Kari, Healthcare reform is at a crucial stage. This sort of opportunity doesn't come along very often in American History. Can we set aside your weird leg-humping of Jeff Merkley for a few minutes, please? I'm begging you.

It's as if - when the sun comes up in the morning - your first thought is how will it affect Jeff Merkley's image? Enough, for God's sake.

Let's focus on the public option for everyone, just as you-know-who mentions in the video but let's not turn this into points in a PR contest. This is way too important for that.

Would it help if we all chanted, "Jeff Merkley is all-knowing and all-wise. He is the light, the savior, and the lord. Jeff Merkley is the beginning, the middle, and the living end. When he first spoke the skies were dark but he said the words, 'I Am the Public Option and It Is Good.' and the skies were full of light. Flowers bloomed, birds sang, and on the 7th day, Kari built Jeff's website."

If we all chanted that 50 times for you, would that satiate your needs and quench your thirst for the nectar that is Jeff? Then, could we move past this phase and start thinking big picture here?

We should be organizing a major progressive push right now. You know, like the one that got what's-his-name to clue in about the public option back in the summer. Only bigger. Because this is important.

While my assumptions could be wrong, I believe the opt-out plan is more of a political maneuver than anything else. Here's why:

1. I'm NOT convinced that any state government would opt-out. Why would they? (Except maybe the most conservative of states.)
2. Despite a Democratic majority, the left still needs a small contingency of support from the right. This might be the carrot that works for more moderate Republicans.
3. With the pressure Obama is getting about the public option, this proposal puts the White House in a more robust position to argue for an overhaul pkg.

I think Democrats were smart to include the opt-out, but we'll have to wait and see if it works.

This is a big deal, and for folks who've worked long and hard for a public option, a significant win. Mill, I don't disagree with you that the public option should be opened up to everyone -- that's important to be sure -- but can't we get beyond every conversation here devolving into the shocking, shocking revelation that Kari likes his clients? Merkley deserves props for what he's doing, and that has nothing to do with his campaign Web site.

Jason,

A few states will opt out...mostly Southern or Midwestern States. I'd be suprised if my birthstate, Oklahoma, doesn't opt out. Okies don't like government mandates (especially those from the feds) and they do not trust the Obama administration. While there are pockets of sanity and even a few scattered progressive thinkers, the majority of Okies are conservative, religious, paternalistic and don't want anything to do with "ObamaCare". Believe me, some states will opt out...at least until they see how it works in their neighboring states.

Seems to me, it is much, much better to have a strong public option that Republicans at the state level can kill their political careers trying to opt out of, than to have weak mush (triggers, co-ops, most of the other suggested compromises) available to anybody. Seems to me, a state like Idaho or Texas might attempt to opt out, and find itself with the most resurgent and competitive Democratic party in decades.

Also Seems to me, the chances of Oregon even attempting to opt out of a national health insurance option are about as meaningful as the chances of Allen Ally becoming Oregon's next Governor.

@Mill: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? This is a progressive Oregon site, and we're kinda proud of our new Senator who seems to be taking so many leading roles for someone in his first year in Federal office. I don't think anyone around here is calling him or any other politician Godlike (consider how much grief our other admired Senator got when he seemed to be undecided for a while), but we do like to praise our own when they do something praiseworthy, your appeal to ridicule notwithstanding.

"Can we set aside your weird leg-humping of Jeff Merkley for a few minutes, please? I'm begging you."<?I>

Joe Lieberman now says he will filibuster with the Republicans. Looks like Reconciliation here we come. Up the ante now. Kick Lieberman off the chairmanship and out of the caucus, and make the PO stronger and add Wyden's choice amendment.

Merkley proved in ten years in the Oregon legislature, as the minority leader, and as the Speaker of the House, that he understood how to build consensus and get things done. That's why his colleagues -- the entire caucus of 30 other Democrats in the House -- endorsed him for U.S. Senate, even though they knew by running for the U.S. Senate that Merkley would not be back in the House and would have no power over committee assignments and the like.

It's no surprise to see him building a consensus in the U.S. Senate for health care reform. That's why so many of us worked our asses off for him. His values are right, he works harder than anyone, and he has the strategic smarts to get things done. Does anyone anywhere miss Gordon Smith...?

The opt out plan has potential. Just as having a government sponsored public option available will create competition for private insurers and benefit ordinary working citizens, so will the opt out plan create a contrast and some competition....i.e. for example, if Oregon opts in, and a neighboring state opts out, like Washington, then folks just across the river would watch as Oregonians all get health care more affordably and wonder what's wrong with their state leadership.

Gotta agree with the Admiral above -- Republicans at the state level who try to kill it will endanger their careers, and state Democrats will rise to the fight. If the national leadership of the Republican party figures this out, they'll either kill the opt out entirely, or just agree to a public option for all.

Let's just pray there's 60 votes for the opt out and get it done, regardless of what the Republicans do.

"Let's just pray there's 60 votes for the opt out and get it done, regardless of what the Republicans do."

No. Do not pray. Make it happen ourselves.

The problem with being a "key player" is that you are responsible for the success or failure of the venture. If the national public option becomes law, Jeff should receive appropriate kudos. If it does NOT become law, Jeff should take his share of the blame.

You can't have one without the other.

Can someone please answer this question that I put to Schrader after his telephone "town hall" last night (didn't get in the queue early enough):

If a state can opt-out, and the insurance companies are allowed to sell across state lines, what's to stop the insurance companies from moving to opt-out states and selling to the rest of us, to avoid the competition of the public option in those states that have "opted in."

What I have read about the "selling across state lines" idea suggests that it will lead to increased competition ONLY for those who are healthy, young-- basically the companies would cherry-pick insureds and the rest of the people would get insanely high premiums. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are no limits on premiums set by the government in any of the proposed bills, only a mandate that we the people must buy a policy from one of these companies-- "legalized extortion" as my dad used to say.