Open Left

curious (0.00 / 0)

If you were Obama, what would your comment today say if you wanted to walk back Rahm's statement? (Keep it real, don't offer something he obviously wouldn't say.)

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by: AdamGreen @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 11:18:51 AM CDT

While _I_ agree that Obama was clear. (0.00 / 0)

one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals.

Public option does what I want, I look forward to it included. And it doesn't say "if necessary." it says "includes"

I am encouraged, but on disbelief, I hope that people's caution urges them to greater effort, not cynical detachment, or frustrated inaction.

Change
"We must break up the banks and never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy.

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by: HousesofProgress @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 11:24:49 AM CDT

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Uh, no (4.00 / 1)

He says he looks forward to "these goals" being achieves, and points prior that a PO is but one way to achieve those goals.

All this parsing is a little silly. It should be clear to everyone that Obama would prefer a plan with a PO but would sign a bill without it.

Anyhoo, the more I read about the issue, the more I think any plan short of single-payer is destined to be a political and substantive problem, if not a disaster.

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by: david mizner @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 11:47:07 AM CDT

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Agreed agreed agreed. BUT the point is more action. (0.00 / 0)

Not less, not more wondering not more disappointment, not more frustration or any willingness to 'settle' for less than a no trigger public option.

There are several inks here in this post, in Chris bowers post and here http://www.openleft.com/showCo...
which lists several, that will drive what we demand forward.

That is the point. It is not my point, and never will be, that we don't have to pay attention and work our asses off.

I believe that all victories are temporary, and all defeats permanent. If you arent working to make it better, all the time, the powerful will complete their efforts to make it worse.

Sorry. The freedom of freedom is the work of citizenship.

Change
"We must break up the banks and never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy.

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by: HousesofProgress @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 12:04:53 PM CDT

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Obama's deep problem here is that Rahm's position (4.00 / 5)

just is his own position -- though he won't own up to it in front of progressives. He has already made it perfectly clear that he was not going to draw a line in the sand on the public option. Obviously, this pretty well binds his possible responses.

But he does have ways he could drive the public option a hell of a lot better than he has. He could say, for example this:

I am of course an advocate for the public option. But, as I've said, it's not a make-or-break issue by itself. My real commitment is to the goals of bringing costs down and making health insurance available to all while maintaining quality. I am convinced that a well designed public option can achieve those goals. It is possible that some other mechanism might achieve the same. I will say, though, that I have yet to be in any way convinced that the alternatives I have seen so far have any real prospect of achieving those goals. I think the burden of proof lies on those who offer such alternatives to make a credible case. If they can't, then I simply won't be supporting those alternatives. Under those circumstances, I will, instead strongly support only the public option, because, as I've said, it can achieve those goals.

Likelihood Obama will say such a thing? About zero. Because, as I've said, he's really as ready to compromise as is Rahm on the public option. Both he and Rahm know perfectly well that any piece of crap that becomes legislation can be spun as achieving the goals Obama mentioned (see the political spin on the Medicare Drug package for a similar case).

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by: frankly0 @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 11:39:51 AM CDT

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"I believe that it is critical (4.00 / 2)

to increase access and reduce costs.  The only way to accomplish these objectives is to ensure a Public Option is made available."

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by: fladem @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 12:13:26 PM CDT

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Fair enough (4.00 / 3)

My additions in italics:

I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is to provide every American a public option, available as soon as is practical, that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals.

That would successfully walk back the "a trigger is OK" language which was the most damaging part of Rahm's comments - and which Obama's statement does not reverse.

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by: Robert in Monterey @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 13:03:34 PM CDT

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I would add (4.00 / 2)

That the "one of the best ways" phrase would also have to be cut out.

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by: Robert in Monterey @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 13:04:55 PM CDT

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