It was pretty obvious a few weeks ago that the conservatives were far more energized and motivated than were we. The town hall meetings were full of crazy-ass ranting maniacs (amidst honest conservative and regular people who were skeptical, I'll admit). This is a horrifying thought. We got lazy. The other guys wanted it more.
Obama's been floating a drop of the public option and giving Baucus rope, I think, in order to piss us off enough to MAKE THEM do it right. Obama can't force them. He NEEDS his supporters up in arms, and frankly what he was trying did not work. He isn't really going to pull the public option. The suggestion of such is sure to rile us up and get us out there and to FIGHT.
I think the President realized that he had to get us into the game in as real a way as the other guys, but bringing our greater numbers and better organization to bear. How do you do that? We got complacent and frankly the Republicans don't scare us much. So what does? Who can deny us? Who can scare us enough, piss us off enough, motivate us enough to get the fuck out there in the way the other folks have?
The President is playing us. And I'm damned glad he is. We aren't doing our jobs. We'll turn out in raging pissed-off numbers and demand proper health care reform. The President will call for an end to bipartisan talks (without literally excluding those who want to honestly participate, if any do, but certainly ending their ability to end or slow things further) after we make him do it.
And I'm sure he wants us to do it. He's getting us organized because the Republican paper tiger wasn't doing it.
At least, I hope so. It would make more sense than such a politically-astute leader as Barack Obama just totally losing control of the political fight of his life without showing any sort of fight.