The Plouffe of the pudding is in the (OFA) email.

A few days ago, waiting for Godobama to move on health care, I wondered, "In the wake of the MA election, why isn't OFA asking supporters to call their reps and senators and tell them to pass a comprehensive HCR bill? (By mass email, that is. Some readers reported getting phone calls.)

Today, OFA sent out an email with the subject line: Pass health reform now.

It doesn't (natch) ask members to tell their House reps to pass the Senate bill, or their senators to negotiate a reconciliation patch to mollify the House. It's focused on a letter-writing campaign. But the message is unequivocal:

This isn't a problem we can kick down the road for another decade -- or even another year. We need to pass health reform now.

We're incredibly close. But too many in Washington are now saying that we should delay or give up on reform entirely. So we need to make it crystal clear that Americans understand the stakes for our economy and our lives, and that we want action.  

Are you listening, Bill Pascrell?

Meanwhile, this very day, Obama shed the ambiguity cloak, telling the DNC:

"So just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear. I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform. I'm not going to walk away from the American people. I'm not going to walk away from this challenge. I'm not going to walk away from any challenge. We're moving forward.''

His voice rising, he added: "We are moving forward!'' [snip]
 
"Yes, we could continue to ignore the growing burden of the runaway cost of healthcare,'' said Obama, wearing a suit jacket but no tie. "The easiest thing to do right now would be to just say, 'Ah, this is too hard. Let's just regroup and lick our wounds and try to hang on.'

"We've had a long and difficult debate on healthcare and there are some, maybe even the majority in this town, who say, perhaps it's time to walk away,'' the president told his party. "But here's the thing, Democrats. If we walk away we know what will happen. We know that premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket this decade and the decade after that, and the decade after that.''

Glory hallelujah.  To paraphrase Al Gore (1993), it looks like Mr. President got with the program.

Of course, as one Congressional aide pointed out recently (I think in a TPM story), there's a difference between cheerleading and leading -- i.e. getting the reconciliation deal done.

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