General Discussion

sulphurdunn

(6,891 posts)

95. The public option

Sun Mar 23, 2014, 03:08 PM

Mar 2014

was never anything but a campaign ruse. It died for all practical purposes the minute the 2008 election ended. The health insurance industry would have never supported the act with the public option included. Kennedy's death and Brown's ascension merely gave the democrats an easy out by avoiding having the blue dogs kill it. Even after Kennedy's death, and the democrats virtually handed his seat to Brown, it is difficult to spin a narrative in which the party still in control of all three branches of government was thwarted on such a massive social program as the ACA by the threat of a republican filibuster. The public option died because the democrats were perfectly willing to hand the republicans veto power over it and then wash their hands of it. The irony is that it cost them the House, and the American people have been paying for it since.

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The public option: how many of us remember when and why it died? [View all] pnwmom Mar 2014 OP

I may be wrong, but Obama made them hold off on a vote boston bean Mar 2014 #1

That wouldn't change anything. They ALREADY lacked the numbers to overcome pnwmom Mar 2014 #5

as noted below, Kennedy's replacement gave them the sixtieth vote. boston bean Mar 2014 #14

But the law could not proceed as just a "Senate bill" BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #16

Did the house version include a public option? boston bean Mar 2014 #19

By then no, it was too late. BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #21

I can't remember all the nuances, but I do clearly remember a vote boston bean Mar 2014 #23

There were 2 votes from the House BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #30

I got to leave the house. And haven't had a chance to read boston bean Mar 2014 #34

Okay BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #37

Excellent recap. It was too complicated for my brain to comprehend back then, but your Stardust Mar 2014 #56

They pulled out every trick in the book BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #68

The final Senate bill became the nuclear option "Reconciliation" version BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #9

The ACA was passed in the Senate at Christmas 2009. House of Roberts Mar 2014 #10

This is correct. My recollection is there was the lame "Elections have consequences" line was thrown TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #39

The budget reconciliation was also used for taxes and increasing subsidies. pnwmom Mar 2014 #102

That is what I said though I didn't mention subsidies but did use the kickback. TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #121

Yes, which didn't give the House time to pass the bill. pnwmom Mar 2014 #101

Wasn't if Joe Liebermann who killed the public option? Zambero Mar 2014 #13

Lieberman, Baucus, Landrieu, Lincoln BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #20

Yes, Joe had ample help in killing the public option Zambero Mar 2014 #28

Lieberman became anti-Democratic establishment BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #36

I am loving your posts in this thread. My God, it is wonderful to read from someone who has Number23 Mar 2014 #110

I was following the hearings and the various iterations of the legislation BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #115

And yet he was rewarded by Dems. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Mar 2014 #79

YES - but he had that power because of Kennedy's death. pnwmom Mar 2014 #103

When did the Constitution change from majority rule to super-majority rule? I missed that. Scuba Mar 2014 #2

It changed when they adopted the filibuster decades earlier. pnwmom Mar 2014 #6

No it changed when they adopted the rule zeemike Mar 2014 #47

Just read Article I of the Constitution BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #12

So what's your point? That the Senate makes it's own rules? And can dump rhett o rick Mar 2014 #74

I absolutely don't disagree BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #85

I had to try to guess your point and apparently I got it wrong. So a second try rhett o rick Mar 2014 #107

"And by the way, no one here says it's all Obama's fault" BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #114

The Senate Filibuster goes back to 1806, and is Constitutional under Article I Section 5 Agnosticsherbet Mar 2014 #17

The Democrats HANDED that seat to Brown leftstreet Mar 2014 #3

He didn't squander anything. He's gotten a lot done. n/t pnwmom Mar 2014 #7

But your OP asserts his hands have been tied leftstreet Mar 2014 #8

One wishes that were true Zambero Mar 2014 #22

Oh please. The Democrats created the 'tea party' leftstreet Mar 2014 #29

He passed the first national healthcare bill in our history, not bad spending of capital. Agnosticsherbet Mar 2014 #24

No, that was Medicare. ACA is a for-profit bill n/t leftstreet Mar 2014 #27

Medicare was not a national healthcare bill. It was Seniors only. The ACA remains the first Agnosticsherbet Mar 2014 #32

IT. WAS. NON PROFIT. n/t leftstreet Mar 2014 #33

WHICH. MEANS. EXACTLY. NOTHING. PROFIT. OR. NON-PROFIT. IS. IRRELEVANT. IN. NATIONAL Agnosticsherbet Mar 2014 #35

Nobody forced those voters to treestar Mar 2014 #76

I also blame the strutting Baucus and power-drunk Lieberman BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #4

That scenario was necessary because Reid didn't reform the filibuster. n/t PoliticAverse Mar 2014 #11

I must have missed these brooklynboy49 Mar 2014 #15

Interesting how he managed to move the ball on it BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #25

Not so surprising to me. zeemike Mar 2014 #57

OfCourseHesbetterthanMcCainorRomney... WhaTHellsgoingonhere Mar 2014 #46

When did Obama campaign on single-payer? Why are you blaming him for not pnwmom Mar 2014 #104

Honestly, Barack Obama is my FDR.... Walk away Mar 2014 #18

Maybe we can win both house in November? Rosa Luxemburg Mar 2014 #26

So where on your timeline is the time the leader of the party picked up the phone BrotherIvan Mar 2014 #31

The M$M focused on the "sausage-making" of how a bill becomes a law BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #38

The same one filled out for a Social Security card should work. TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #41

I agree BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #53

I don't agree with Medicare as our model. The entire urge to do so is about marketing TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #72

The push for "Medicare for All" BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #89

I believe the eye rolling comes from the fact that while those bullet points are good BrotherIvan Mar 2014 #49

I and many others on DU agree that "insurance" is out FOR PROFIT BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #61

As I said, most people hate their insurance company BrotherIvan Mar 2014 #73

"They didn't even mention the word. " BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #92

No No No, you got it all wrong... WhaTHellsgoingonhere Mar 2014 #52

A simple phrase Doctor_J Mar 2014 #129

And then there's this version of the story: polichick Mar 2014 #40

And yet ProSense Mar 2014 #42

A WH deal early on explains the lack of support - and the WH going after... polichick Mar 2014 #44

Nonsense. The reality simply counters that. ProSense Mar 2014 #51

Well, I'm not surprised you would see it that way. polichick Mar 2014 #54

Unfortunately we were right there during the reality. sabrina 1 Mar 2014 #81

BS. ProSense Mar 2014 #83

And who is handling Medicaid payouts now? sabrina 1 Mar 2014 #91

What the hell are you talking about? Your claim about the law was wrong. n/t ProSense Mar 2014 #93

I asked a question, no need to get angry over it. sabrina 1 Mar 2014 #106

This fairy tale rewriting of history won't work BrotherIvan Mar 2014 #60

Read this BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #65

To date there is no evidence that the ACA has "insured millions of Americans former9thward Mar 2014 #43

There are ProSense Mar 2014 #55

48 Million Americans Remain Uninsured, Census Bureau Reports former9thward Mar 2014 #94

You're posting a the 2012 census to show that the 2014 law isn't helping millions? n/t ProSense Mar 2014 #98

I am posting hard numbers not guesses and estimates. former9thward Mar 2014 #109

Hard numbers from before the ACA don't really say anything gollygee Mar 2014 #127

Those are the only numbers that exist. former9thward Mar 2014 #133

Dems protect Republicans from their own ineptitude. JayhawkSD Mar 2014 #45

Not even ProSense Mar 2014 #48

Don't forget Joe Lieberman who vowed to JaneyVee Mar 2014 #50

Thank you Hekate Mar 2014 #58

The irony is... FreeJoe Mar 2014 #59

Don't forget Max Baucus, a Democrat, firmly in the pocket of the for profit health care Cleita Mar 2014 #62

You have the correct answer for why the 'public option died..... dmosh42 Mar 2014 #80

The public option was never real rocktivity Mar 2014 #63

My recollection is that the public option was taken off SheilaT Mar 2014 #64

Read the links at post #60 BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #70

Didn't you guys tell us Obama never wanted the Public Option? Isn't there video? WhaTHellsgoingonhere Mar 2014 #66

This is where I get so angry at the deterioration of our 'representative' government NCcoast Mar 2014 #67

How to strengthen Obamacare, courtesy of the Progessive Caucus. ProSense Mar 2014 #69

Truth doesn't matter, we gotta blame it on Obama. Hoyt Mar 2014 #71

Very ironic since it was Teddy's issue treestar Mar 2014 #75

That doesn't prevent Democratic candidates from campaigning on Medicare for All. Loudly Mar 2014 #77

I remember, two days after that I went to the USPS and re-registered as an Independent nadinbrzezinski Mar 2014 #78

thin sauce.... mike_c Mar 2014 #82

This should be an original post. Cleita Mar 2014 #84

Simply nonsense. ProSense Mar 2014 #86

+1 leftstreet Mar 2014 #100

"It isn't hard. It certainly isn't impossible." The hard part seems to be... polichick Mar 2014 #105

Exactly right. We can see it right here. cui bono Mar 2014 #119

I'm always surprised when I'm reminded of how... idendoit Mar 2014 #87

I think it died on election day 2008. Candidate Obama said he would not Bluenorthwest Mar 2014 #88

That's ProSense Mar 2014 #90

The public option sulphurdunn Mar 2014 #95

the public option died backwoodsbob Mar 2014 #96

It was crystal clear to me by the Reid, Pelosi, and POTUS tap dance number that they had no GoneFishin Mar 2014 #97

Ding ding ding... we have a winner NCcoast Mar 2014 #113

Agreed. nt Damansarajaya Mar 2014 #117

Thank you very much for this. cheapdate Mar 2014 #99

The increase in attacks on the ACA are due to the 3/31 date approaching. JoePhilly Mar 2014 #108

+1,000. And the ACA provides the option for it. VT is doing it, PBO or ACA isn't stopping anyone. freshwest Mar 2014 #118

I'm surprised you still haven't edited your OP Capt. Obvious Mar 2014 #111

I did. Did you read the WIKI article? n/t pnwmom Mar 2014 #112

Interesting. It still says, Kennedy died Capt. Obvious Mar 2014 #126

Pres. Obama could have taken the fight right to the American people. Damansarajaya Mar 2014 #116

That's what should have happened Doctor_J Mar 2014 #131

"it was too late" cui bono Mar 2014 #120

Cool story bro... Demo_Chris Mar 2014 #122

Thank you for this detailed report on the timeline, pnwmom.. Cha Mar 2014 #123

I am aware that post #124 on a thread gets about 3 views. LiberalAndProud Mar 2014 #124

We only needed Lieberman. You can't tell me there was nothing we could offered him that would have grahamhgreen Mar 2014 #125

The campaign promise was a lie. Lots of good posts in this thread Doctor_J Mar 2014 #128

Nth dimensional chess Puzzledtraveller Mar 2014 #130

Given that the President didn't even try to fight for the public option, Vattel Mar 2014 #132