Snowe a Gang of One?

Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly makes the case that Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is the lone Republican willing to negotiate in good faith on health care reform.

The arithmetic is obvious. There are three Senate Republicans talking about a bipartisan deal. Two of three -- Iowa's Chuck Grassley and Wyoming's Mike Enzi -- have made it painfully clear that they oppose health care reform. Whether Snowe likes it or not, that leaves a Group of One.

To her credit, Snowe is nowhere close to Grassley's and Enzi's position. She believes the status quo really does represent a health care crisis, that the uninsured should be covered, and that those with insurance may not appreciate what's around the corner. "They may say they are satisfied now," Snowe told (NYT's Carl) Hulse, "but it is going to get worse, given the skyrocketing increases that are only going to persist. Something needs to be done to remove the deep anxiety that people find themselves in because of the lack of health insurance." She even sees the value in a public plan competing with private insurers, though Snowe prefers a "trigger" that would kick in later.

Snowe, in other words, supports some kind of health care reform -- which makes her unique in the Republican caucus. The Gang of Six charade has become farcical. If the goal is to strike a deal, the White House should probably go around it and invite her over for a detailed chat.

It is long past time for all of the fact-challenged shouting to be replaced by serious discussion. Snowe may well be the only GOP Senator willing to participate.

--Ballard Burgher