A bill with a strong public option looks to me like a bill that can't pass. What am I missing?

That the Reid proposal is a weak public option with state opt-outs? Here's the beauty of it. No one really knows what a public option would ultimately mean. No one really knows what will become of much of these ideas in practice. And that is a real problem for reformers: the unintended consequences could be profound and yet they are also unknowable.

A conservative can say: therefore do nothing. The problem with that is that the status quo is extremely uncomfortable - fiscally and in terms of actual, you know, healthcare. In an insecure economy, it's more than uncomfortable, it's nerve-wracking.

So a conservative can also say: well, let's try it out in a few states and see what happens. ]]>