Things being what they are, a single-payer health care plan couldn’t possibly be enacted into law by congress. Consequently, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for a progressive presidential candidate to avoid proposing such a plan in order to out something feasible on the table. That said, most progressive-minded policy experts actually think a single-payer system would be equitable and effective. Policy experts like Judy Feder, professor of public policy at Georgetown University.

In addition to being a professor, Feder is the Democratic Party’s nominee in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. And in addition to putting forward a non-single-payer health care plan, the Obama campaign once released an ad touting his plan as falling between two equally pernicious extremes. The incumbent, in the VA-10, Frank Wolf, has an ad in heavy rotation that mentions neither his party affiliation nor Feder’s, but instead touts him as a “problem solving centrist” while deriding Feder’s health plan as “extreme” — with the quote attributed to none other than Barack Obama.

I have no idea what’s going to happen in that district. But in the event that Obama and Wolf both win, I hope someone in the Obama political operation will take some time to consider whether the gains they made in the polls by trashing a perfectly good progressive health care plan were really worth the cost of helping to sink a promising progressive challenger. Ultimately, to create big change in America takes not only an inspiring movement, but also progressive members of congress willing to vote for change. Maybe Problem Solving Centrist Frank Wolf — more conservative than thirty other incumbent Republicans and all 235 incumbent Democrats — will be that vote for change. But I have my doubts.

UPDATE: Apologies for the confusion here, but it should be said that beyond all this, Feder is of course not running on a single-payer platform. She’s looking for realistic ways to make health care better and her proposals are centered around expanding access to private sector health insurance and improving its quality and affordability.

Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) is in what must be a tough race against Judy Feder because suddenly he’s breaking out the attack ads on TV. And also looking on peacefully while his goons assault members of Feder’s staff:

That’s via Matt Stoller. Lowell Feld explains:

On Friday, two Feder staffers approached Congressman Wolf in a public location to ask him some questions. Two different individuals who were accompanying Congressman Wolf (staffers? relatives? friends?) assaulted the Feder staffers, as you can see quite clearly in the video. The first Feder staffer was hit with a cane and then punched. The second staffer (as you will see on the video) was pinned to a wall and forcibly held there. All of this took place in the presence of Congressman Wolf, who stood by and did nothing to intervene.

I’m sure he’s a nice guy, though.