Why the Public Option's Still Alive

Polls, time, and activism keep popular concept on the table
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 21, 2009 12:57 PM CDT
Why the Public Option's Still Alive
Demonstrators protest in front Blue Cross offices in downtown San Francisco, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Reports of the public option’s demise look to have been exaggerated. Nate Silver breaks down what revived it at FiveThirtyEight.com:

  •  “The tireless, and occasionally tiresome,” advocacy from liberal bloggers and interest groups.
  • The CBO thinks it will save money.
  • The shift of focus from the Gang of Six (Bingaman, Conrad, Baucus, Snowe, Grassley, and Enzi) to the Group of Six (Pelosi, Dodd, Obama, Reid, Baucus, and Snowe).

  • The opt-in/opt-out compromises, which liberals prefer to triggers or co-ops.
  • The fading memory of the tea partiers.
  • Various polls showing its popularity, particularly in swing states and districts.
  • The insurance industry’s misleading study—did they think it was still 1993?
  • The Washington Post’s “somewhat bizarre decision” to run its poll showing support for the public option on its front page, even though support’s been steady for months.
(More Nate Silver stories.)

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