Thank You, Mr. President

Thank you, Mr. President, for being ready to admit that the "public option" was a mistake and to strike it from your health care bill. Maybe it's the pragmatist in Obama, or maybe he knows a sinking ship when he's in one. Regardless, the media will most likely play this out as a "victory" for Obama because he will be seen as having reached out and compromised (how much remains to be seen). Remember, just a few days ago he was in full "bravado" mode telling Republicans to "get out of the way". Of course, waking up on a Sunday morning and realizing that your side is taking a beating kind of makes one reconsider, eh? Perhaps a lot of mainstream Democrats will love Obama even more for this, but I wonder if most independents and centrists will forgive him for taking it this far. The far-left, ironically enough, will have an even harder time forgiving Obama for abandoning the public option, but where else are they going to turn to?

Despite a media-based perception of an Obama rescue, what does this say about the power of the American people? I mean, Obama is less than a year removed from a huge political victory and has a overwhelming majority Democrat Congress that he could have and will still use to drive home his policies. Yet, the people spoke out and not even a super-majority in Congress was enough. If there's one thing conservatives have learned, and I hope this is only the start, is that speaking out and sticking with a theme despite the inevitable cries of "mob" and "racist" pays dividends.

Now, Mr. President, it's YOUR turn to get out of the way and let BOTH sides of Congress sit down and work out a deal. Despite the lack of reporting in most of the media, there is a reasonable alternative health care plan presented by Republicans that can serve as a starting point for discussion. It's the Patients' Choice Act and it's currently going through committee in Congress. Republicans and conservatives have much to gain from this, so let's see if they take advantage.