The White House may credit their secret deals with the different stakeholders (i.e. health industry lobbyists) with getting reform this far, but the strict limitations those deals put on possible compromises may prevent it from getting any farther. At least not without America getting left with a very wobbly new system, full of gapping holes.

In a conference call with political bloggers, Senator Arlen Specter (Still-Fresh D-PA) reported that in a recent gathering of the Senate Democratic caucus, he suggested his colleagues pledge to stick with the party on a cloture vote when the merged health care reform bill came to the floor. Much to Specter’s surprise, according to him, his idea was not embraced by his fellow Dems. And, perhaps even more surprising, Majority Leader Harry Reid approached Specter after the meeting (again, according to Specter), and thanked him for stressing a point that Reid, himself, admitted he was “reluctant to make.”

At Netroots Nation in August, Bill Clinton asked progressives to settle for whatever bill that can get out of Congress. Apparently that means settling for whatever Mike Ross wants — including campaign donations.

Stopping by the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC last night, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka discussed why the AFL-CIO supports health care reform legislation that makes sure Big Insurance doesn’t monopolize the health care field—and why the bill passed this week by the Senate Finance Committee, which does not include a public option, must be improved as it goes through Congress.

Right now as your last guest [Wendell Potter, former Cigna executive] said, American insurance companies have a stranglehold on the health care industry. In 90 percent of the markets, they’re called highly concentrated, or there’s one or two companies that control them. As a result, profits have gone up 1,000 percent and premiums have gone up 300 percent. The only way to hold them accountable is to create competition and the only way you can create competition is with a robust public option.

Alison Stewart, who filled in for Maddow, asked Trumka:

Let’s talk about the public option. Is it a make or break issue?

His answer:

Absolutely.

Watch it.

The House Financial Services Committee is marking up its bill to regulate derivatives. It isn’t easy to watch sausage being made.

The health care sector spent $263 million on lobbying against health care reform this year. At an average individual premium of $4824 for health insurance, that would have covered over 54,000 individuals, more than the 45,000 who die each year from lack of insurance.

The perverse whining continues on the right about a privately owned, multi-billion dollar industry that’s heavily driven by PR concerns making a business decision about being associated with a hugely unpopular drug-addicted sex tourist who says lots of offensive shit on a daily basis for a living.

Alan Grayson should get another shot at CNN’s commentator Alex Castellanos, now that Castellanos is finally going to be forced to admit he’s a paid insurance industry shill.

The Hill is reporting that Pelosi now believes she has the vote for a modified version of the robust public option favored by progressives. Pelosi made two key concessions to garner sufficient votes.

Today marks the start of a new era in FDL newsgathering. We hope FDL News Desk will give readers a smart, fresh take on the ideas, information, and machinations that drive the national agenda, culled from sources that are often more in-the-know—and, frankly, are often more trustworthy—than the usual assortment of bold-faced names and “anonymous high-ranking officials” that habitually shape the stories at our more traditional cohorts. And, we hope to deliver this news with the usual insight and “don’t f*ck with me” aplomb that fans of Firedoglake have come to expect.

News Desk will feature the work of veteran blogger/reporter David Dayen—you might know him as D-Day—who really needs no introduction, but a google of his nom de blog will reveal a wealth of great work at places like Calitics and Digby’s Hullabaloo, as well as his own spot, and, since last week, here at FDL. We are excited to be working with David, and hope our community will join us in welcoming him and welcoming in the News Desk as part of the mix of information, opinion, and activism here at Firedoglake.