Liberals to Obama: Time to step up

By: Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown
Politico.com
October 27, 2009 05:08 AM EST

It’s time for your close-up, Mr. President.

Now that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has announced he’ll try to push through a health care reform bill with a public option, liberals are turning their focus — and their frustrations — on Barack Obama, the man who brought them to the outskirts of the progressive promise land.

Even before Reid announced Monday that he would back a public option plan that would allow individual states to opt out of the controversial plan, progressives had begun to shift from pressuring legislative leaders to stiffening Obama’s spine on the issue.

Democratic senators and House members didn’t need to shift their attention to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: They have been grumbling for weeks that Obama needs to step up.

“I hope the president speaks out strongly for the public option — this health care bill really becomes his at this point,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), one of about 30 Democrats who have pressured Reid to back the controversial option.

(More here.)