Progressive Reaction to Baucus: We'll Have a Public Option

Nancy Pelosi briefed reporters today and reiterated that she, and the House, support the public option in healthcare reform:

"I fully support the public option. The public option will be in the bill that passes the House," Pelosi (D-Calif.) said purposefully.

Here's Sherrod Brown:

SNYDERMAN: ...If we really talk about Medicare expansion as being that "public option," can you find enough votes to say, you know, bipartisanship doesn't matter as much as reform does, and push this through?

BROWN: Absolutely.... We have an overwhelming majority of Democratic Senators, as we have an overwhelming majority of House members who support the public option, and more importantly, as you know Dr. Nancy, a recent survey showed that 70 percent of physicians in this country support a public option, and a comparable percent of the public supports a public option. So it's the right way to go. It's simply a choice that will make the insurance companies more honest and help us, because of competition, bring prices down.

Here's Anthony Weiner:

What we're saying to the United States Senate, to the Gang of Six, is "thanks, but no thanks." Any health care proposal that does not have the competition and cost containment that can only be achieved via the public option will be considered dead on arrival....

What we're finding is that after months of talk, the Senate plan came out and actually took several steps backwards in important things, made it less affordable for the middle class and actually provided less competition for insurance companies.

The Baucus debacle might just end up being the kick start the Democrats needed to reinvigorate them for the fight for a public option. If that's the case, it'll be the only real good to come out of the thing.