Alright, so I don't think many people would argue that August was a rather...trying month for the President. Luckily he's on vacation now, but while he was in DC the place was nearly caving in around him. Congressmen couldn't stick to their talking points, angry town halls led Members to question their support, and the Republican attack machine did not miss a beat or opportunity to slam their democratic opponents for their support of health care reform.

And now, it seems the chatter is not over whether or not our party will lose seats in 2010, it's over how many seats we will lose. That's clearly not a good building block for a party hoping that September will help them find their 4:00 a.m. miracle to get this bill passed. But Nancy Pelosi says it's going to happen and that her caucus has a strategy to rebuild. According to The Politico, which reported on the party strategy shift yesterday:

"Leaders say their strategy is to convince members that nothing is set in stone and that they are more than open to negotiations. And they’re engaging in a softer sell, prioritizing health insurance reforms while pitching the public option as something that’s way, way down the road."

While it does not seem that this policy shift is going to be the key to reclaiming the debate, it does feel like a necessary first step. Health care reform is one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" type of minefields. If you come out strong with a bill (like Bill Clinton did) you are accused of forcing legislation on Congress. But if you sit back and let the legislative process work, you're accused of being unclear on what you support. It seems like Nancy Pelosi has tried the first option, now she's trying the second.

The key, however, is to not give away the store just because you want to pass some form of health care reform. We absolutely should talk to moderate members of our party who may need certain provisions to support the bill, but this does not mean that those provisions can gut the entire thing. We need health care insurance for all Americans today. That does not change because achieving the goal suddenly got harder.

It's important to pass the reforms we agree on, but only passing those changes will simply remove the urgency from making the tough decisions that this bill requires of leaders. And if we do not pass a bill now, we might not see a public option for another 20 years. These are not easy debates to have. When they're here, our representatives in Congress must fight for an outcome that will bring real and sustainable change to the American people.

That is what this bill has the opportunity to do, we shouldn't let that opportunity pass us by.

--Newell for Congress Campaign