ObamaCare Now Goes to Conference: Public Option Remains Stumbling Block to Compromise

My sense is there's little doubt that the Democrats will get their disastrous ObamaCare monstrosity passed. Legislative chokepoints remain, of course. The bill could die in conference committee, and apparently there's some buzz on this exact possibility. From Patricia Murphy, "Senate Passes Sweeping Health Care Reform, but Trouble Lies Ahead"

President Obama told PBS' Jim Lehrer on Wednesday he is "very satisfied" with the Senate bill, and predicted a smooth road ahead as the House and Senate meet to work out their differences. "You know, what's interesting is, the House version and the Senate version are almost identical." Obama said he would be directly involved in the conference process, but declined to list specific provisions that would be deal breakers for him.

Other potential negotiators were not so optimistic. In the days leading up to the vote, moderate Democratic senators warned their House colleagues that any changes to the Senate bill on abortion, taxes, or the public option could jeopardize health reform altogether.

Plus, from Anna Mulrine, "Senate Passes Healthcare Reform But Negotiations With House Will Be Tough":

Senators took to the floor to pass healthcare reform legislation today, marking the first time the body has conducted business on Christmas Eve since 1963 (before that, it was 1895). But even as the votes tallied along the expected party lines, with the final count 60 to 39, it was clear that hard work remains. Democrats are steeling themselves for the contentious process of melding the Senate and House versions of the bill, with liberal lawmakers warning that they are ready to bargain hard and push back in the wake of a process that left many feeling steamrolled by their more conservative colleagues.

The conventional wisdom has been that whatever healthcare bill was given the nod by the Senate, where only one defector would sink the legislation, would form the basis for conference committee negotiations with House Democrats. But there is a growing sense that "this is going to be a lot more difficult than people realize," says Mike Lux, a Democratic political strategist. True, when Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, blasted his party for bowing to conservative and centrist Democrat demands and urged Senate lawmakers to "kill" their bill rather than push through legislation without a public option, few seemed fazed ....

But the public option remains a point of contention—and there are others, including rules regarding federal funding for abortion and the "Cadillac tax" on premium health plans. The crux of the complaints coming from liberals is that though the president supported the public option and a number of other reform measures, he did not fight for them ...

Plus, at CNN, "Next Step: Turn Two Health Care Bills Into One."

And Ann Althouse on the left's unhappiness, "The Senate finally passes the health care bill — and the question is, for people who wanted the bill to pass: How good or bad are they supposed to feel?"

Video Credit: Stop the ACLU, "New Ad: Lefty Group Calls Obama a Liar."

Also Blogging:

* Allahpundit, "Michelle: ObamaCare is the tipping point in the Dems’ culture of corruption."

* The Astute Bloggers, "OBAMACARE: TURD SOUP."

* Cold Fury, "America's Last Stand."

* Ed Morrissey, "Senate passes Reid bill, 60-39."

* Pirate's Cove, "Health Travesty Passes, Fish Wrap Blames The Right For Partisanship."

* Pundit & Pundette, "Act in haste, regret at leisure."

* Right Wing Nut House, "THE WORST PIECE OF LEGISLATION IN MY LIFETIME."

* William Jacobson, "I'm out of breath from explaining, hundreds of times, why this is a monstrous lie. But it is on its way towards passage with the help of the mainstream media, mini-media pundits, and blogspheric sycophants."

Plus, Peter Wehner, "The Culture of Corruption" (via Memeorandum).