Does Health Care Reform Stand a Chance?

Yesterday morning, news from TPM had me feeling very grim. After months of Blue Dog wankery, Republican obstructionism, and Democratic ineffectuality, reports that town halls were being hijacked by crowds of Teabaggers (organized by well-funded Republican operatives, of course), whose concerns were of course being taken very seriously by the media had me ready to give up entirely. And health care isn't just a political concern for me - last fall, with a 6 week old baby plus a four year old, our family went off health insurance for 4 months (COBRA was simply too expensive, and SCHIP takes forever to get enrolled). My family needs the public plan.

But this makes me feel much, much better. A Daily Kos diarist from Indiana reports from a town hall held there in which the Good Guys showed up in force, organizers were prepared for and prevented disruption, and the meeting proceeded in a democratic, rather than mobocratic, spirit. Combine that with the fact that, if you scratch a teabagger, you'll find a birther, and I start to feel a bit of hope that August will not kill the dream of worthwhile health care reform in America.