Still, though this is a distressing piece of news, the issue is far from dead, and in fact, some say that when Senator Charles Schumer (D) of New York was only defeated 13 to 10 when he attempted to include a public option in the bill to the Senate Finance panel, it showed how close the differing arguments are in coming to a compromise.

The Christian Science Monitor has a good article on this perspective if you would like to read more.

Another vote comes in front of House and Senate leaders about thirty days from now when they will work on a compromise bill.

Meanwhile, two groups promoting change, Democracy for America and The Progressive Change Campaign Committee are seeking support for the public option by running a hard-hitting ad campaign in the home states of Max Baucus and Olympia Snowe, criticizing them for their lack of support in this area. Here is an example of one of the ads: