• (YOUR CO-OPS ARE LAME): Hey Doug Elmendorf of the CBO, how are those proposed co-ops — the non-profit alternative to Pubic Options — in the Baucus Bill going to work? Oh you just want to tell us in a parenthetical aside within your official scoring report? “(The proposed co-ops had very little effect on the estimates of total enrollment in the exchanges or federal costs because, as they are described in the specifications, they seem unlikely to establish a significant market presence in many areas of the country or to noticeably affect federal subsidy payments.)” In all seriousness, it’s pretty great that both Democrats and Republicans are pooping on this bill (these few shitsacks aside.) [Ben Smith]

We have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors on Capitol Hill or in the White House (just kidding, we know it all and will never tell you!), but it seems obvious that the Republican leadership has invested so much (all) of its energy into shouting “GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTHCARE” at the prospect of any legislation that simply removing the small, imaginary basis for this shouting — a public health insurance plan to compete with private insurers on a new health insurance exchange — would not change anything. And guess what! The RNC released a statement this afternoon saying that, indeed, co-ops are also evil socialistic government-run health care systems from the U.S.S.R. programmed to kill your white grandparents and children. MORE »