have been expected to be lukewarm to a public option. But Lieberman as a Senator from a reliably blue state was at no political risk whatsoever -- he just did the wrong thing and for a host of probable reasons (going out of his way to cause grief for his "formerly fellow" Democrats, dislike of Obama, insurance lobby pressures).