Maybe Maria Cantwell isn’t on the wrong side of the president after all:
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met last night at the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democrats and told them Obama is “open to alternatives” to a new government insurance program in order to get legislation overhauling the health-care system to his desk, said Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
“His message was, it’s critical that you do this,” Conrad said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana said Emanuel urged the senators to seek Republican support and didn’t discourage them from pursuing the use of non-profit cooperatives, an idea Conrad has proposed.
Krugman is alarmed—”There he goes again, gratuitously making a big gift to the other side”—and so are other advocates of the public plan. Me, I still have in mind Obama’s defense of the public plan in his press conference yesterday, but also this line from that essential Matt Bai piece on Obama’s health care reform strategy:
As Emanuel likes to tell his West Wing staff: “The only nonnegotiable principle here is success. Everything else is negotiable.”
With “success”, here, being defined as being re-elected.
WTF! 72% of Americans WANT a public plan. That’s an effing NO BRAINER. Give us what we want you spineless effing two-faced a;lskdjf;laksjdf;ilsdj!
This whole thing’s gonna crash and burn, mark my words.
I thought our Gov was meeting with him on this today – what message is she bringing?
oh, and Carollani for the win @2.
Carollani put it best I think.
We elected these folks to represent our interests (I know I know…how idealistic of me. I am young. I can be like that for awhile.) and so that means DOING WHAT WE WANT YOU TO DO.
*smashes keyboard for awhile*
What gives? Is our president all bark and no bite? It sure looks that way so far.
Fucking DO something already. You’re the goddamned PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Stop being such a puss.
If we all sent a postcard to every single Senator and the WH … they’d ignore it to focus on the Big Pharma and Big Insurance campaign contributions.
We need a concrete ACTION that’s in your face on this.
Any ideas?
Obama’s going to be a one-termer. I hope Howard Dean runs in 2012. It felt good to elect an African American but now its time to get something done.
CBO estimate for national health care: $1.6 trillion
vs.
Bush tax cuts: $1.8 trillion
CBO Iraq est: $1.9 trillion ($2.4 with Afghanistan)
Bush pushed his tax cuts through – why are we stumbling on this?
When everything is negotiable, “success” is defined by the highest bidder.
CBO estimate for money wasted on Wars We Don’t Need (Drug War, Illegals War, Iraq War) – $999 trillion.
Hmmm … where to cut …
Maybe we should start lobbying Rahm for anything we want to get done. He seems to be calling the shots over there.
Why do we even have a President if everyone under him is running the show?
and… money wins again. quelle suprise.
I voted for Hillary!
Well here’s the deal folks.
Our stupid, stupid Senate rules, which the DEMOCRATS do nothing about, mean we need 60 votes.
So it’s these weirdo “Democrats” from MONTANA AND ARKANSAS AND LOUISIANA who are the KEY VOTES.
What 72% of all Americans want does not count for shit, don’t you finally get it??????????????
Unless, and until, the Presidente Obama starts spending his political capitral or starts having huge rallies in a football stadium in New Orleans or Little Rock (get down there with the fucking Clinton,s duh) or Missouri and raises some grass roots hell — using his e mail list and his super devoted followers — then somethign 72% of us want doesn’t mean shit, something 51 or 55 senators want doesn’t mean shit, and we don’t get what we want!
Please, please stop having the delusion that we live in a democracy, ok? Needing 60 votes IS NOT DEMOCRATIC SO THE MINORITY OF CONSERVADEMS GET THEIR WAY.
Thank you.
@15 – Hils had us sold out within 90 days too – follow the donated money trail.
Apply direct pressure to the Big Pharma/Insurance wound.
Yes, it is going to crash and burn. And it’s going to crash and burn because of Congressional Democrats dragging their feet. And as for that Emanuel quote, it’s actually a pretty good summation of politics in general. Not sure the hysterical ideologues and knee-jerk anti-Washington idealists really get that. I guess eight years of Papa Bush has diminished the public’s concept of discussion in politics.