It’s Official: Obama Is Against The Public Option

[KoKo]

(Firedoglake has done much "Heavy Lifting" for the Public Option. It's probably interesting to read the replies to this post along with the OP...just saying...)

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It’s Official: Obama Is Against The Public Option

The White House finally made official what we have known for a long time: President Obama is against the public option. How do we know this? Because Obama, for the first time ever, released his own official health care reform proposal — and it does not contain a public option.

You can’t claim to support an idea if you are unwilling to make it part of your own proposal. Since the package is designed to pass using reconciliation, the fact that Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, and Ben Nelson are against the public option is irrelevant. The public option already passed the House, and Sen. Tom Harkin said a public option had the support of a majority of senators, so there is no reason it cannot be passed through budget reconciliation. Joe Lieberman may have played the part of the anti-public option boogeyman before, but now Obama is stepping up to prevent the PO from coming to fruition.

Just to be clear, you can’t “support” something if you make no effort to see that it passes. If you do things that directly harm its chances of becoming law, like not include it in your health care proposal, then you are against it. But don’t worry, even as Obama takes steps to make sure that people don’t have an alternative to the private insurance companies that helped ruin our health care system, he did take steps to make sure you face an even bigger IRS penalty if you refuse to buy the poorly regulated product from the private insurance companies.

More...over there at.....
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/02/22/its-official-obama-is-against-the-public-option/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[Vincardog]

2. Is this news to anyone?

[depakid]

4. Not sure how it would be...

They tipped their hand on that 6 months ago.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Obama is not a leader either!

He has flunked on leadership on several fronts, including HCR.

[hlthe2b]

5. It was not expected to contain it... GIbbs explained this...

Obama had indicated (via Sebelius) that he would support its being brought up in reconciliation. I understand the passion over there at FDL, but I think they are off base here.

[DrToast]

17. Yet he included taxes on health insurance plans....something far less popular

...with the population and the caucus.

[hlthe2b]

20. popular with the Blue Dogs....

[Autumn]

6. I don't believe he was ever for

a public option. It was just something to campaign on.:shrug:

[FrenchieCat]

8. So what will happen when a Public Option is included in the Reconciliation bill.

What will you say then? :shrug:

[Autumn]

18. I will say

"Wow that was a shocker!!! But damn, I never would have expected that from this Senate!!!" :shrug:
But what does that have to do with this article? It really isn't about getting a PO in the reconciliation bill, It is about how Obama released his own official health care reform proposal and it does not contain a public option. Now I don't even have to ask what you will say, if a public option isn't included in the reconciliation bill.

[Cali_Democrat]

7. Obama hasn't come out and said he's against a public option

Just because Obama's health care reform proposal doesn't contain a public option, it doesn't mean that he's against it.

There is no provision for more day care centers in the bill. Does that mean Obama hates babies?

Of course not.

[ChicagoSuz219]

11. If they get the #s...

...he'll sign it in a heartbeat.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

47. Then he is showing no leadership on HCR

which is a far worse implication, The evidence is there for everyone to read in his proposal, he was never for the PO and this confirms it.

[JuniperLea]

9. I take everything FDL with a grain of salt...

Because they aren't worth theirs.

[Bobbie Jo]

12. +1000

...and hardly "official."

[KoKo]

14. Why do you feel that about FDL?

I honestly can't understand why you would post something like that after all the work they've done for Progressive Dems through the years. :shrug:

Can you explain your anger?

[JuniperLea]

31. They've become too tabloidy...

And have been way off base far too often lately. "Gotcha" titles to lame, erroneous assumptions... they don't do the progressive movement any good at all with those tactics. They were #1 with me for a while... no more.

[KoKo]

37. Well...they are still a good site doing research...more detailed than here on DU

where most of the researchers were banned or tombstoned. So, you might not like what they say or their extreme activism...but if ever a time called for extreme activism it's NOW!

All the minor activism we here on DU did for years hasn't worked...so it's time to ratchet it up some notches. That's the way I look at them. They really do good work...and even I have had a few problems with some of their activism on some occasions...but they are working for good for Dem Party. I do trust that even if I have some minor quibbles. Just saying....:shrug:

[Bullet1987]

41. Why were most of the researchers banned or tombstoned?

[JuniperLea]

52. Sorry... but I have to call BS...

BS. It has nothing to do with whether I agree with them or not. I do agree with most, but I abhor the attention whoring, the supermarket checkout line headlines, and the nothing but BS grabbers. They don't do good work at all. They are largely obstructionists in the good work arena.

I work with real writers... I have a very low tolerance for their whining and back stabbing... even when I'm on "their side." There's a right and a wrong way to do things... they are wrong.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. He Never Campaigned on the Public Option!!!

Just ask him!

(those dozens of videos showing him doing so are obviously fakes)

[Kltpzyxm]

15. Who you gonna believe?

Barack or your lying eyes?

[KoKo]

16. But...DU'ers posted clips from his speechs calling for a Public Option...did you miss

those posts? Obama did say there would be a "Public Option." Are you now ignoring the DU posts and asking us to look it up in ARCHIVES... SHEESH...

[MannyGoldstein]

21. I posted some of those clips myself

I was being sarcastic, sorry.

[KoKo]

25. Ahh...Thanks Manny...without the Sarcasim Tag...many of us don't really

know where a poster is going or coming from... Sorry!

[MannyGoldstein]

29. No, My Bad

Too dry. I get in trouble all of the time for that.

[KoKo]

33. DU is a big site and these days it's hard to remember all the names of folks we

know are the "Fact Checkers." So...yeah...I can understand how some can be misunderstood. Some of us still think DU is small and folks know each other and or work for so many years. But, sadly, that's no longer true. I'm often thought of as a Freeper. Been here since 2001...working for Progressives all the time..For Truth and Justice and what I thought was the American Way. But, I'm treated like a newbie.

[Aramchek]

13. since when is an opinion 'official'?

[vaberella]

24. Since DU said so. n/t

[freddie mertz]

19. Well, he made no effort to see that it passes, did he?

Tossed it away to appease the useless, doomed Gang of Six "negotiations" in August, then never mentioned it again, except to belittle its importance.



Thanks a lot, Mr. President.

[polichick]

22. Howard Dean on Keith's show tonight: "The WH isn't interested in the public option." nt

[vaberella]

23. Well this is false. The PO is barely getting any votes from Dems in Senate.

Sure there is a resurgence, but still not enough to even get it through with reconciliation.

[KoKo]

27. Of Course...If the President doesn't Support a "PO" why should they?

Makes sense if one doesn't have a leader...why would you in the House or Senate "fall on your sword" just because some Irate Bloggers are Activists working for what they see as a Good for Dem Party? Who would do that?

[vaberella]

43. Hello!!! The PO debate went on for months.

For months. The Senate bill couldn't even include a PO before the president released this. He went on the platform over and over and over again during the past year supporting the PO. Since the healthcare debate started he publicly supported the PO, and excluding the House, the PO has always been a contentious topic within the Senate.

So don't sit there and write that President Obama dropped it so that's why it can't get through the Senate. That's BS and you know it. Well if you've seen the debate you know it. Bayh, and many of the Conservadems of which there are 13, do you hear?! 13 of them were against the PO early on. Even with Reconciliation it would never have passed since the Conservadems were dead set against it.

I'm tired of people picking and choosing what you want. when the facts says something else entirely. The President was getting push back on the PO since April of last year when he was actively supporting it and Dems came out publicly against it---the Conservadems and I can show articles where that was the case. Before the damned bill was written. And you're saying the Senate dropped it because of the President. That is a straight up lie.

[LeftyAndProud60]

26. Obama isn't an idiot. He doesn't even have 45 votes for a public option. NT

[KoKo]

28. He had 50 in the Senate when he started out....Biden would be 51..

"Open Left" and "Firedoglake" have been posting all the numbers for months about how Obama could have passed the "PO" early on.

[LeftyAndProud60]

30. no he didn't.. Not when They're at least 12 blue dogs and Lieberman. nt

[KoKo]

35. I'm just saying that the Count was over there at "Open Left" & "Firedoglake"

and those two sites have been researching the numbers for all these years...Just saying.
"Open Left" had those numbers up over Weekend. Go there and search the archives.

[Tom Rinaldo]

39. "Blue Dogs" come in different shades

Not all Blue Dogs refuse to vote for a public option.

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. He had that and more before

He could have it now if he threw his weight behind it in public and pushed for it. The Public Option is drawing significantly more support in polling than the Senate version of HCR. But the White House right now is chosing to send a signal that it is willing to work with Republicans, and any embrace of the Public Option would contradict that political message. Some Democratic Senators are reluctant to push in a direction contrary to the political strategy Obama has embraces. Some others don't want to look "more liberal" than Obama. If Obama included the Public Option in his proposal and defended it he would have his majority in the Senate to pass it.

[LeftyAndProud60]

34. How do you know he wont add it after the summit on Fri? NT

[KoKo]

38. We don't but he keeps leaving out PO...so we should assume he doesn't want his fingers to touch it..

He's distanced himself from it after he got elected...when before then..he was for it. I don't expect a turnaround because the RW would call him a "Flip Flop." When the RW goes after Obama he caves like the rest of our Dems. When his Own Progressives call him on it...he sends Rahm out to tell us we are "Retards or Ass Holes." I guess in Obama's mind it's the way politics is played once one becomes President. It's sports.

[asdjrocky]

36. I didn't think it was okay to post that here.

The simple truth, I mean.

Someone gets upset when you point this out.

I've seen two thread today that state the same thing that have been locked.

[unc70]

42. You must be careful what you say.

Particularly in GDP

[David Zephyr]

40. K&R.

It's true. He opposes it just as he opposed allowing Americans to get their meds from Canada.

[winyanstaz]

44. K & R....so people know what is going down...

I am deeply dissappointed in Obama for this.
People are dying for lack of care.
The system we have is broke.
Penalizing people for not being able to buy from a private insurance agency is BULLSHIT!

[jgraz]

45. kick for truth

[mzmolly]

46. Oh good gawd. I knew FDL would spin some negative shit

but this is ridiculous. Do they have any understanding of politics at all? We're trying to put forward a !@$% bill that WILL pass. The public option will be a separate piece of legislation passed through reconciliation. The WH will only got to bat for that which will be achieved. They already know what they have the votes for.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

48. Obama had the PO votes through reconciliation months ago

he didn't push for it. The truth is he doesn't want it that is very evident now.

[mzmolly]

51. Timing...

He's proceeding in a political fashion now. He's putting out a simple, reasonable plan that R's and others will have a hard time disputing. The R's will say no to the plan in spite. Dems will pass <i>Obama's</i> plan and they'll follow with the side car public option at some point.

[asdjrocky]

49. If there is no public option, then what?

Who do we blame then?

[mzmolly]

50. Blame for what? Subsidies for the poor and enhanced regulation?

eom

[karynnj]

53. It's official Firedoglake is against Obama

Why, because I read this whole thing and they did not say they were for him.

Therefore, using THEIR logic, the lack of including that, means they are against him.

[ncteechur]

54. Agreed. Exaggerating headlines and causing misdirection has been the MO of FDL

[hulka38]

55. This is the truth. Don't lock it.

[Kyril Enko]

56. Against? No.

Hey, you've seen and read Ezra Klein: I think the President has concluded that, at this point in time, Senate Democrats simply don't have the cojones for it!

[damonm]

57. FDL must be run...

...by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beamon">Bob Beamon
- 'cuz that's one hell of a long jump to THAT conclusion.