The walk back from Obamacare has begun, with key Democrats admitting that the 'public option', AKA the part of the bill designed to force private insurers out of business simply isn't going to fly:
A key Senate negotiator said Sunday that President Barack Obama should drop his push for a government-funded public health insurance option because the Senate will never pass it.
Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota said it was futile to continue to "chase that rabbit" due to the lack of 60 Senate votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
"The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for a public option. There never have been," Conrad said on "FOX News Sunday."
I guess somebody isn't willing to queer his chances for re-election by ignoring his constituents. And he's not the only one. Even Obama's leftist Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has changed her tune all of a sudden:
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said providing citizens with the option of government-run insurance isn’t essential to the Obama administration’s proposed overhaul of U.S. health care.
“What’s important is choice and competition,” Sebelius said today on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The public option itself “is not the essential element.”
If she's talking this way,you can take it for granted that it's coming directly from the Bossman.
What it amounts to is that Obama and his minions realize that the tribe has spoken, and the numbers aren't in his favor.And the flak is coming from his own party...the Democrats have the numbers to pass absolutely anything they want to - provided they're unconcerned about the consequences come election day.
Look for a rearguard action to try and preserve as much of this bogus legislation as possible while still saving Obama's face.
5 comments:
You all must have not heard the expression about counting your chickens before they hatch.
While you and your pro-corporate insurance run health care crowd crow triumphantly over this misleading news report, I can assure you there are enough progressive votes in the House to kill any bill that excludes a public option.
Progressive House members have already surrendered a single-payer plan in order to advance bills currently under consideration.
They will NOT be willing to surrender anymore ground regarding a viable public option, which is one of their major platforms regarding true reform and one of the major reasons they were elected and reelected.
Like I said: the train has already left the station regarding the matter of substantial health care reform in this country. And the proof of its departure lays in the form of the nearly 67 million people who put Obama in the White House -- many of those votes coming from the slew of formerly red states that Bush took in 2004.
Millions of these voters who have been standing on the sidelines are now becoming active again and are mobilizing to have their voices heard loudly and clearly in the Halls of Congress and are prepared to drag it out at the Town Brawls if necessary.
Oh, yeah. You probably won't post this comment either. But that doesn't mean the dynamics of this process that I'm explaining aren't real.
Peace, Mr. Freedom Fighter. You guys are going to need it once the real Waterloo comes to fruition. And, yeah, those are fighting words.
Best,
Tom Jones
I certainly hope you're right about so-called 'progressives' killing any remaining vestige of Obamacare. The country would be much better served.
Actually, the best way to any actual health care reform was voiced by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey in which he suggested tort reform and the lifting of restrictions that prevent consumers from shopping across state lines for healthcare - but that wouldn't wash with heavy Dem donors the Trial Lawyers Association. So, as you know, the Angry Left (people like you) are organizing a boycott over it, and they want his head.
And speaking of backroom deals..I wonder what you think of Obama's secret deal with Big Pharma..not to mention lying about it afterwards?
You know how it is..the Left loves dissent, except when they're on the receiving end of it. Then, their reverence for the First Amendment goes out the window.
'Dragging it out at the town brawls'..oh, I suppose you mean SEIU and ACORN thugs assaulting and pushing out of the room anyone critical of the attempt by the One to destroy America's healthcare system and add on another bogus layer of deficit.
I'm not surprised at you saying it, but be aware that it reveals the inner fascist in you.I suppose you support Obama's internet 'enemies list' too.
Y'know, the real resistance here isn't coming from Republicans - let's be honest, they don't have the votes - but from Democrats.
These are the people Rahm Emanuel picked because he and Obama figured they could fool the voters by appearing centrist but could be bribed/bullied later to go along with the neo-Marxist agenda. Instead, they realized that they're going to have to face their constituents shortly and are bolting like sheep in a thunderstorm.
According to Rasmussen, ( by far the most accurate of pollsters) Obama's approval rating is down to 47%..and on healthcare, better than 65% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the issue.
Obama beat John McCain by six points, which is roughly like the New York Yankees playing a high school team and winning, even without the media adulation and lack of vetting.
Trust me, people are starting to find out the kind of 'change' they voted for, and they don't like the smell of it. Lincoln's famous dictum about fooling all of the people comes to mind.
By the way, the reason more of your identical multiple comments on different threads don't get published is simple - they mostly add absolutely nothing to the discussion except easily refuted talking points. That's the mark of a troll.This one's in the same ballpark, but I was in the mood to answer it.
Next time "Tom", try just one comment with a sensible premise for actual debate and you might have better luck. And a real e-mail address and blogger ID would improve your chances as well.
Regards,
Rob
It must have been dim-witted tinfoil-hatted Balin' Palin's racist remarks that sank this...Or maybe, just maybe the Big O realized he can't ignore the will of the "Angry Mob."
BTW I read the Whole Foods thing. Very logical, common sense. And they are walking the talk right now. So no wonder the left went batsh|t over it...
Tom,
The major reasons Obama got elected were to: 1.)get the economy moving in the right direction, 2.)improve America's image abroad, 3.)end the war in Iraq, and 4.)after the HORRIBLE presidency of George W. Bush the voting public was desparate for some kind of change. So far he has managed to accomplish none of those things except for 4 which the voting public does not seem entirely comfortable with the change he has brought. This is why his approval rating is only about 47% in spite of favorable media coverage and the fact that the public knows he inherited a mess. As for 1 and 2 they seem to have gotten worse and as for 3 his policies seem to be pretty much the same as those of Bush. This is why the voting public is starting to get restless.
Freedom Fighter writes: "Obama beat John McCain by six points..." Team Obama had the best organized, best funded, and most media supported team in the history of presidential politics. Team McCain was one of the worst funded, worst led, and most media opposed campaign in the history of presidential politics. In addition, the Republicans were coming off of the worst President in the history of the Republic. Given these factors, team Obama should have won by 30 to 40 points. Why didn't he? I suspect the voters never could quite get comfortable with him. Now the doubts they had seem to be being realized.
Health care reform had absolutely nothing to do with why he was elected. This is why the idea can't seem to gain traction with the voting public. While certain reforms do need to be made, the most obvious being tort reform, the voting public is generally pleased with their quality of health care.
It puzzling why they are focusing on this issue at all. They should be focusing on things that will create jobs. Perhaps they are ideologically blind to reality, maybe they are stupid, or they have an ulterior motive. In any event, they should change course or they may face an uphill battle during the 2010 election cycle.
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