Rope a Dope

In a strange way, the terrible scores CBO generated for the Kennedy bill ($1 trillion and 36 million people still uninsured) and Senator Baucus's initial proposal ($1.6 trillion) may have helped supporters of Obamacare. This morning's Washington Post reports that Baucus is close to a deal for a package that is under the $1 trillion mark. By making the initial proposals look so unreasonable, the CBO scores may have had the unfortunate effect of making the gargantuan sum of $1 trillion appear to be a bargain.