After being left for dead by a bipartisan consensus, the public option is making a comeback on the strength of its popularity with the American people. Twenty-two Senators and more than 100 House members have endorsed putting the public option back on the table on the cusp of tomorrow’s healthcare summit. Writing in The Hill, Brent Budowsky vividly illustrated the absurdity of the public option’s uncertain fate:
"It is sad and ridiculous that with a Democratic president who supports the public option, and with a historically large Democratic majority in the Senate, and with a near-80-vote Democratic majority in the House, and with the public option supported by a strong majority of voters, and with the public option supported by more than 70 percent of independent voters, and with the public option significantly lowering the deficit, and with the public option supported by four out of five congressional committees that have voted, and with the public option having passed the House, and with the public option supported on the record by a majority of senators, the public option cannot be passed."
And because it never hurts to get a sexy movie star on board, a new ad by Moveon.org is pushing the momentum with the help of movie star Heather Graham reprising her role as "the public option" in competition against the the lazy, bloated private insurance companies. (Graham starred in a similar ad last October, which MoveOn has re-cut and updated.)
Call Congress today at 202-224-3121 and respectfully implore that reconciliation be used to restore the public health insurance option to the healthcare reform package.
PS: If you have extra time on your hands and want to follow me on Twitter — a micro-blog — click here. You’ll find (slightly) more personal posts, breaking news, basketball and lots of links
