The Senate Democrats are seriously considering Tom Carper’s ridiculous “Plan B” for the public option. Of course it’s not a public option at all. It’s something called “triggered co-ops.”
I wonder if the conservadems realize that by forcing Reid and the healthcare leadership to entertain and perhaps accept such an awful compromise that they’re risking failure for the entire reform effort and consequently endangering the congressional majorities. I simply don’t see the House progressives supporting triggered whatevers. Just a bad, bad idea.
Meanwhile, Ezra thinks that there’s an opening to abandon a weak public option in lieu of a very progressive policy idea somewhere else in the legislation. I’ve been arguing the opposite — that the Senate leadership ought to offer the conservadems a concession elsewhere and leave the public option intact.
