Progressive Caucus Co-Chairwoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) warned Emanuel that he would lose the caucus' votes if the White House compromised on the issue and included a "trigger" that could delay a public insurance plan indefinitely. The trigger idea is backed by conservative Democrats but is anathema to liberals.
"We have compromised enough, and we are not going to compromise on any kind of trigger game," Woolsey said she told Emanuel. "People clapped all over the place. We mean it, and not just progressives."
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said he was reassured by Emanuel. "He doesn't stand by that trigger," Waxman said. "He said the president and his administration and he are for a public plan as one of the options."
Between this and Harry Reid finally deciding to tell Max Baucus to STFU, hopefully this will send a signal to the bipartisanship fanboys that, when 76 percent of Americans support the public option and there exists a super-majority in the Senate to get it done, bipartisanship is more irrelevant than it normally is.