Act and not hesitate

I'm angry, again. Not about Coakley's loss in Massachusetts. But because the Dems seem to have given up. This isn't the end of reform, folks. Just pass the darn Senate bill. Stop this whining and fatalism. Shut up, pass health care reform, and move forward. Do it. If you're going to lose your seat, you're going to lose your seat. So do the right thing before that happens.

The Democrats cannot run from being tagged with the cost of reform, no less the image of dithering for most of a year without passing a bill; the worst thing to do now is to have dithered and still not pass the reform. Can you or can you not simply govern? You're not winning any points for killing the bill. So pass it, and if it takes an ugly election cycle in 2010 before Americans see the benefit, so be it. I cannot see any other political calculus here. Conceding defeat and a wasted year is insanity.

Let's think about this one other way. It's January, 2010, and the exact same Senate bill is on the table, a bill that was passed by a Senate that has 57 Democrats, 1 socialist, 1 Joe-for-Lieberman, and 41 Republicans, which include Arlen Specter. After months and months of work, Arlen Specter, Joe Lieberman and the Democrats have hammered out a compromise health care reform bill, not a perfect bill by any means, but one that achieves the basic goals of the reformists and which is able to garner enough votes to become law. Who wouldn't be cheering this bill, if that was the scenario? Would the House really be digging in to block passage? What if there were 49 Democrats, 1 Joe-for-Lieberman, and 1 Republican Arlen Specter in favor of the bill (but the other Dems agreed to break a filibuster)? How about now? Really?

UPDATE: Not so fast, Dathon? Perhaps Sullivan and Douthat have a suggestion that could work, here. But Plan A - passing the Senate bill - needs to remain an option if they cannot get a Plan B compromise, and fairly soon. The Sullivan/Douthat solution is as elegant as it is unrealistic. Republicans will not negotiate in good faith; they've shown that already. What's the cost to them if Obama calls their bluff, and they walk away again? Who loses? Something needs to be done on health care reform, yesterday, and we need to move on to jobs and the other issues that are affecting America. Staying bogged down on health care reform, without result, is untenable.

UPDATE #2: After doing the freak-out earlier today, Barney Frank is walking it back, will now likely vote for the Senate bill (if it comes up for a House vote).