Harry Reid Fires Back at Critical Public Option Ad

The Huffington Post previewed an ad, earlier this week, that euphemistically asked whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has the “toughness” to get a public health insurance option passed.  Mediaite has been trying for several days to get a statement from Senator Reid’s office, and we finally have it.  They must have needed the time so they could make it extra-tough.

They’re just in the nick of time, too.  The ad, produced by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, begins airing in Nevada today.

Reid’s office sent us the following statement late yesterday:

Reid’s position on the public option hasn’t changed.

Kaplow! I think the impact of that thing just fused several of my vertabrae!

In case you don’t know Reid’s position on the public option, here’s their only-slightly-less-terse statement to HuffPo:

“Senator Reid has always been a strong supporter of the public option and he will continue to work with the White House and the relevant committees to pass the strongest bill possible.”

Of course, the ad doesn’t question Reid’s position on the public option at all, but rather, his ability to get it done.

On its face, Reid’s posture seems to mirror that of the White House. The key difference is that Reid’s promise to pass “the strongest bill possible” leaves open the idea of passing something just to get it passed. The White House has said that the President will not sign a law that doesn’t “provide choice and competition,” and is not interested in signing something just to get a bill passed.

At this point, what Reid or the White House have to say is irrelevant.  What is at issue is whether Reid and the White House are listening.  The American people want the public option, and they know that the President, Reid, and the vast majority of congressional Democrats support it. If they fail to get it passed, they will have proven the uselessness of a Democratic majority.

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