Howard Dean wades into the healthcare battle

Gov. Dean discusses health care reform - Photo: AP / Brendan Smialowski

Former Vermont Governor, 2004 presidential candidate and most recently former Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean has rolled up his sleeves and waded into the health care battle being waged in DC and across the country. Dean has founded an organization called "America Can't Wait" and is pushing for, "At least 218 House and 51 Senate Democrats," to pass a health care bill that includes a public option. He points out that a simple majority is all that will be required, and will remain filibuster-proof if it is included in a budget package, which are protected from filibuster because of timeliness concerns. Dean write:

Some have said it takes 60 votes to pass any bill in the U.S. Senate. It's a myth.

It's a myth because while any Senator can attempt to block most Senate bills with a procedural tactic called the filibuster, there are exceptions. Senate rules don't allow filibusters of certain bills that affect the budget. That's right; the healthcare reform plan including the choice of a public option can be passed in a budget bill by a majority vote in the U.S. Senate.

Gov. Dean is the perfect standard bearer to carry out a grassroots effort to pass health care reform. He is a doctor, first of all. And he has the experience inside government, both as former VT governor (for 3 consecutive 4-year terms) and as the chair of the DNC during a highly contentious time in American politics (the second half of George W. Bush's presidency.) Dean has now come back from a short hiatus out of the spotlight and is ready to fight for a cause he cares about: universal health care. Considering the very likely hard feelings between Dean and the current Administration, it is kudos to Dean for shaking it off, taking the higher path. There was a buzz around DC in January that said Howard Dean was being considered for either HHS Secretary (which he would have been 100% suited for) or Chief of Staff, a nice reward and a higher octave of his position as chief of the Dems. A TBN article titled "The Fall of the House of Dean" in January explained in detail how Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi together prevented this from happening, and how it benefited both of them. For Dean to come out swinging on the health care reform battle reflects very well on Dean's character, and on his commitment to Democratic ideals rather than personality politics that so often define Washington.

The health care reform process in Congress turned a corner Wednesday when Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus released the much-awaited reform bill that has been being crafted by the "Group of 8" all summer. Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike were so unresponsive to the bill, it is likely crickets could be heard chirping. Kimberly A. Strassel at the Wall Street Journal has an even more dismal view of the mess:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus unveiled his long-awaited health-care compromise this week to the sound of one hand clapping. You wouldn't know it from the White House, which soothingly spun the Baucus bill as a breakthrough on the forced march to reform. We were told it was a good thing that the only person in Washington who liked Max Baucus's bill was . . . Max Baucus. That everybody was unhappy meant we were getting somewhere. What matters is that the Senate now has a "common sense" product to serve as a "building block" for bipartisan legislation. Uh-huh.

Mr. Obama has the same problem he's had since the start, only magnified. That would be the left wing of his party, which is about to rip up the Baucus bill, making an ugly product grotesque. He also has the same Republican Party, only now it's so alienated as to uniformly oppose the effort. And he has the same crowd of vulnerable Senate and House Democrats who continue to pay as much attention to the dismal polls as they do to their president. Nothing new to see here, folks. Move along.

Regardless, work is still going on the process of creating a bill that will satisfy a majority of Congress. In response to one of the major GOP outcries of opposition, tort reform, the president this week announced a major increase to "tort reform tests." And both parties have entered negotiation sessions, closed-door, to discuss their end games in the final legislative push. It appears Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-NY) has become the standard bearer for the public option, which has been in peril since the beginning, in spite of being the bedrock of the Democratic platform on health care. Gov. Dean's organization is also agitating for the public option, and it appears the president remains committed to it, although some of his statements lately have lacked backbone. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, "We hope to see modifications that result in the Senate bill better reflecting the work of the House to make health care more affordable for all Americans and promote competition that is key to keeping costs lower. I believe the public option is the best way to achieve that goal." Gov. Dean has been speaking out for the public option consistently, and made headlines in August, criticizing the president and HHS Secretary Sebelius, who seemed to be caving under pressure and letting the public option slip through the cracks. It should be noted that shortly thereafter, the White House re-strengthened its stance on the public option. Dean, also the founder of Democracy for America, is an important Democratic activist and voice, and he has chosen to "go live" again at a critical time.

First Lady Michelle Obama also hit the campaign trail for health care this week, calling the state of American health care "unacceptable." Here is a video of her full speech: