Senate GOP caving on government health care option? Update: Video, Nelson says yes

Political junkie Erik Erickson who blogs over at Red State hears from a reliable source that during meetings today, Republican members of the Senate became agreeable to the government health care option.

Oh, this really can’t be good. Look, forget about your dreams of creating a new party – we need to take back the Republican party. I’m hoping to see a lot of conservatives taking on incumbent Republicans in the 2010 primaries. That’s where we need to take this. Provide funding directly to candidates if you must, but for goodness sake, don’t send a nickle to the RNC.

Erickson writes…

I am told quite reliably that in a meeting today on Capitol Hill, Republican Senators began to rapidly move toward concessions on health care because they are afraid they cannot hold their members. Some Republicans are now thinking of supporting a government program.

On top of that (this probably deserves its own post), Democrats think they have what’s being described as a possible silver bullet. Here’s the intro from Sam Stein at HuffPost, with a late night (for me) hat tip to Allah at Hot Air with some analysis.

Senate Democrats have begun discussions on a compromise approach to health care reform that would establish a robust, national public option for insurance coverage but give individual states the right to opt out of the program.

The proposal is envisioned as a means of getting the necessary support from progressive members of the Democratic Caucus — who have insisted that a government-run insurance option remain in the bill — and conservative Democrats who are worried about what a public plan would mean for insurers in their states.

An opt-out? Are they friggin’ kidding? Maybe some people think a few states will take the high road, but remember what happened in South Carolina when the governor refused to take federal stimulus cash? The state legislature took him to court.

Another clear symptom of the disease. Politicians – from your local dog catcher to state representative to governor to Congress-critters – seem to have one major business objective; get as much cash as possible from bigger government bureaucracies above them. All they need to do is get a passing grade on that one MBO and they get re-elected.

UPDATE (Jim): Oh no … the cave-in begins. Senator Ben Nelson tells Fox news this morning … a couple GOP Senators (Snowe for sure?) will move to break the filibuster … and after that the flood gates will open.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_z9meBMW3s

Qunnipiac reports only 40% of Americans back this plan … 47% disapprove.

American voters oppose 47 – 40 percent President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan, and don’t want an overhaul that only gets Democratic votes, but they support key parts of the plan, including 61 – 34 percent for giving people the option of a government health insurance plan that competes with private plans, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

By a 57 – 37 percent margin, voters say Congress should not approve a health care overhaul with only Democratic votes. Democrats are OK with a one-party bill 63 – 29 percent, but opposition is 88 – 9 percent from Republicans and 62 – 32 percent from independent voters.

Neither Party is listening to the American people. It is time for all of them to go. Actually … Glenn Reynolds raises an even more interesting scenario, and he is one reasonable man. I agree.