Why Reform Survived August | The New Republic

Image by Renegade98 via Flickr

by Jonathan Cohn

Somehow, though, health reform is not dead. Despite all of the setbacks and all of the missed opportunities--despite this train wreck of a month--the situation remains remarkably similar to what it was before the recess. Significant health care legislation is likely to pass, particularly if Obama manages to give a good speech on Wednesday night. And while the possibilities for what that legislation might accomplish have certainly diminished, mostly for worse, it’s not clear how much they have diminished--and to what extent progressives may yet have the power to change that fact.

Here is where the debate stands, based on interviews with about a dozen key players spanning the administration, Congress, and broader reform community:

Read More