President Barack Obama is showing very little backbone. He has kowtowed to the insurance lobby by leaving the public option out of his "final" health care reform effort. His press secretary  gave the excuse that Mr. Obama thought he couldn’t get 51 votes in the Senate to pass a health care bill which includes the public option. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)  begs to disagree. The Senator pointed out that the public option had 55 votes in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is on record as a supporter of the public option. POLITICO reports that there is a letter, circulating in the Senate supporting the public option, that is gaining more senators  signatures every week. And "when the public option is described correctly as  'like Medicare,' it is approved by more than 70 percent" of the public.

Fearing loss of support among progressives, and a defeat for a public option-less bill in the House, Mr. Obama called a meeting with House progressives. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., the co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, after the meeting with Mr. Obama,  issued  a statement that said, Mr. Obama promised to push for the public option in the future, after the current bill passes.

Ha!  In the future! Ha! If he won't deliver now, for what ever reason, how can anyone expect him to deliver in the future?

Requiring everyone to buy health insurance with out providing a public option is a give-away to the insurance companies. I thought the object of reforming the health care system was to lower the cost, while providing care for every American.  The Obama plan, with no public option, will not lower costs, but will burden working class persons, particularly younger workers, with the cost of paying the insurance companies whatever premiums the insurance companies demand, or be subject to a fine. Any reform bill without the public option is no reform at all.

Mr. Obama's supported bill -- Mr. Obama -- Well, following  Mr. Obama's lead we will be -- Well, instead of progressing forward into a better day for America, we will be retrograding into a pit.

News Sources: (http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/04/grijalva)