wait hold on.

he didn't say HE would vote for it.

he said that "Democrats" should.

Unless he said HE will vote for it, he just psyched you.

Zepol, a public option can't hurt. And it's quite possible that reconciliation will present an opportunity for a better kind of public option. Single-payer isn't going to happen (but it becomes a more likely next step if we pass the current bill), but you might be able to get a Medicare buy-in provision.

Actually, as much as I like Medicare-for-All as an end-point, having government paid Medicare for retirees and buy-in Medicare as an option for everyone (not just the 50+ set) who doesn't have or dissatisfied with private insurance would be very good. Coverage would be near-universal. Medicare would compete directly with private insurance and would win out in basic coverage. The buy-in Medicare pool would be so large that it would still be competitive with private insurance while probably helping to fix the funding issues with the current system.

But even without public option now, passing the Senate bill as is helps the long term universal/single-payer/Medicare expansion cause. It means we would have done everything else short of that, so Democrats running on health care would have to offer something. Converting to national exchanges, adding a small public option, expanding Medicare down from 65, covering "kids" through age 25, buy-ins, everything that remains to debate consists of what are now merely the progressive side of the argument. The genius of passing a center-right health care bill (as the Senate bill is) is that the future options for change are all left-of-center.

I'm so sick of gutless politicians. Fortunately, there is a politician with courage running in the 3rd. His name is Craig Pridemore

A public option would bring back capitalist competition into the monopolistic marketplace.

DO IT!

Side note: There will not be a Republican "nominee" nor a Democratic "nominee." We have a top-two system now. That means it is possible that the two candidates in the general election could both be of the same party, if they get the most votes. In this case, the most likely version of that would be Heck and Pridemore. (In fact, I'd made a small wager on that outcome right now.)

@4 He can't vote for it until he gets elected. Everyone who wants it passed wants it done before the election.

Good job pimping Denny Heck, Eli.

How's that working out for you?

The Stranger is a joke when it comes to covering Southwest Washington issues. You do better sticking to Seattle. Seen as how your sister publication, the Portland Mercury, won't dare cross the river to cover our issue, we're left with Eli Sanders' pathetic long-distance attempts to cover the 3rd Congressional race.