Obama: Compromise on health if GOP is serious

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Feb 27, 6:10 AM EST
Obama: Compromise on health if GOP is serious
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Saturday that he's ready to compromise with Republicans if they're serious about it but that his health care overhaul must go forward.

Obama's comments in his weekly Internet and radio address, two days after an all-day bipartisan summit across from the White House, were the latest sign that Democrats are girding to try to plow sweeping health care legislation through Congress with no Republicans on board.

Success will require colossal efforts on the part of Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress to round up votes after a year of corrosive debate and a Senate special-election upset that threw the overhaul effort into limbo last month. But Obama and the Democrats reject the piecemeal approach sought by Republicans and have no intention of scrapping their 10-year, $1 trillion bill and starting over as the GOP demands.

"I am eager and willing to move forward with members of both parties on health care if the other side is serious about coming together to resolve our differences and get this done. But I also believe that we cannot lose the opportunity to meet this challenge," Obama said.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_HEALTH_OVERHAUL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-02-27-06-10-08

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http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu.nyud.net:8090/~aparsons/whoami/horrified_sarah.jpg

[depakid]

1. This guy just never quits with the bipartisan fantasies

It's almost as if he invites and looks forward to working with Republican majorities in 2011.

[annabanana]

3. He knows there's no compromise.

It's a charade to keep the screaming meemie's out of his hair.

[warm regards]

59. Then why not offer them tort reform and call their bluff?

[Kablooie]

54. I occurred to me that he may be fishing for ONE defector. All he needs is one and things pass easily

[marshall]

55. The compromise is within the Democratic party

The real bipartisan compromise is between the factions within Obama's party. Republicans have nothing to do with it--their votes are not needed and their controbutions are not important.

[IndianaGreen]

56. It is called insanity

to try the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

[HughBeaumont]

2. There IS no compromise with these people!

STOP living with the delusion that there's some kind of bridge that can be crossed. They blew it up on 11/5/2008. They're pieces of restaurant quality shit who want you out of office, want their rich handlers richer and want our money by any means necessary!

"The nature of any human being, certainly anyone on Wall Street, is 'the better deal you give the customer, the worse deal it is for you.'" - Bernie Madoff. And he should know.

[Divine Discontent]

4. as I have relayed to others in the past weeks, I hope this is the LAST attempt by the pres to give

these asshats a chance - if they don't seriously begin to work with the Dems this week, they need ignored throughout his entire presidency from here on - if not, then the pres. imo, is weak. I don't want to believe he is, and I want to believe he shows he gave them every opportunity to be a part of good change, but they refused, and outright obstructed...

[Iowa]

46. I'm afraid that horse has already left the barn.

[jannyk]

5. What the fuck is there left to 'give away'?? nt

[Lasher]

6. I would be willing to give away the individual mandate.

But there doesn't seem to be a lot of elected officials who want that taken out.

[harkadog]

32. Can't get rid of the mandate without getting rid of pre-existing conditions.

They are locked together so if you want to be rid of the mandate then there will not be coverage for pre-existing conditions.

[Lasher]

36. I don't buy that.

The only reason any things are locked together is beacause people say they are. Things can be unlocked just as easily as they were locked.

[harkadog]

41. No it would not work then.

If there was no mandate to buy insurance but there was a no pre-existing clause then people would wait until they got sick to buy insurance. Insurance would become ridiculously expensive. That is why they have to be tied together.

[mvd]

44. Personally, I don't think there should be mandates of this kind..

unless there's a viable public option. Otherwise, it would be like having to pay insurance to private companies just for being a person. And having insurance wouldn't guarantee good health, as auto insurance would guarantee repairs. I think everyone should be part of the system, but progressive taxes are a better way.

[Lasher]

60. In that perspective you are correct but I was thinking more broadly.

That hasn't been a big problem so far but you are correct to suppose it could become one.

For 30 years I paid premiums for medical insurance with my employer. I could have opted out during my younger years, to buy into a policy only when I got sick. And I could not have been rejected or penalized on account of pre-existing conditions. But I elected to have coverage during the whole time, and every one of my fellow employees did the same as far as I know.

But I didn't have a catastrophic-only policy, and my premiums/copays/deductibles didn't put me in the poorhouse. There's the rub. If that's all you're going to get, and at great expense, then I can see how there would be potential for abuse just as you have described. But force-feeding is not the only answer, and it's not the best one.

The objective is to provide just such 'affordable' (AKA shitty) policies that nobody will be able to use unless something major happens. Even worse, those who currently have decent health care insurance are being targeted by an excise tax.

The tax would actually be collected only in a small percentage of cases. But the goal of the excise tax is not the collection of revenue. It is to eliminate what is left of employer-paid health insurance by promoting transition to 'affordable' catastrophic-only coverage. Employers would then act as mediators between workers and insurance companies but employees would bear all costs. Regrettably, such a transition has been going on for years, but the excise tax would drive a stake in the heart of what is left of decent health coverage for the middle class. It is a bitter irony that this would be done in the name of health care for all.

Obama should have gone for Medicare for all via Senate reconciliation. But he didn't, and the result is before us: Legislation that few people actually like, except for the corporate interests that are running the show.

[DRoseDARs]

7. No. Fuck no.

E-fucking-nough, Mr. President.













http://img2.visualizeus.com/thumbs/09/08/01/angry,scream,teeth,tigre-4760cf1069b8380b5ce3099aaae96a97_h.jpg

[Cass]

15. Lol...the 4th picture made me spew my coffee!

Great pics to convey what we are feeling about more talk of bipartisanship.

:rofl:

[villager]

28. +1 !

n/t

[nc4bo]

62. +2.

These pics nail it.

[AlinPA]

8. Here we go again. Another 6 months of nothing.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Obama: Healthcare reform can't wait a generation

Source: Reuters

Obama: Healthcare reform can't wait a generation
By Matt Spetalnick
Reuters
Saturday, February 27, 2010; 6:05 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought on Saturday to spark momentum for a final push to revive his stalled healthcare overhaul, insisting that Americans "cannot wait another generation for us to act."

Two days after a healthcare summit that produced no Republican converts, Obama used his weekly radio address to try to rally public support for a Democratic bid to press ahead with reform legislation, with or without bipartisan agreement.

The White House said Obama would announce a decision next week on "the way forward" on healthcare, signaling his patience is running thin with Republicans who have demanded he scrap his year-old approach and start over.

Facing limited options, Obama's aides and fellow Democrats are focusing on prospects for resorting to a parliamentary tactic called reconciliation that would bypass the need for Republican support and allow approval by a simple majority vote in the Democratic-led Congress.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/27/AR2010022701006.html

[Demeter]

10. So Why Is Obama Peddling this Non-Reform?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[maryf]

12. Why indeed...

http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/02/22/public-option-dnr/

[bread_and_roses]

13. That's the right question

I can wait forever for the Ds to enact a suicidal mandate for citizens to buy from a for-profit corporation. Something even I, who don't have much regard for the Ds, never thought I'd see in a lifetime.

[salguine]

14. I've given up on him. He's an empty suit at a time when the country really needed

someone of substance, more so than at any point in my lifetime. I don't tune in to his speeches because I literally can't stand the sight of him any more.

[Iowa]

47. +1...

Just the sound of that smarmy, phony voice has me flipping the channel.

[icee]

52. Me neither. I used to think that maybe there's something I'm not

seeing. Now, I think I understand: the man made a deal, a deal so compelling he cannot alter course. And if Little Billie can't get the skin cancer removed from his right arm, or grandma can't get her arthritis meds, it's "tough shit"...spoken very sorrowfully and earnestly, of course. Poseur.

[PSPS]

16. In other words, Obama is "open" to reform but only if the GOP will do it for him.

President Milquetoast. Worthless. Devoid of value. Feckless.

[Iowa]

48. +1

[elocs]

17. Republicans will take every compromise offered and will still all vote against the bill.

The thing with compromise is that you give something and they give something, except Republicans will not offer any compromise and expect to have everything their way even though they are in the clear minority.

Then there are the Republicans across the country who are shocked, simply shocked that Obama and the Democrats would offer up healthcare reform. Of course they never bothered to look at the positions during the campaign because they were evidently convinced that McCain and company would prevail.

[brand404]

34. +10,000

[Bette Noir]

18. WTF?

Wasn't that dog-and-phony show the other day enough to show Mr. President that the Republicans are NEVER going to play nice?

[tpsbmam]

19. Give me a fucking break. Not even good PR as

these nutballs like the very vocal teabaggers will twist it and a) pretend he never made the offer or b) insist the offer was just PR (they could be a little right on that one) or c)insist he said something he never said

And their Republican "leaders" in Washington will do the same.

[heli]

20. What kind of sadistic bullshit is this? Did I vote for a sadist?

[c brand]

21. Obama loves pain and rejection !!!!!!!

[Donnachaidh]

22. He's REALLY into polishing up his Legacy, ain't he?

What else is left to compromise?

un-freaking-believable.

[JDPriestly]

23. It's time for Democrats to either act or forget the whole thing.

Why are Democrats so afraid to take responsibility for the bill they have written?

I think it is because it is a bad bill and they know it. They should start from scratch -- and have Medicare for All. If they aren't going to have any Republican votes, why not just go for it?

[gulfcoastliberal]

57. Correct: when americans are suddenly forced to buy shitty insurance or pay an IRS fine

the enraged populace will vote out many of those voting/pimping this corporate trash into law. Garbage in, garbage out. They need "bipartisan support" to cover asses. Too bad it's so obvious even the most dimwitted repukes understand the consequences if they back this turd.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. There's a sucker born every minute

Obama's falling for Repub-style bipartisanship.

They'll discuss, compromise, weaken the bill to the point that it's almost useless.

And then every Republican will vote against it.

There is no compromise with these thugs.

:hi:

[flyarm]

26. iT IS ALL KABUKKI THEATER Obama sold out to the Health care industry he just wants to blame all

the failure to have real reform on the GOP..

he never had any intention of reform..

the Only reform Obama has been committed to was giving a big giant BJ to the insurance boys and Big Pharma and the Hospital conglomerates..

to think other wise ..you are only fooling yourself.

Why do you think they have invested so much to have propagandists all over dem web sites??..This was planned and executed By team Obama ..for all the cover he would need.

What they didn't count on was so many of us would be so vocal about it so fast..his propagandists didn't have time to get a lock hold on the conversation and shut us down..and shut us up!

[samsingh]

25. Sorry Mr. President but after years of compromising with the GOP

the Senate or even the House i believe got either 0 or at most 1 or 2 votes for the healthcare bills. how can anyone even ask the gop if they are serious.

the question i must ask is: are the Democrats serious about passing meaningful healthcare for Americans (most of whom support you)? if the answer is yes, why are we not using every procedure available to pass the legislation - with a public option or medicare buyin - and having you sign it?

[COLGATE4]

27. Sadly, it's deja vu all over again

I cringed when Obama made the statement giving the Rethugs six weeks (more) to put their little pinheads together and 'see the light'. The delay was totally unnecessary and to me flagged the fact that he was going to once again offer to compromise. It's happened. So what are we left with? As others have pointed out, the Rethugs will suggest more weakening of HCR which Obama will "accept in the spirit of bipartisanship', only then once again to be sandbagged by these assholes. And, in the meantime, the Rethugs will have a month and a half more to spew forth tons of misinformation which the anesthetized public will readily assimilate. I'm betting that by the end of that 6 weeks (or longer, insert your favorite Rethug stalling tactic here) period, polls will show that 54% of the American public thinks that we should start over again with a blank piece of paper. Game, set and match. Obama's lack of conviction and/or determination to push forward on HCR that embraces liberal progressive values leaves me convinced that he is, in fact, a very gifted empty suit.

[SandWalker1984]

30. The 6 weeks is to get past spring primaries for the Dems.....

IF they go ahead and make the Senate version of the bill THE final version, as decided by the big corporate backers, BEFORE the primaries -- we might actually become so damn angry we throw them all out in the primaries.

Can't have that happening, now could we?

[IsItJustMe]

29. Obama just don't learn his lessons. He has gone beyond stupid. There has to be some serious

dysfunction with him at this point.

[SlingBlade]

31. Compromise on health ? Gee, Ya Think ? K & R

And included in my Obama's Health Reform Greatest Hits Thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7764365

[go west young man]

33. Obama's just looking like a fucking idiot at this point.

How can anyone seriously go on and on with the Republicans after all they have done to block him at every turn? Roll over them YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

[jaysunb]

35. The real story, here :

By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer

:evilfrown:

Go read everything she's written about Obama...notice that the truth is usually several paragraphs into the salacious headline.

Some of you need to get a grip....

[vduhr]

37. Is there supposed to be a link to the story you are referring to?

[vduhr]

38. Oops, nevermind...

Thought you were referring to another story, other than the one originally posted.

[jaysunb]

42. No

The name and news group say it all.....

[vduhr]

40. Aha...thank you, and there it is...

"Adding Republican ideas is not likely to win Republican votes because the GOP insists Democrats should start from scratch. But Obama would be able to say that he'd listened to Republicans and attempted to meet them part way. Moving ahead may mean using Senate rules that would let Democrats pass legislation with a simple majority instead of the 60 vote they no longer command."

This is what I am hoping he has been up to all along - keep watching. Obama is not a stupid man.

[Igel]

45. I still find there's too much PR.

I mean, I've actually looked at some of the "republican ideas" that are mentioned and then I've gone and looked at what's actually be written by conservatives to explain those ideas.

Sometimes the dem version is sort-of/kind-of the republican version, sometimes there are some words in common. On rare occasion they're substantively the same thing. Often they're trivial.

If it was republicans doing the same thing and saying, "See, we've incorporated Democratic ideas" I'd be offended. I'd respond by saying they were distorted and not what was intended--and there's no way I'd support them. I'd respond by pointing out how trivial they are, so yeah, they've taken 10 ideas but they're the 10 least important ideas, and I'd say that they're meaningless to my support. Then I'd realize that I'm being suckered and it would make cooperation even less likely in the future.

Oh. Wait. I've seen that.

I look at it this way. Most people within 1 standard deviation of center seldom read much about such things, and so few would notice the chicanery. People outside of one standard deviation almost never read anything on the other side of that standard deviation, and when they do it's primarily to confirm what they've always known to the the case. So they only know about the chicanery on the opposing side.

[woo me with science]

39. I think at this point he is hoping to share blame. nt

[TankLV]

43. Let us know when THESE ASSHOLES GIVE SOMETHING UP!!!

Until then, IT'S NO FUCKING COMPROMISSE YOU FUCKING IDIOT OBAMA!!!

GET A FUCKING CLUE ALREADY!!!

[Ildem09]

49. Mon Dieu! we thought we elected a Community Organizer

we got a friggin GOP apologist and Corporate shill. OBAMA THEY WILL NOT I REPEAT WILL NOT COMPROMISE WITH YOU, BETTER YET WHY ARE YOU WILLING TO COMPROMISE WITH THEM???? Lets see what happens in Nov, let the good times roll

[humbled_opinion]

50. What is strange to me is that if Obama

has decided that he is going to get something passed and the Democrats in Congress are going to use Reconciliation, Then the legislation should be a real reform bill with a Single payer Public Option that takes effect immediately....

Here is why...


Once the Democrats use the 51 vote threshold for and pass the existing bill much of which doesn't truly go in effect for many years after it it gets signed.. The Repukes are going to make all kinds of Political hay out of it, in the sad event that the duped American People side with Republicans and vote them into the majority in Nov 2010 the Repukes can simply campaign on the promise to use the same 51 vote threshold to turn back the clock and start over again. Its a terrible situation to pass the crap that is in the Senate bill today with mandates on people to purchase from for profit insurance companies and not given the opportunity to join into a public option where paycheck deductions and employer participation and price controls for services would be able to foot the bill and make it painless indeed.

[aquart]

51. WHY IS HE STILL TALKING TO THEM?

[Kablooie]

53. Sounds now like he's establishing an excuse for himself if he fails.

I can't understand why on earth he would still be harping on this total impossibility

[scottsoperson]

58. talking to repubs is necessary

for obama to keep his job.

[democracy1st]

61. Obama nothing more than a corp shill!