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Kyle Wingfield

Obama and health care: Time to declare

11:32 am September 9, 2009, by Kyle Wingfield

I could try to post about something other than health care, but Metallica said it best: “Nothing else matters.”

At least not today, within hours of President Obama’s 28th speech on health care.

By bedtime tonight, we will know what the president learned from Congress’ August recess and the torrent of public comment on Democrats’ plans to change American health care. Will he try to steer Democratic policy toward the center, or put his head down and insist on a public option? The Wall Street Journal reports that he’ll do the latter. If so, he will please his left flank — but at the expense of everyone to Nancy Pelosi’s right. Which is still where a whole lot of the country resides.

Going all-in for the public option would be a high-risk move, given the good chance that it could fail. The Hill reports that liberals’ backs are up against the wall regarding the taxpayer-funded “public option” for health insurance, increasingly with their fellow Democrats. But the key line in the story is this one:

“He’s going to say it’s the best tool for reducing costs,” the aide said. “I think he’s going to be a bit noncommittal.” (emphasis added)

As risky as it would be to endorse a public option — or to rule it out — being “noncommittal” might be the most damaging thing Obama could do to himself at this point. I don’t often agree with Time magazine’s Joe Klein, and that goes for most of what he wrote in his column last week. But I do concur with these thoughts of his:

The President could have laid out a set of principles and said, “I will veto any bill that doesn’t contain the following …” (Indeed, he still could do so.) They should be clear, simple, popular and achievable.

(snip)

[T]he general tendency of his Administration – toward civility, as opposed to the ugliness we’ve seen in the past month – is the right one. But he can’t allow his desire for civility to neuter the requirements of leadership. He has to lead, clearly and decisively, starting right now.

Klein and I would of course disagree about the direction in which Obama ought to lead the country. But after he’s delegated the shaping of the stimulus, cap and trade, and health-care bills to Congress, it is high time for Obama to stop being the present-voting president.

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19 comments Add your comment

Karl Marx

September 9th, 2009
12:33 pm

The kenyan could care less about citizens in this country without insurance. The fed has taken over Wall Street. The fed has taken over banking. The fed has taken over the auto industry. The fed naturally controls the huge government bureaucracy. What is left? What is the only major industry left? Health care and pharma is all that is left in this country. When the kenyan gets that, we will be a completely socialist country. It’s not about the people without insurance, it is about the fed having complete control of all citizens lives. And most people in this country have figured that out. It is all down hill for this administration from here.

jconservative

September 9th, 2009
12:38 pm

My reading is that he will say the public option is the most efficient means of getting premium cost down but that he is not married to it.
Anything that works, “works” being defined as getting by both houses.

My problem with any bill is that the bill that passes will not be the end of the matter. Medicare was passed in 1965 & for the next 40 years
congress & all presidents kept expanding the service. Expanded the service but did nothing on expanding the funding. The result is Medicare going busted in 2019.

The best laid plans………

Cutty

September 9th, 2009
1:10 pm

Why not just allow us to buy health insurance from BCBS of Florida? I’m sure their costs are a lot cheaper than BCBS of Georgia (nod*wink).

Davo

September 9th, 2009
1:13 pm

I think he’ll do the latter as well, framed in a ’stand by your principles’ moment for the DNC. To do otherwise would be an admission to ‘the mob’ that they might actually have a point in their aversion to more govt control over our lives. That would be bad for the DNC and Obama’s agenda. I’m guessing that if they lose this fight then all blame will be placed at the feet of ‘conservatives’ (blue-dogs not included, of course) and this will serve as the 2010 rallying cry around the democrats; not all will be lost politically. Live to fight freedom another day.

jt

September 9th, 2009
1:27 pm

I could try to post about something other than health care, but Metallica said it best: “Nothing else matters.”

Sorry dude, our kids are getting killed in southwest Asia. That matters a whole lot more.

And furthermore, Metalica sux. They just copy riffs and speed it up. And they sued their fans. They are just a fake band for a fake generation.

oldtimer

September 9th, 2009
1:35 pm

I just don’t get why the DNC is so set on public health care. Even the Canadian Health minister said their system is imploding. How can we cut so much out of medicare and continue to give service to the elderly? Chian is beginning to ask questions about our debt. When is this going to stop??!!

Suave shampoo

September 9th, 2009
2:10 pm

Present voting President. Great line. Congrats.

Say anything

September 9th, 2009
2:13 pm

With the Western Democracies teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, starvation and collapse, all due to their wildly unpopular, government-run, universal health-care bureaucracies, why would the President wish to doom our nation to failure by going down the same path?

Daedalus

September 9th, 2009
2:15 pm

Obama will continue to be civil to Republicans and will get the usual in return, i,e., ‘he’s a terrorist, muslim, nazi, socialist, communist who was not born in the United States and is not really President and wants a death panel to kill grandma.’

Any health-care reform he proposes, even if it does not include a public option, will be pounced on by Republicans as socialist, communist, etc., and the hopeless dems will stare into the headlights and not get anything done.

Medical insurers can then return to big profits by rationing health care and the GOP can pat itself on the back for maintaining the status quo in favor of insurers over everybody else.

And the GOP can go back to branding Obama a ‘muslim terrorist, socialist, communist, etc., who was not born in the United States and is therefore illegitimate, etc.,…

Don’t worry GOPers, all is well.

Elephant Whip

September 9th, 2009
3:38 pm

What the Democrats need to realize is that they are in a lose-lose situation now unless they pass a universal healthcare package that works. The only way it will work is if there is a public option or a threat of a public option if insurance companies will not cover everyone, including preexisting conditions. Otherwise, the voters will see them as wimps without backbones.

If the Democrats fail to pass anything substantial, all Democrats will lose. The irony is that the most paranoid Democrats, the Blue Dogs, are in the worst predicament. If they pass a lame bill, they will lose their liberal supporters. If they pass a “public option” bill, they will lose their more conservative supporters. Solution: vote your conscience and pray that it works. The only way to prevent healthcare reform from crippling the upcoming elections is to follow through with your original plan and show that it works. Delay and lack of commitment will reveal weakness and new or ‘blue dog’ seats will disappear.

Chris Salzmann

September 9th, 2009
9:01 pm

oldtimer September 9th, 2009 1:35 pm SAID: I just don’t get why the DNC is so set on public health care. Even the Canadian Health minister said their system is imploding. How can we cut so much out of medicare and continue to give service to the elderly? Chian is beginning to ask questions about our debt. When is this going to stop??!!

CHRIS SAYS: And we aren’t getting a Canadian system. That’s one of the stupidest things I’ve heard here. The private health care industry will be around for a long time. BTW, countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, etc all have universal health care and majority of coverage in all these countries is carried by private insurance companies.

Get a clue oldtimer.

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
9:48 pm

Obama says that his plan will not raise the deficit. Obama is a liar.

Obama still has not said how the country will pay for his plan.

Obama still has not said where he will get the doctors and nurses to help cover 47 million people.

Obama is going to bankrupt the country.

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
9:49 pm

Chris Salzmann the buffoon writes: BTW, countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, etc all have universal health care and majority of coverage in all these countries is carried by private insurance companies.

David Axelfraud says: GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS AND SWITZERLAND DON’T HAVE THE AMOUNT OF DEBT AND PEOPLE THE UNITED STATES DOES.

BOTTOM LINE: Chris Salzmann IS A DUMB A$$!!!!!

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
9:57 pm

Elephant Whip, you’re the first rational democrat voter that has painted a correct scenario of the current debacle that is the democrat party. Kudos to you.

Obamalinksy

September 9th, 2009
9:57 pm

You Have to Destroy the Economy to Make the People Dependent on Government.

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
10:01 pm

Show your support for Joe Wilson! The guy is awesome. Anyone who calls Obama what he really is, A LIAR, is ok in my book!

Joe Wilson Contact ph#
202-225-2452 or 1-803-937-0041

And email him at http://www.joewilson.house.gov/

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
10:05 pm

K Wingfield, maybe you should be concerned about your comrade Cynthia Tucker. She just came out of the communist closet and has now sided with Communist China.

Bottom line: The AJC employs to commies, Cynthia Tucker and Jay Bookwoman.

Elephant Whip

September 9th, 2009
10:18 pm

Not a democrat. Not a libertarian. An independent that leans democratic (and wishes the Republicans could live up to some of their espoused “values”).

Thanks for the kudos though!

David Axelfraud

September 9th, 2009
10:23 pm

Elephant Whip, my mistake, but still, you lean democrat so I was not off by much. Your assessment was spot on with the current debacle for the democrats. I don’t think the blue dogs are in any more of a mess than the other dems. They are ALL in big trouble and people like Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and many more big time libs will probably end up losing their seats next November. I was watching Keith Olbermann rip on the Doctor who gave the GOP address after the speech. Olbermann, instead of debating what the guy said, went and demonized the guy by saying he had been sued in malpractice suits multiple times. I don’t know ONE doctor who has gone through his/her entire career without being sued. Doctors get and insurance companies get sued all the time. It;s THE biggest problem with high health care cost and doctors fleeing the field.