Lincoln to oppose public option

Democrats can now officially subtract Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) from their public option whip count, after she told a crowd on Tuesday that she would not support the proposal because it would inflate the federal deficit.

“For some in my caucus, when they talk about a public option they’re talking about another entitlement program, and we can’t afford that right now as a nation,” the Arkansas News reported on Tuesday. “I’m not going to vote for a bill that’s not deficit-neutral, and I’m not going to vote for a bill that doesn’t do something about curbing the cost in the out years, because it would be pointless … I would not support a solely government-funded public option. We can’t afford that."

While Lincoln has always lukewarmly supported a public option, Tuesday marked the first time the Arkansas Democrat negated the idea directly. In previous appearances, she has actively supported Sen. Kent Conrad's (D-N.D.) health care co-op plan, but has at least left the door open for some variation of a public option.

It is probably no coincidence that Lincoln's new, definitive stance arrives about a day after the incumbent picked up a new Republican challenger -- state Sen. Gilbert Baker (R). Already, the political chattering classes are speculating whether Lincoln -- a moderate Democrat who sits on the Senate Finance Committee -- can distance herself enough from her party's liberal personalities and proposals to win the state's moderate and conservative voters. The most recent poll already shows Baker, as well as two other GOP challengers, scoring within single digits of the Arkansas Democrat.

In a related move this week, Lincoln also announced she would hold her first series of town hall meetings this month. Lincoln has taken considerable flak from both local Democrats and Republicans for waiting until September to interact with constituents on health care reform.