Health care bill could move after all

The key is reconciliation. The Democrats could do it themselves and actually pass a real reform bill. Chris Hayes from The Nation explains:

After spending much of yesterday talking to folks on capitol hill, it's clear there is increasingly consensus on a path forward: As I explained last night on Rachel Maddow, it involves a few steps, but is relatively straightforward. The House has to come up with a list of changes to the Senate bill that will get them to 218 votes (and will also pass muster with the procedural constraints of "reconciliation". For more on that you can listen to last week's episode of The Breakdown.) They then send those changes to the Senate leadership, which can pass them through reconciliation, a process that requires a simple majority. Once that process has moved forward or (better!) is completed, the House can then pass in quick succession the Senate bill, and the amended fix.

Hayes notes that under this scenario, Ben Nelson's opinion is "more or less meaningless." Same goes for Lieberman, Bayh and Lincoln.

And, this could mean real reform:

In fact, now that reconciliation is on the table, the public option has regained a pulse. After all: it already got 218 votes in the House, remains one of the most popular parts of healthcare reform and once upon a time enjoyed majority support in the Senate. Today, Ryan Grim reported that two House members were circulating a letter to their Senate colleagues telling them to put the public option into the reconciliation package, and the PCCC, DFA and Congressman Alan Grayson delivered 250,000 petition signatures to Harry Reid this morning calling for the same.

This does not mean, by any earthly means, this is a done deal. If ten Senate Democrats get scared and back away from reconciliation the bill is sunk.

Democrats on the Hill scare easily. Way too easily. But, this is the first time I've liked what I've read about health care in a long time.

Importantly, from Ryan Grim's report, the two members of Congress circulating the public option letter are Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jared Polis (D-CO):

Two House freshmen, Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.), circulated a letter, looking for signatures, that will be delivered to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday on behalf of the plan, Polis told HuffPost.

Reid is not generally receptive to advice from the lower chamber, but health care reform has stumbled into territory where there is no map.

Glad to see both Chellie and Jared taking the lead. Remember, Harry Reid does support the public option. This would be a great way for Reid to show Nelson and Lieberman who the real boss is. I think that would be well-received (and it's long overdue.)

Getting this done right is going to take some real leadership on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Probably be wise to keep Rahm Emanuel out of the mix. He's really screwed it up so far.