My summary of a few reforms in HC 3590, while citing every relevant source.

Remember when Newt Gingrich thought it was a good idea to allow the federal government to shut down rather than give in to the Democratic President regarding budget disputes? Why does it seem so hard for so many Democrats to understand that the same thing is happening right now? However, instead of Republicans vs a Democratic President, now there is a showdown brewing between conservatives (including conservadems who call themselves moderates) and everybody else. The main issue that highlights this fomenting confrontation is health care reform, or more specifically, the public option.

Of course, all of us have heard about one of the President’s favorite maxims, “the perfect is the enemy of the good,” with its implication that practicality most often calls for us to forego our attempts to reach a hard to achieve or impossible ideal, in favor of acting to achieve a good result that, while not ideal; certainly represents an improvement in our current situation. It’s very hard to disagree with a proposition like that; but while there’s nothing wrong with the idea behind it; the devil is in the details of how you apply it.

Enough!

AHIP lie? Noooo…

For a long time now, progressives have been looking for lines in the sand. They’ve been trying to get progressive members of Congress to commit to vote no on any health care reform bill that doesn’t include a robust public option, and they’ve also been after the President to clearly state his unwillingness to sign a reform bill without one. Today, in his weekly radio address, and framed by his characteristic eloquence, the President has offered not one but a number of lines in the sand.

If you care at all about healthcare — who doesn’t? — this interview is a must.