Barack Obama may be going for a new approach

[Magox]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html

 

As we all saw, August was a terrible month for the W.H and it is pretty obvious that they are losing the debate with the American Public on their "Public Option" plan.

 

I've had this discussion with KTFBD before, no way did I think that they could get this "Public Option" to go through, unless they went through Reconciliation and rammed it down the publics throat.

 

Aides to President Barack Obama are putting the final touches on a new strategy to help Democrats recover from a brutal August recess by specifying what Obama wants to see in a compromise health care deal and directly confronting other trouble spots, West Wing officials tell POLITICO.

 

 

Obama will address a joint session of Congress on health care reform in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a senior official tells POLITICO, and the president plans to give lawmakers a more specific prescription for health care legislation than he has in the past, aides said.

 

And although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself, the officials said.

 

 

This is what I liked most:

 

health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

 

This would undoubtedly be a very big move for Obama, he would win lots of political points for refusing the demands of the Liberal Locotoads and it would go along way with winning support with the Independents, which has been the group that he has been losing the most support from % wise over the last couple months.

 

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/...l#ixzz0PzZXsRAr

[IDBillzFan]

I have my doubts that it's a good idea to hold yet another prime time Obama appearance to once again define a product that has already been re-defined 18 different ways.

 

You can only say "Look, here's what I really mean is..." so many times.

 

But we'll see.

[Chef Jim]

I have my doubts that it's a good idea to hold yet another prime time Obama appearance to once again define a product that has already been re-defined 18 different ways.

 

You can only say "Look, here's what I really mean is..." so many times.

 

But we'll see.

 

It's like when you were a teenager and you got caught sneaking in the house drunk. The more you tried to explain it the more you !@#$ed it up and the deeper in shiit you got. I say he should have these on a daily basis.

[ThereIsNoDog]

It's like when you were a teenager and you got caught sneaking in the house drunk. The more you tried to explain it the more you !@#$ed it up and the deeper in shiit you got. I say he should have these on a daily basis.

Someone should hack into his teleprompter, or at least disable it.

[Wacka]

Looks like he will be starting his Obama Youth on Tuesday 9/8.

[1billsfan]

This is what I liked most:

 

health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

 

This would undoubtedly be a very big move for Obama, he would win lots of political points for refusing the demands of the Liberal Locotoads and it would go along way with winning support with the Independents, which has been the group that he has been losing the most support from % wise over the last couple months.

 

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/...l#ixzz0PzZXsRAr

 

Obama blew it. Especially with the older people who he tried to screw over with rationing so that younger people without insurance would have it.

 

People won't ever forget that in July he wanting this 1300 page monstrosity ram-rodded through without anyone have read it, or know what the effects it would have on the debt, or the ability of people to keep what they have already without their employers dropping them. In August, Americans told Obama where he can put his Chicago-style politics. He ain't getting them back.

[Magox]

Obama blew it. Especially with the older people who he tried to screw over with rationing so that younger people without insurance would have it.

 

People won't ever forget that in July he wanting this 1300 page monstrosity ram-rodded through without anyone have read it, or know what the effects it would have on the debt, or the ability of people to keep what they have already without their employers dropping them. In August, Americans told Obama where he can put his Chicago-style politics. He ain't getting them back.

There is no way that you can cut over $100 Billion worth in Medicare, without rationing care. I don't doubt that there is a lot of waste that is spent in Medicare, and I believe that something has to be done to try to eliminate that waste, but you'd have to be very naive to think that senior citizens wouldn't be up in arms once they hear the notion of significant amount of funds being cut from Medicare.

 

The other thing, which you mentioned is that people are pretty pissed that they tried to hurry this thing through, I know I was and I know many others were as well. That was a terrible idea, and it backfired.

 

Another point not in their favor is that there is just about no way to be able to significantly cut down costs through added competition when the profit margins in the health insurance industry is barely above 3%. The only way that the government would be able to bring down costs in a meaningful way through competition would be to ration care. Of course, lots of private insurers would go under, but that's a whole another story.

 

Also, people don't like the idea of "Big government", this would be another extension of the government and arguably would be the largest entitlement program apart from S.S in the history of the U.S

 

One of the main things that bother me about this potential legislation is it's cost. Most economists say it would cost over $1 Trillion, and my guess is that it would cost a lot more than that, just for the single fact that these entitlement programs usually end up costing a lot more than their orginal expectations.

[1billsfan]

There is now way that you can cut over $100 Billion worth in Medicare, without rationing care. I don't doubt that there is a lot of waste that is spent in Medicare, and I believe that something has to be done to try to eliminate that waste, but you'd have to be very naive to think that senior citizens wouldn't be up in arms once they hear the notion of significant amount of funds being cut from Medicare.

 

The other thing, which you mentioned is that people are pretty pissed that they tried to hurry this thing through, I know I was and I know many others were as well. That was a terrible idea, and it backfired.

 

Another point not in their favor is that there is just about no way to be able to significantly cut down costs through added competition when the profit margins in the health insurance industry is barely above 3%. The only way that the government would be able to bring down costs in a meaningful way through competition would be to ration care. Of course, lots of private insurers would go under, but that's a whole another story.

 

Also, people don't like the idea of "Big government", this would be another extension of the government and arguably would be the largest entitlement program apart from S.S in the history of the U.S

 

One of the main things that bother me about this potential legislation is it's cost. Most economists say it would cost over $1 Trillion, and my guess is that it would cost a lot more than that, just for the single fact that these entitlement programs usually end up costing a lot more than their orginal expectations.

 

In regards to your last point, the American people see the mack truck-like trillions of debt coming down the road and are not trusting enough to throw the dice that government will get something this big right. I think that in the end, there will be a bill passed with some reforms in insurance regulations but nothing so big that it would threaten to increase the debt. If the democrats weren't acting so slimy this summer they may have gotten something bigger accomplished, but that ship has long since sailed.

[PearlHowardman]

Obama will address a joint session of Congress on health care reform in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a senior official tells POLITICO, and the president plans to give lawmakers a more specific prescription for health care legislation than he has in the past, aides said.

 

Of course Obama will be using his teleprompter during this address. More ridicule will inevitably follow.

[DC Tom]

Of course Obama will be using his teleprompter during this address. More ridicule will inevitably follow.

 

But whose message is it, really? I mean, does Obama use the teleprompter, or does the teleprompter use Obama?

[Fastback]

But whose message is it, really? I mean, does Obama use the teleprompter, or does the teleprompter use Obama?

 

It depends on who you ask, TOTUS or POTUS.