The Fight Rages On

I have a piece up on my own blog which challenges numbers-whiz Nate Silver for his takedown of progressives. He doesn't think they should be fighting for a better health bill, and that they should be delighted with the one that's expected to pass the Senate. Warning: The title may not be work-safe! It's a response to Silver's title: "Why progressives are bats**t crazy to oppose the Senate bill." As my response suggests, I think it would be, er, uh, similarly "crazy" to follow that advice.

I go through Silver's numbers carefully, trying to spot the flaws in his assumptions. His greatest errors aren't in the numbers, however, but in the reasoning behind them. It's important to ensure that whatever bill is eventually passed does as much good and causes as little harm as possible.

While my piece is not specifically about the excise tax, it mentions the tax at several points. Why? Because the political and human implications of the tax are one very good reason why it's important at this very moment - before a bill is finalized - to keep pressing to get the best possible bill. In the end, it's not even a "progressive" or "conservative" issue. It's a matter of saving and strengthening policies that will work - like the public option - and jettisoning policies that won't, like the excise tax.

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