SCHIP, Baby

Doesn't winning feel good?

After watching Republican opposition to a Medicare bill crumble in the Senate this week, emboldened Democrats are considering whether to force a new vote on expanding a children’s health insurance program.

Lawmakers, aides and lobbyists say House Democratic leaders may schedule a vote in September on an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a priority for Democrats since they took over Congress last year.

It's called "daring your opponent to make bad votes." SCHIP is a great political issue and an important policy, so having GOP lawmakers in threatened seats vote on it over and over again is a very good idea. And with the HCAN coalition and a possible jumping of the fence to Democrats by doctors, we have the outside muscle to get this done.

People don't really remember the SCHIP vote from last year. It's time to remind them.

(Unfortunately, eventually Democrats figure this stuff out on domestic policy; if it has to do with foreign policy they run scared. Which is completely sad, and harms their chances of taking back the White House.)