Pelosi:"A Bill Without a Strong Public Option Will Not Pass the House"

So says TPMDC:

If you weren't already convinced that the House and the Obama administration are on a collision course, you might be now.

The latest statement out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is unequivocal: "A bill without a strong public option will not pass the House," Pelosi said.

Pelosi has said the same thing in the past, but with the fight over the public option reaching a fever pitch--and the White House signaling left and right that they're walking away from it--her renewed insistence is telling, and will no doubt come as encouraging news to progressives.

"If someone has a better idea for promoting competition and reducing health care costs, they should put it on the table," Pelosi said. "Eliminating the public option would be a major victory for the insurance companies who have rationed care, increased premiums and denied coverage."

Good. I've been saying a lot about "punishing them". This sort of reaction is what you want, though. Contact Pelosi (snail mail is best, phone is almost as good, email if you must) and tell her that you want her to stand tall on this issue. And contact your rep and remind him or her of the Golden Rule, while also saying that if they DO stand tall, you will stand with them.

And, yes, if there is a better option, than it should be put on the table. But there isn't one, and that's not what this Snowe-job is about.

(Well, there is a better option. It's called single payer. But as it is...)

No, this is about the Broders of the world. The people who fetishize Republican names on Democratic bills so much that they'd be willing to let the world burn before they'd allow the Dems to pass something on their own. This is about keeping them happy.

And they're not worth it.