by John McMahon

[Originally posted at the DU Dems blog].

Lots of news today that the Obama White House is pressuring the Senate negotiators to DROP a compromise on health care reform that would allow states to opt-out of a relatively robust public option. This is after the opt-out idea has been receiving increased public support, among both liberal and conservative Democratic Senators.

That’s right, the Obama administration is trying to get Senate, thus far a slow-moving and obstinate body, to drop a compromise that would cover more people in a more cost-effective way that their preferred alternative, Olympia Snowe’s weak ‘trigger’ proposal that would do little to foster affordability and has essentially been  off the table for a while due to a lack of support. Why, you are likely asking, is the Obama administration doing this? Good question, with a disappointing and maddening answer: because they are reportedly “obsessed” with getting the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine.

So, to recap, the Obama administration appears to prefer a weaker, less effective approach to health care reform just so they get one (ONE!?) Republican vote, that they don’t even need. This absolutely is not change that anyone should believe in.

People (including myself and many of us who blog here and are members of this organization) did NOT volunteer and spend time getting Obama elected President to give a Republican Senator from Maine de facto veto power over legislation. That, friends, is not change, and anyone who is fooled to believe it is needs a reality check.

If this is really the approach that the White House wants to pursue, then I hope they think hard about selling out and violating the trust of millions of hard-working people who would like to have access to health care, just so they can satisfy their fetish of getting a single irrelevant Republican vote.

Put pressure on the Obama administration however you can (call and email the WH, tweet, facebook, etc.) to support a robust public option.