Ah, behold the advocates for single payer in the House of Representatives.

They are huddled in the corner, shivering.

They have been kicked in the teeth by their supreme leaders – Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

The so-called progressives didn’t have the guts to stand for what they believed in.

They showed weakness early.

And they were taken advantage of by the neighborhood bullies – the insurance and pharmaceutical industries – and their enforcer in chief the White House – Rahm Emanuel.

Take for example Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona).

He’s the leader of the so-called Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Raul started out as an advocate for single payer national health insurance.

He then backed off to support a Jacob Hacker-style robust public option.

That would be a public option open to everyone under 65 – a public option so attractive that more than 150 million Americans would sign up for it. A powerful public option that would negotiate down pharmaceutical costs.

Then in a July 30 2009 letter, Grijalva backtracked again– with the rest of the Progressive Caucus – into a puny public option.

He and others said that anything less than “a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates — not negotiated rates — is unacceptable.”

Now the puny public option has been crushed.

To be replaced by the meaningless public option.

A public option that will cover less than two percent of Americans under 65.

Grijalva and the rest of the – let’s call them what they have become – the regressive caucus – are now in the corner, shivering and crying alone.

And this morning, Grijalva embarrassingly takes to the pages of Politico to argue that his support for Obamacare is “not unconditional.”

He says he will “very strongly consider voting against” (ooh, Raul, so bold) – any bill that includes triggers or that gives the states the ability to opt-out.

Nothing about single payer.

Nothing about robust public option.

Nothing about the July 30 letter saying that anything less than a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates is “unacceptable.”

Now, anything is acceptable.

Just give Obama what he wants.

And get out of the way.

Example two — Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) – another regressive.

A spokesman for Edwards said this week that he would have no comment on whether Edwards will oppose Obamacare.

Nor would the spokesman say whether Edwards stands by her July 30 position that anything less than a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare was “unacceptable.”

On Tuesday November 17, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) will host a fundraising breakfast for Edwards at Johnny’s Half Shell on Capitol Hill.

Host: $5,000. PAC: $2,500. Individual: $1,000.

This is what the Democrats are good at: capitulation.

And as a result, they deserve to lose.

In 2010.

And beyond.