I just excitedly read Our-Past's excellent diary entry from yesterday and lit up. It was an exciting idea on how to quickly pass health care legislation and get the public option with it! And it'll work!
Basically, don't kill the bill. Use reconciliation for the public option. But don't use reconciliation for the industry reform part (basically the bill has already been stripped down to this point).
You can read Our Past's posting here.
Following the model of the multi-bill Compromise of 1850 should be just the trick here.
How would this work? It's as easy as 1-2-3. Take a look after the jump ...
Recipe for Easy Health Care Reform:
- Lieberman is happy with the current crapified bill since the public and medicare options are out. Sure, Nelson has his abortion issue, but Olympia Snowe will probably join in since she already voted for a public option free bill in committee. So, Dems + Lieberman - Nelson + Snowe = 60! It can pass now.
- Keith Olberman and other progressives will be pissed. I will be severely worried, but I'll avoid getting pissed. Because ...
- 24 hours later (to the amazement of progressives everywhere) Reid/Durbin/other Dems introduce a smaller reconciliation bill just to introduce the public option (or Medicare but in for all). This cannot be filibustered, so Liebersnot and Nelson are totally shut down.