Adam Nagourney provides an infuriating pitch for bipartisanship on healthcare reform:
[T]he go-it-alone course could cost Mr. Obama and, more important, Congressional Democrats political cover should the health care plan prove ineffective, unpopular or excessively costly before the 2010 or 2012 elections.
Addressing this specific point, it’s absolutely worth the risk. Screw political cover. Besides, if healthcare reform and the public option is established enough prior to 2012, it would automatically be labeled a success — simply due to the speed and efficiency with which it was implemented. How the hell could healthcare reform be pegged as “ineffective” by next year, before it’s barely even been passed?
But mainly, what Nagourney is suggesting here is that there shouldn’t be any healthcare reform at all. He wouldn’t admit that, but the Republicans have no intention of voting for any healthcare reform no matter how much they’re able to water it down and sabotage it. Therefore the only truly bipartisan action is no bill at all.
