Democrats setting low expectations for health care reform?

John Hanlon | February 24, 2010 8:00 AM

It seems like Democrats in Congress are setting low expectations for liberals on the issue of health care reform. With many on the left excited about a new push by the White House for a reform bill and the upcoming

health care summit, one would assume that many Democrats would be optimistic about their chances for reform.

However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) recently raised questions about the feasibility of actually passing the health care reform bill, just a few days before the summit is set to take place. This statement comes around the same time that other Dems are talking about the death (once again) of the public option. According to the Hill newspaper, "The White House and House leaders on Tuesday pronounced the government-run health program dead even as some Democratic senators continued their effort to resurrect it." One wonders how much momentum Democrats are going to have at the summit considering that many liberals will likely be disappointed in the supposed death of the public option and the fact that even Hoyer is not sure if reform is actually going to pass.

It is definitely possible that Democrats are just setting low expectations for reform so they can meet or exceed them. It is also possible that Democrats are just using such rhetoric to make Republicans complacent so the Democrats can eventually push something major through the Congress while catching the GOP off balance. Either way, Republicans and moderates on both sides of the aisle should prepare for a continued debate about reform as the White House attempts to quickly regain momentum of an issue that they lost control of a long time ago.