Mandating that people buy private health insurance is the wrong thing, but I don't think it's so bad that it overrides the counteroffers of a rescission ban and an expansion of Medicaid subsidies.

I don't buy the argument that allowing the Senate bill to pass into law will somehow diffuse people's dissatisfaction with the health care system. This bill is garbage, and I don't seriously see active progressives or significant numbers of polled voters satisfied with it. A public option was a clear majority priority, and there isn't one. Even the House version's public option wasn't one.

It seems the first thing you have to learn about politics is that the fight for justice never, ever stops. It doesn't matter whether that stop is based on winning or losing. Satisfaction and discouragement both accomplish nothing.

I think the effort that would go into opposing this bill would be better spent improving it, and pushing the next bill. Because there will be another one. We might have to replace some conservative Democrats to get the votes first, but there are elections with which that can be done.