Democrats Will Always Find an Excuse

(via VH1) Glenn Greenwald points out how the Dems will only support/advocate for the public option when they know it won't pass...then when it gains momentum they balk. It's a stark reality-check argument, and I hope he's wrong. But I fear he may not be. I particularly like the "villain rotation" moniker.

This is why, although I basically agree with filibuster reform advocates, I am extremely skeptical that it would change much, because Democrats would then just concoct ways to lack 50 votes rather than 60 votes -- just like they did here. Ezra Klein, who is generally quite supportive of the White House perspective, reported last week on something rather amazing: Democratic Senators found themselves in a bind, because they pretended all year to vigorously support the public option but had the 60-vote excuse for not enacting it. But now that Democrats will likely use the 50-vote reconciliation process, how could they (and the White House) possibly justify not including the public option? So what did they do? They pretended in public to "demand" that the public option be included via reconciliation with a letter that many of them signed (and thus placate their base: see, we really are for it!), while conspiring in private with the White House (which expressed "sharp resistance" to the public option) to make sure it wouldn't really happen.

Also BE SURE to watch the Rep. Shadegg (R-AZ) video at the bottom ... he makes the argument for the public option better than some progressives!