If Congress had passed a health-care bill with a public option

[Ken Burch]

Poll question: If Congress had passed a health-care bill with a public option

OR at least if the president had FOUGHT for that to the end and then vowed to re-introduce a public option bill right after the election...

How do you think this fall's elections would have gone?

[tritsofme]

1. Anyone who thinks any sort of gains were possible in 2010 is delusional.

It was always a matter of how many losses, not if we would gain.

The election didn't turn on the margins of the health care bill over provisions that would not take effect for years.

[Ken Burch]

5. If we'd had a fighting, populist campaign, we COULD have made this into a repeat of 1934

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_1934
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections,_1934

It's all in the tone you set and the attitude you take. Our party's leaders withdrew from the field before the battle started.

[Kaleva]

8. Without a turnaround in the economy, the results would have been the same.

[demwing]

11. Anyone who thinks progress is delusional is defeatest

With the wave of support Obama generated, we could have advanced our position in the midterms. Unfortunately, the wave was lost.

You'd think a President who was born in Hawaii might know how to ride a damn wave....

[demwing]

12. Anyone who thinks progress is delusional is defeatist

With the wave of support Obama generated, we could have advanced our position in the midterms. Unfortunately, the wave was lost.

You'd think a President who was born in Hawaii might know how to ride a damn wave....

[demwing]

13. Anyone who thinks progress is delusional is defeatist

With the wave of support Obama generated, we could have advanced our position in the midterms. Unfortunately, the wave was lost.

You'd think a President who was born in Hawaii might know how to ride a damn wave....

[LawnLover]

2. Other: this poll makes no sense

Congress wouldn't pass a health-care bill with a public option. Not with our Senate the way it is. We discovered that very early on. So did Obama.

Nice pipe dream, but it never. would. have. happened.

[Ken Burch]

7. You missed the qualifying sentence:

"OR at least if the president had FOUGHT for that to the end and then vowed to re-introduce a public option bill right after the election..."

If he'd done THAT, he could have made right-wing Congressional obstructionism the issue and used it to beat the obstructionists.

Our leaders in the White House never HAD to take that "it's silly to even try, so shut up and take what you're given" tone with the party's base.

[LawnLover]

9. Nope.

Obama could scream all he wanted and vow to do whatever he wanted. Wouldn't make a difference. His problem was not just the Republicans, but the Blue Dogs. Democrats. Nothing he did would or could change the outcome.

[TexasObserver]

3. We got our teeth kicked in because we failed to deliver.

The people who say "but look at the good things in the health care bill" fail to see that it doesn't help most of the people who need help the most.

Health care costs are up. Health insurance is up. Quality of care is down. Things may be better for a select few million citizens, but overall we're headed the wrong direction, not improving.

[Greyhound]

4. Smaller loses.

Even better, had they allowed the plan proposed in HR. 676 to move forward (leadership blocked it for two years), people would already be enjoying real universal health care and would be much more forgiving on the economy.

Who knows, we might have held both Houses.

[obxhead]

6. I'm not sure about the election, but I think the attitudes

and general vibe around DU would be completely different.

Hell I know I would feel completely different about Obama.

[Bluebear]

10. It's not over yet. Obama said the bill he signs MUST include the public option.

Oh, wait...

[kctim]

14. Same or worse