FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: The Public Option Fight May Not Have Been Winnable.
Nate believe the blue dog type conservative democrats staked out their ground during the summer and stuck to it. The votes were never really there to get a public option. Leiberman gave it a swift kick in the nuts on the way out the door, it’s effectively dead. The result is a weaker bill that will cost more money, have less effective cost controls and cover fewer people, perhaps that’s what the opposition was after all along.
I’m of the opinion that after Lieberman’s opposition to the Democrat’s top domestic priority and after having campaigned for McCain/Palin during the last election cycle he richly deserves being stripped of his committee chairmanship. He desperately needs another well financed primary challenger from the left-center next time around. There’s probably a few of his colleagues who’d like to line up to give him a swift kick in the nuts on the way out to door. Democrats don’t need him if he’s unwilling to support the party’s priorities. Either you caucus with Democrats and support the party’s initiatives or you find yourself another party willing to put up with all the maverickiness. Party discipline anyone?
