Obama To GOP: It’s Over

[jefferson_dem]

Obama To GOP: It’s Over

Obama listened politely for six hours, with only the occasional flash of temper, but in the end, the message was clear: It’s over. We’re moving forward without Republicans.

Whether Obama and Dems will succeed in passing reform on their own is anything but assured, to put it mildly. But there’s virtually no doubt anymore that they are going to try — starting as early as tomorrow.

That was the subtle but unmistakable message of Obama’s closing argument. After hours of hearing Republicans repeat again and again that only an incremental approach to reform is acceptable to them, Obama rejected that out of hand.

Here’s the key bit from Obama:

I’d like Republicans to do a little soul searching to find out if there are some things that you’d be willling to embrace that get to this core problem of 30 million people without health insurance, and dealing seriously with the pre-existing conditions issue. I don’t know frankly whether we can close that gap.

And if we can’t close that gap, then I suspect Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner are going to have a lot of arguments about procedures in Congress about moving forward.

Unless I’m misreading that, Obama is saying that unless Republicans support comprehensive reform as Obama and Dems have defined it — dealing with the problem of 30 million uninsured and, by extention, seriously tackling the preexisting condition problem — they will almost certainly move forward with reconciliation.

What’s more, Obama also essentially accused Republicans of approaching today’s summit in bad faith — after they had sat there with him for six hours. He said that even after the public option was taken off the table, Republicans continued to use the same “government takeover” slur.

<SNIP>

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/obama-to-gop-its-over/

[Berry Cool]

1. It was an even better smackdown than his first, because he wasn't solo this time.

It was more like tag-team wrestling, with Dems actually taking their turn in stepping up and delivering thee smackdown as needed.

[Kind of Blue]

5. That was particularly satisfying.

I enjoyed Senator Durbin's smack down of tort reform, starting with he as an attorney represented both patients and doctors so he knows what he's talking about, tort reform is only a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions in debt, AND allowing only $250,000 in malpractice for a constituent who had lost her face and throat from a respiratory machine that caught fire during surgery as basically unconscionable.

I thought it was brilliant when Senator Echevarra (sp) made the Repubs concede that all agreed with the CBO as the "referee on the field." That resulting smack down of Ryan during that exchange was priceless.

[Hutzpa]

2. About damn time.

I sensed he was pissed for their manner of approach today, coming out with the
same tired arguments.



:bounce:


Edit: Without teleprompter too.

[Triana]

3. If they're moving forward without Republicans (like they should have done to begin with)

..then WHY is the Public Option (AND A DAMN GOOD ONE) not being put through via reconciliation?

Wimps, much? Gah!

[quaker bill]

15. He is approaching this like a lawyer

perhaps because he is one. In any legal proceeding, both sides get to make their best case. Then they move to closing arguments and hand the matter off to the judge. We are in closing arguments now. Next they will move the bill and put the matter before the American people in November. As President Obama stated "this is what elections are for".

At this point, going through reconciliation, the guts of the Senate Bill cannot be changed. It the guts of the bill are substantially changed, we end up back on the Senate floor with a filibuster. What can be changed in reconciliation are the numbers (finances) behind the senate bill. Things that are objectionable can be zeroed out and things we support can be expanded with more funds. This leaves the bill intact so another full floor vote is not required.

The reason that there will be no "public option" in the final bill is that there never were 60 votes for it, and now there is one less. Changing the bill to include it would be subject to filibuster. The right answer, is to sufficiently win the 2010 election, and then reform the filibuster rule at the start of the next congress next January, which will only require 51 votes. At that point we can act on a public option, and have it go into effect at the same time as the other reforms.

[Triana]

16. In his own words - he 'abandoned' the public option NOT because they "didn't have the votes"...

..but because he was naively still trying to get 'bipartisanship' with the GOP - to get their buy-in.

WHO HERE didn't know that that was an exercise in absolute futility?

He's wasted a TREMENDOUS amount of time and surely he KNOWS better than that now - and he SHOULD have to begin with.

LINK:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x199317

[JTFrog]

19. And that post is still bullshit.

:shrug:

[Triana]

20. I saw your hysterical rant in my other thread. Can you prove Obama did not say that?

Is AlterNet lying about it? Why would they do that?

[JTFrog]

21. They put a spin on his words as always. Nowhere does he say he abandoned the public option.

Just spin spin spin.

LOL... you just edited to add hysterical and chest-beater? Wasn't good enough without the personal insults? Funny you should do that.....

[Triana]

22. Then put HIS ORIGINAL WORDS here. n/t

[JTFrog]

23. Wasn't that the point of your post above?

Do you need some help?

[Triana]

25. Your distraction won't work. YOU said they "spun" his words. THEN. PUT. HIS. ORIGINAL. WORDS. HERE.

[JTFrog]

26. You said "In his own words - he 'abandoned' the public option". You first. n/t

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[quaker bill]

33. Correct me if I am wrong

but I recall 60 votes in the Senate, not 62 or 65. This pretty much defines the Senate bill as the upper limit for as far as they could go. You may want to believe otherwise, but I think the actual vote total is reality. There were no votes to spare.

[HughMoran]

4. Yep. Basically "this is your opportunity to change your mind and be reasonable"

Republicans chose poorly (as usual)...

[Fla Dem]

6. Baa Waa Waa...we need to start over with a clean piece of paper....

That was the whole jist of their position today.

Well after Nancy was through with them, they can use that clean piece of paper to wipe their soiled hind ends.

[JVS]

7. But did he tell the conservadems to fall in line?

[polichick]

12. Good question!

[Solomon]

8. Now's the time to do it!

Yeah! :bounce:

If they can only see how much respect they get from everyone, even their enemies, if they finally DO SOMETHING!

I'm excited. Fired up and ready to go!

[elocs]

9. When it comes to bipartisanship and compromise, Republicans want everything their way.

Throughout this HCR process Democrats have been willing to compromise on many points, but Republicans on none. Oh they will take every compromise and concession they can get, but they are unwilling to give any themselves. In the end, like a petulant 2 year old, all Republicans have is "NO!" Sure they would love to start all over only because they want to delay and run out the clock. A very transparent bunch.

[polichick]

10. Now's the time to go back to a "robust public option" - giving it up got Obama NADA...

I hope there are enough Dems to really fight for it now.

[CountAllVotes]

11. Obama set those whining bastards straight

whether they liked it or not they got the taste of their own damned medicine!

About time!

GO OBAMA!!!

:kick:

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. Then let's TRULY move forward, Mr. President

and pass the bill that you know damn well the country needs. And that's single payer. Not mandated corporate welfare.

[Lorien]

28. + 50,000,000

[and-justice-for-all]

14. "It’s over. We’re moving forward without Republicans."

:toast: :fistbump: :applause:

[saltpoint]

17. The public relations impact on that gathering reinforces the idea that

the Republicans in the Congress are recalcitrant dolts.

If John Boehner ever left the impression of being a sentient being, it sure wasn't yesterday.

[JTFrog]

18. K&R!

[Lorien]

27. 30 million uninsured? It's over 50 million now

someone needs to get the right numbers to the President. The scale of this problem is huge-and growing!

[NYC_SKP]

29. kick and rec.. nt

[madmax]

30. Bravo, Mr. President

[Whisp]

31. his message to me was: You don't want to be serious?

I've got some pretty sharp arrogant elbows I'll be swinging around now. Thanks for the clearance.

[AlinPA]

32. Reid to America: "Gulp... uh...uh.. I don't want to be unfair to my friends on the other side of the

aisle..."

[ProgressOnTheMove]

34. If Democrats have any will left to save the party they'll pass it, if not "goodnight and good luck."