Is Kids Health Back on the Table in Congress?

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

According to Congress Daily, House Democratic leaders are meeting tonight with key Republicans to see if it's possible to craft a deal on children's health care, known as "S-CHIP." If the Congressional GOP was smart (I know, that's a stretch), they'd suck it up and make a deal.
 
The kids health bill is a slam dunk winner for Democrats and an election year bonanza. A CBS poll shows 81-15 percent support for the bill. More than 40 Governors, including Gov. Schwarzenegger, wrote in support of the program. (As an aside, passage would also help in California's health care reform effort.) Republican opposition shows their mean spirited side, particularly on an issue that's quickly risen to the top of the list of items that Americans want government to fix.
 
Last week, House Democrats took another vote on the bill, trying to lre moderate Republicans to support it. They still came up short of what's required to overturn President Bush's veto of the legislation. Unlike the Senate -- where there's bipartisan support -- the overwhelming majority of House Republicans continue to oppose the bill (among the California GOP delegation, only Rep. Mary Bono of Palm Springs voted for the override) as too costly.
 
But it's time for Congressional Republicans to throw in the towel. From a policy perspective, it's clearly the right thing to do. From a political perspective, it's a winner. Voting against it is a gift to any Democratic challenger. Rest assured that Charlie Brown will be talking about this issue day and night for the next year, as will other Democrats that have a shot at ousting GOP incumbents.
 
I'm not usually in the position of advising Republicans on political strategy. But this one is a no-brainer. Cut a deal you can live with and move on.

Image courtesy DailyKos.