Obama: 'If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out'

[ProSense]

Obama: 'If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out'

But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.

Damn! This is going to be good. LOL!

[Cha]

1. This is Good..but, someone on here

yesterday asked why they release parts or the whole of a speech in advance just to have the mediawhores tear it apart.

This person wanted it all to be a surprise.:) Sounded good.

[Clio the Leo]

25. so that WE can read it too ;-) nt

[ShortnFiery]

2. Prepare to be disappointed if Obama's speech to the AFL-CIO is a guide...

I listened to that speech and his story about "fired up" made me weep this time because it rang hollow.

Just don't place too much faith in this one speech because we are doing exactly what the GOP would be doing: Gutting the middle class in favor of the corporations and the upper 1%.

Just because the new boss is "super-intelligent and gregarious" doesn't make the result any different. :(

[ProSense]

3. I don't thing anyone is going to care

if you're disappointed...just a hunch.

[Hansel]

21. I know I won't nt

[Jennicut]

7. You cried because it "rang hollow"? I quite liked that part of the speech he made on labor day.

[Parker CA]

4. Just heard that on Hardball. Sounds like a good bit for sure. Let's start calling out these

liars on their lies and distortions!!! If this snippet is any indication of what's to come in this speech, this has the potential to be excellent.

[Jennicut]

5. I guess Keith was wrong.

"What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives."

I thought Obama was kicking covering pre-existing conditions to the curb?
I love KO but couldn't he have not freaked out?

[Pirate Smile]

8. That night was insane. No one had even implied on background that Obama was EVER willing to get rid

of those reforms but Keith went on air and said the Prez was throwing all that way. It was a lie and Bullsh#$ and, IMO, damaged his credibility.

I sure as hell don't believe something just because Keith says it.

[Window]

23. I turned Keith off as soon as he opened his mouth that night. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

39. I turned the channel after that opening which I knew was just a lie.

[Cha]

14. Just goes to show us how nobody

is perfect and everyone makes mistakes.

It's kind of incredible that KO would say this, though...I'm guessing he'll apologize.

[burning rain]

26. Big Insurance will be cool with those reforms...

as long as they can jack premiums through the roof to compensate. And especially if there's an individual mandate sans public option, to force everyone into their clutches. The proof will be in the pudding, though God knows, every media outlet wants to pull ratings by "breaking it first."

[ProSense]

28. "as long as they can jack premiums through the roof to compensate" They can't.

Insurance companies will be taxed on premium amounts that exceed a set rate.

[JeanGrey]

35. Insurance will not lose their profits. They'll get around it.

[burning rain]

42. We'll see what the prez actually ends up signing.

I'll just say this: Big Insurance opposes public option because it would threaten their obscene profits, so if Democrats kowtow to them by dropping public option, it would be curious if Democrats turned around and offended them by enacting regulations that threatened their profits to a similar extent. Unless they were dropping public option less at Big Insurance's behest, than to reassure ordinary citizens up in arms over the specter of "government-run healthcare." And that would seem a rather odd motive.

[derby378]

6. I see no public option in the snippets provided

No public option, no healthcare reform. Shut it down.

To be fair, I'm going to watch the speech at home and wait to see what Obama actually says. But I'm drawing a line in the sand.

[Cha]

9. Maybe they didn't want to give

away anything until tonight..you know, a few surprises:think:

[MNDemNY]

11. +1

NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO BILL.

[democrat2thecore]

43. I agree. Without PO - there is no REAL insurance reform. Big fill-in-the-blank wins everytime. -nt

[Justitia]

10. the bad news: Axelrod just said the pres. has been convinced on mandates

Shit, that sucks! As Krugman wrote about yesterday, he campaigned HEAVILY on no mandates - it criminalizes the uninsured, etc.
It was the ONLY difference between his plan & Hillary's plan. That made it a centerpiece.

Not to mention the RW is already beating us over the head calling it a tax (which, come on, it is).

This is bad for him politically (reneging on campaign promise) and political suicide for the party (WTF are they thinking?).

Now, pair that up with the revelation that Rahm has been secretly making a deal w/Olympia Snowe on triggers, and I am starting to get a real sick feeling.

Axelrod, all over the TV today made it a lock.

And, just yesterday, I felt pretty good. Ugh.

Dammit - now it's up to the House to pull us through, fuck all.

[ProSense]

12. This is not news. Obama

laid out months ago the circumstances under which he would accept mandates.

[Justitia]

16. yeah, I wasn't extremely worried, until I saw the Snowe deal & the detail on the PO

Gov Dean confirmed today that the PO is actually going to be available for only about 10% of the public.
Otherwise it will be "illegal" for everybody else.

THAT was when I freaked. The combination of all those sounds like a shit sandwich.

We are going to have to rely on the House to be our biggest defenders of what we want.

I'm starting to be nervous.

[DJ13]

It may not be news, but that doesnt make it right

[ProSense]

18. All the people, including Krugman, who supported Hillary thought it was the cat's meow.

Maybe he agreed to it to appease them.

[Justitia]

19. Oh yes, I think that camp won out in the end. Funny how Krugman now sees the light.

And now the pres is in the other direction, dammit.

Once again, it's the combination shaping up that worries me.

The trigger deal being made would put the PO out of our reach for yrs (possibly permanently), and then it is only available to a very small percentage of the population, but the rest of us are mandated to buy insurance from private companies - we're screwed.

Now, we no longer have cost control. There is absolutely no sign from the ins companies that they will agree to ANY form of cost containment.

I'm going to focus on our strong guys in the House, because I think it will be up to them to pull our asses out of the fire now.

[ProSense]

20. "Now, we no longer have cost control. " What? n/t

[Justitia]

22. The PO was our cost containment mechanism. 10% & triggers kills it.

Gov Dean did not leave me w/a great feeling today.

Axelrod didn't make me feel any better.

[ProSense]

24. Obama supports a trigger? Where did you hear that? n/t

[Justitia]

27. FireDogLake links inside. Rahm has been pushing for it since January.

They've been doing good reporting on it via Campaign Silo:

Rahm pushing triggers - http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/rahm-pushing-triggers-through-olympia-snowe/

progressive caucus on triggers - http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/progressive-caucus-please-clarify-your-position-on-triggers/

obama support on triggers - http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/09/obama-lieberman-express-support-for-triggers/

[ProSense]

29. Rahm is not the President. Why on earth are people trying to hype Rahm's stature?

That's like claiming Libby influenced Bush.

It's a ludicrous assertion.

[Justitia]

34. Pro, it's the truth. Rahm is very involved here, by the president's design (to a point).

I don't trust Rahm, of course, with his history of undercutting his bosses, but Obama is the final word.

When I saw Axelrod today, I finally believed it's a coordinated effort.

Gov Dean seemed a bit deflated on the whole business.

I really hope it turns out differently, but right now I'm not feeling good about it.

I guess we'll wait & see. I'm holding out hope for the House.

[ProSense]

36. Rahm has no say. n/t

[Justitia]

38. Did you read the links? Forget Rahm. The prez is now ok w/mandates & triggers.

If you just want to leave it alone for now, okay.

I'm still holding out for the House and a few Senators who could grab the ball & run with it.

The Congress is very invested here & bottom line, they write the bill.

I just was hoping for a really strong advocacy from the WH and I feel like we've lost some of that.

Bottom line, it's Congress; but that makes it a steeper climb.

[ProSense]

44. Do you have a link to Obama stating his support for a trigger?

You can't believe everything you read. You should know that by now.

[Justitia]

45. We'll see how it plays out. I hope the House kills the trigger nonsense. -eom

[Cha]

15. Yeah, I don't like the mandates, either.

That's bullshit..and I will be writing to them.

[Robbins]

13. Obama

He has deceided now Is his time to fight.Remember as I have said Obama waits for the right time to
fight.The pundits have wrote him off too many times.Go back to the 2008 campagin.

One of the toughest speeches against Mccain at the Democratic Convention was from Obama.

Obama can easily be seen as going out of his way to reach out to Republicans and he has let them
hang themselves.The Death Panel talks and the Birthers taking over town halls can come back and bite
them In the ass.Every Republican In the House will vote against every thing he proposes and 38 In the
Senate will vote against anything.Snowe and Collins are the only possibly choices.

He probally won't mention any Republican directly tonight.But he will addresses I suspect some of the
attacks.

I for one am getting tired of these Ignorant Idiots who don't realize Medicare,Medicaid,and Social
Security are government programs.

And consider this Obama hasn't gotten where he Is by being stupid.

[jenmito]

17. He'll also say it will be ILLEGAL for insurance companies to deny anyone with a pre-existing

condition. VERY good!

[democrat2thecore]

40. That is not REAL reform. That could be done with a single bill in three days. -nt

[jenmito]

30. K&R. That sounds like his campaign speeches.

[jenmito]

31. And then the Repub. is going to come out and misrepresent what's in the plan immediately after. n/t

[democrat2thecore]

32. Outrage!! Turn it ALL over to the private insurance companies and then FORCE Americans to buy it!

Mr. President, One more issue where you have CAVED to BIG Everything.
Co-ops and pools ARE NOT a public option.
Draft your LBJ speech, we'll find someone who will stand up to special interests.
I held out soooo much hope for you and supported you STRONGLY. If you fail to lead tonight, and show us again that you are more interested in placating Republicans and Big Pharma and Big Insurance and BIG EVERYTHING - understand that we will not forget.

I agree with historian Michael Beschloss. If you let the pubic option go - you may very well lose your presidency, renomination may not even be an OPTION. You dance with the ones who brung 'ya. You've failed on almost every issue to do that. Tonight you can show your leadership. Godspeed.

[democrat2thecore]

37. One other thing....

1. Backed off REAL laws for executive compensation in the billionaire giveaway packages.
2. A "stimulus" without huge investment in infrastructure.
3. Backroom deals with Big Pharma. "All healthcare negotiations will be on C-Span." (Remember that?)
4. Don't Ask, Don't Tell. "One of the first things I'll do as president..."
5. Changing your timeline in Iraq.
6. Turning Afghanistan into another ground quagmire instead of targeted strikes as promised.
7. An economic team loaded with the very people who caused our financial mess.
8. Promising transparency and being as secretive as the prior administration.
9. "Change must come from outside of Washington"....the most inside-the-beltway administration in history.

You can reverse all this, and redeem your presidency, by not caving on your promised public option.

[JeanGrey]

33. Who gets called out on their side for misrepresentation?

Like no public option and no real details of cost?

[ProSense]

41. Whose side? n/t

[JeanGrey]

46. Obama's side!! Which is OUR side but increasingly

I am wondering.