On again, off again in the ping-pong battle that is health care. First, Blue Dogs agreed to ObamaCare in the House in exchange for $100 billion in cuts to the program. In exchange, democrat leaders in the House agreed to hold off on a vote until after the recess. Not so fast, say the liberal democrats:

House liberals have quickly rejected a healthcare compromise their leaders forged with centrist Blue Dogs, putting the deal on shaky ground only hours after it was announced.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan.”

The Progressive Caucus has 83 members. Members are circulating a letter for signatures protesting the deal.

Woolsey said liberals cannot accept that the public plan will not be linked to Medicare, and said subsidies have been cut to the point where the plan won’t help the middle class.

The Blue Dog deal was made with Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who is also a member of the Progressive Caucus.

Aside from Waxman, there are five members of the Progressive Caucus on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is not enough Democratic votes to block a bill. But there are other members who are dissatisfied with the compromise, including three of the seven Blue Dogs who had been negotiating with Waxman, but did not join the deal.

Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), another supporter of a “robust public option,” was more open to the compromise.

Capps, a member of the business-minded New Democrat Coalition, said it was too early to tell if she and other Democrats on the committee would deliver the rest of the votes to help the Blue Dog amendments pass — despite Ross’s insistence that additional votes would come from fellow Democrats, not Republicans.

Myself, I hope we don’t see a compromise or vote before the recess, although it may be a blessing in disguise, providing the GOP with plenty of specifics to tear apart during the recess instead of working with the generalities of the Obama health care nightmare. Maybe the progressive caucus figured this out.

Don’t forget to contact your senators and representatives now and over the recess. The link for House members includes committee information and Blue Dog identification. Also, please attend your local Recess Rally August 22nd.

More from Ed Morrissey.