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Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s two-part plan to pass a public option as a transition into “Medicare for All” — and then full-blown “Medicare for All” a few years later — has revealed the difficulty of appealing to both the pragmatic and progressive wings of the party.

The big picture: Warren’s already being criticized by progressives for not being a “Medicare for All” purist, and because of the realities of governing, they may have a point: Passing two major health reforms in one term is unheard of.

• “In my first week as president, we will introduce Medicare for All legislation,” Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted on Friday.

Details: Warren’s transition plan — which she said she’ll try to pass within her first 100 days in office — would allow anyone over 50 to enroll in an “improved Medicare program,” and “every person in America” could get coverage through a “Medicare for All option.”

• Coverage under the public option would immediately be free for children under 18 and families making 200% of the federal poverty level or less. Over time, it’d become free for everyone.
• Then, by no later than her third year in office, Warren would push Congress to pass full-blown “Medicare for All.”

Reality check: The political capital that it’d take to pass Warren’s public option, even through a special procedure called “budget reconciliation” that’d allow her to bypass GOP opposition, would be enormous.

What they’re saying: “Passing one major piece of health care legislation with a knock down, drag out fight, followed by another one three years later, sounds pretty difficult,” said the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Larry Levitt.

• “A more likely scenario is that a public option would pass, and be given time to work. Depending on how that debate went, Medicare for [A]ll could be a rallying cry for a reelection campaign.”