Hasn't Reid consistently pretended to push for progressive changes, just to inexplicably back down at the last minute? That is, inexplicably, if one assumed he was being honest and not just playing a well planned script.

since it would be entirely possible for the grassroots base to cause such a sh&*storm that they picked up the 2-3 votes for cloture.

I'm not sure, Harry Reid has got to be awful scared about his polling back home, the PO is very popular among the Nevadan Democratic Base.

That, on the other hand, doesn't surprise me and would be very typically of the Senator from Nevada. Is it an attempt to water the bill down and sell out progressives? Might very well be.

even if that's true, i still am glad that he's pushing a less watered down version first. unlike a lot of bloggers, i'm not allergic to compromises (provided the compromise isn't worse than having no bill). i would rather that reid, and all the dems, push ahead with a stronger position, even if they think it won't pass in its current form. when they hit the wall, that's the time to make concessions. what drives me crazy is when they start to make concessions from the outset.

I believe they have one shot at this and if they don't pull it off then it devolves into chaos. Progressive Senators have likely been making their own quiet public option demands and potentially threats as well.

The big win is tens of millions of new paying customers. If they can't pay, the government pays for 'em. If they don't or won't pay, they get fined, jailed, lose their jobs, liens on cars and homes, arrest and prosecution.

"Move 'em out, head 'em up, Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up: Rawhide!"

The second big win is that there are no restrictions on rate levels for age. The insurers have fought this very hard -- they plan on charging higher rates the older the customer is, which effectively continues the practice of cherry picking and avoiding losses by having to pay, you know, actual health care costs.

This will be extended across employer plans, making it a no-brainer for employers to hire the youngest and healthiest people they can find, and nobody over 40 if they can help it.

The third big win is that insurers wrote most of the current bill, and will be working closely with a few legislators to iron out the final bill after it passes both House and Senate. Little carefully worded sentences here and there will make loopholes galore, and then they will work with regulators to write little sentences into the regulations this new law will spawn.

It's their game, and they have it wired. Even the public plan itself will be run by one of the current big insurers, so they will rake a big profit off the top of it.

The mere fact that Baucus has signed on says everything you need to know -- he's been well paid to see that the fix gets put in, so if he's happy, baby, the fix is in.

"Any manifest error on the part of an enemy should make us suspect some stratagem."
~ Niccoló Machiavelli