Rahm Emanuel's rationale for supporting a trigger on the public option included, strangely, a reference to the trigger that's attached to Medicare Part D. Ezra Klein explains how this is extraordinarily ridiculous:
In 2003, Republicans controlled the White House, the House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate. As such, when they tried to pass their legislation adding a private prescription drug benefit to Medicare, they allowed a small concession to Democrats: a weak public plan that would be activated if certain conditions weren't met by private industry.
What Emanuel is saying here, however, is that in 2009, when Democrats control the White House, the House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate -- and have larger margins than Republicans ever did in the latter two -- that they are interested in settling on the same policy compromise: a weak public plan that would be activated if certain conditions aren't met by private industry. That's a bit weird. Weren't elections supposed to have consequences?
In other words, Emanuel is promoting an entirely Republican solution to this issue.
Mr. President, you're going to have to do better than this. Much better. Forcefully push for a robust public option starting now -- and fire a warning shot against the lobbyists and special interests who are spending $1.4 million a day to stop healthcare reform.