Ezra Klein has been arguing that the public option, and other progressive elements of the Democratic agenda, can't pass because the Obama administration is unable to pressure conservative Democratic Senators. Klein tells us those Senators, after all, aren't shrinking violets:
The unifying idea here is that someone can just go into a back room and torture Max Baucus and Kent Conrad. But how?
Well, Joe Wilson has demonstrated how one goes about pressuring these Senators can be pressured into changing legislation. Just have a right-wing freak-out on national television:
The controversy over Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's shouting out "You Lie!" at the President over his claim that illegal immigrants wouldn't benefit from health-care reform apparently sparked some reconsideration of the relevant language. "We really thought we'd resolved this question of people who are here illegally, but as we reflected on the President's speech last night we wanted to go back and drill down again," said Senator Kent Conrad, one of the Democrats in the talks after a meeting Thursday morning. Baucus later that afternoon said the group would put in a proof of citizenship requirement to participate in the new health exchange - a move likely to inflame the left.
So, there you have it. That is how you pressure Senators like Kent Conrad and Max Baucus to change legislation. They aren't shrinking violets, but they will cave to an obscure South Carolina Congressman calling President Obama a liar on national television, even when that Congressman's apology has been the main focus of the news cycle for the last 36 hours..
But remember--there is no way that the Obama administration could possibly apply the same sort of pressure to Baucus and Conrad and Joe Wilson can. Wilson is just vastly more powerful and influential than the Obama administration. And don't even get me started on the relative power balance between the Progressive Block and Joe Wilson. That is a mismtach if I ever saw one.
Given the power balance at play, this is a pretty smart move by Baucus and Conrad. First, it will undoubtedly get a lot of Republicans to support health care legislation. Second, it will also go a long way to discrediting Joe Wilson, and keeping the media tide of this story in our favor. Third, it is a good idea to deny legal, documented immigrants who are not yet citizens health care. Fourth, it keeps me excited and engaged in the fight because it shows that progressives have a real role in determining the outcome of health care legislation, especially compared to Joe Wilson. Fifth, I feel very confident now that Democrats won't back down to Republican lies. In total, few moves could have done more to strengthen the Democratic position on health care than this. Brilliant stuff.
John Aravosis has a lot more on this.
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