Daily Beast's 11 Heroes of Health Care

The Daily Beast, a leaning liberal political website has released a list of who they consider to be the eleven heroes of Health Care. (Notice this deliberate bias, I don't think the Republican party would deem these individuals "heroes").

#1 You guessed it, Mr. Obama himself. Apparently his bipartisan health summit and series of persuasive speeches were enough to land him a spot on the list.

#2 Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco native, played a huge role in the passage of the Health Care Reform Package. According to the Daily Beast, she is recognized by some as the "Greatest House Speaker in United States' History."

#3 Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader. Despite Scott Brown's victory, he was able to gain the House Democrat's trust that the Senate wouldn't abandon the issue.

#4 Evan Bayh, a democratic Senator of Indiana. His reputation as one of the most conservative democrats gave him credibility during his resignation speech where he explained the importance of this bill.

#5 Organized Labor (Andy Stern from SEIU, Richard Trumka from AFL CIO). Said to have done much of the heavy lifting in convincing the public and corporations of its importance.

#6 MoveOn.org/DailyKos. Again the power of the interenet shines through. This site polled the public and raised money for the campaign, while getting out the message that this was truly Obama's final push.

#7 Lt. Governor of Arkansas, Bill Halter. He raised over one million dollars from progressive groups within days, and reminded wavering Democrats that not passing the bill could have grave consequences.

#8 Kent Conrad and Robert Byrd. They both offered crucial endorsements that offered legitimacy to the process of reconciliation. Without their help the bill would not have been passed.

#9 Jim Bunning and Richard Shelby. Confused? So was I. Why would these Republican senators make this list? The Daily Beast argues that, "a far better illustrator of the Democrats’ complaints over obstruction was Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) who single-handedly blocked employment benefits for out-of-work Americans for days before giving up on his filibuster. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) offered perhaps an even clearer picture of Senate rules run amok—he placed a blanket hold on all the president's nominees for federal positions over a defense earmark that he wanted to go to his state, paralyzing the government all by himself.

#10 The CBO. I know that the CBO's estimates played a big role in our in-class health care debate. The CBO helped out tremendously when it anounced that the Health Care reform plan would reduce the deficit by $138 billion in its first 10 years.

#11 Last but not least? Anthem Blue Cross. When Blue Cross announced in February their premium spikes, the rising costs of insurance became a key talking point for Obama and Democratic leaders as they argued that reform could not wait any longer.

So, there you have it. What do you think? Do these people/organizations deserve the acclaim Daily Beast is so proudly giving them? Let's see how this "acclaim" affects their careers in future elections!