Pelosi Slaps Down Trigger, Calls It "An Excuse To Do Nothing

Man, oh man.

In another possible sign that a real showdown is looming over the public option, Nancy Pelosi offered some surprisingly harsh condemnation today of the idea of a public option with a “trigger,” denouncing it as “an excuse for not doing anything.”

A Pelosi aide sends over a transcript from her presser today:

Continuing

PELOSI: We’re thinking and deciding about it. And the evidence seems to point, at this caucus that I just went to, that a trigger is an excuse for not doing anything. But everybody is open to listening to what people have to say. The point was made over and over again that for one reason or another the trigger was not effective in the Medicare Part D bill.

Sargent makes a very salient point here:

It’s hard to see how she could support it later if she believes it’s tantamount to doing nothing.

No question about this, and again, it highlights the external roller coaster ride but internal consistency that the House Speaker has shown on this issue.

One day standing hard for the public option, the next, at a funding raiser at a big DC lobbyist that was unclearified on what went down, to reportedly breaking off a deal with the Blue Dogs to an aide saying she didn't nix the deal with them.

And now, this hardest of hardline stances from Pelosi, saying a trigger is an excuse to do nothing, which it exactly is.

No turning back now from here after such a strong rejection of a farce reform right there. But, to be very fair, maybe she didn't want to turn in that direction in the first place.