If you’ve been patiently waiting for the president to show his hand and start openly pushing for the public option, your moment has come:
As questions swirl about the number of votes in the House for several versions of the public option, varying in strength, Deputy White House Secretary Bill Burton said that President Barack Obama is working on votes in the Senate.
“I will say that the President continues to think that the public option is the best way to achieve choice and competition, and that’s what he’s working towards,” Burton said during a gaggle on Air Force One this morning.
“We’re working on getting health care reform done, and in order to do that, obviously you’re going to need some votes in the United States Senate to move it forward, and that’s what we’re working on,” Burton added.
This is really the first time that anyone in the administration has admitted that they are pursuing a public option. It comes at a critical time. This morning, Nancy Pelosi called an emergency meeting of the Democratic caucus to gauge support for a ‘robust public option’ tied to Medicare reimbursement rates. It appears that she is close but not yet at the level of support she will need to pass the preferred plan. Part of the problem is that the Senate is progressing on getting 60 votes for cloture on a bill with a public option, but they are not going to be able to pass a ‘robust’ public option. House centrists are hedging, thinking that it is a risky prospect to vote for a bill that is more ‘liberal’ than what will eventually pass through Congress.
Pelosi wants the stronger bill to give her strength in her negotiations with the Senate. But, she is understandably meeting some rather fierce resistance. It’s not a coincidence that the White House chose this exact moment to announce that they are fighting for a public option in the Senate bill. They are also probably pushing back against a Politico report that Obama prefers to appease Olympia Snowe and go with a trigger.
I thought that the administration might wait to go all-in on a public option until after the Senate passed their bill. But it looks like they’ve decided that Congress needs a little push now in order to get the cloture votes in the Senate and, perhaps, the robust option in the House.
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/10/23/obama-wants-a-trigger-so-keep-calling-reid/
Thoughts, Booman?
I know you referred to this in your analysis already, but some deep-thought analysis?
No. It’s typical that she takes the bait everytime.
More or less the response I expected lol. I figured it also has to do with activism shrug.
W/e. All I know is I appreciate what you do here; thanks for the sanity.
Full transcript (emphasis mine):
We’re reading the same words but coming to different conclusions. When the WH says they “believe” in the PO, what, exactly does that mean?
However, I will say that the President continues to think that the public option is the best way to achieve choice and competition, and that’s what he’s working towards.
He “thinks that” it’s the best way to go and he’s working “towards” it.
That doesn’t sound unequivocal to me.
I’m seeing 256 shades if gray in everything they say.
I’m waiting to hear in no uncertain terms “The President wants a bill with a workable Public Option in it.” period. Is that so hard?
Why does every move have to be kabuki already?
‘ensuring’ that the bill contains a public option is fairly straightforward.
what we have is multiple leakers speaking to multiple constituencies.
plus, some bloggers who are vested in bad outcomes.
My thought is that she has become so involved in the DC information pool that she has accepted the argument that Politico actually is a legitimate source. And that Rahm is the only one driving policy. She is doing good activist work but she needs to step outside DC for a bit. The inside game is too much kabuki to take as seriously as she is doing it. Seeing the real world again might help.
Unfortunately the idiots deciding policy are also living in the beltway bubble.
I can’t think of any examples where Jane Hamsher said the sky was falling when it didn’t. If you don’t think the sky has been falling on and has nearly buried the middle class and continues to do so, maybe YOU need to step outside for a bit.
If you want to talk about the real world:
Gee whiz, what’s Jane so bent out of shape about?
And why isn’t everyone else bent out of shape over the same issues?
Jane isn’t stupid and isn’t gullible. And she certainly isn’t pushing what she learns just for page views. She asks for actions when actions may actually do some good.
Would we rather just sit back and watch the Masters of the Universe just do what they want to do and applaud their clever slight of hand?
I don’t think so.
The WH seems to be making a coordinated push now. Valerie Jarret on the Scarborough show:
I’m sure the centrists are quaking in their boots now that the President really, really, really, means that he supports a public option, but will accept a bill without one.
It’s like every week we get another triumphant boast by Obama-supporters about how Obama’s rhetoric really speaks to them.
Yet under closer analysis he’s not really saying much other than platitudes that gives something to everyone.
I guess Obama supporters like nothing more in life than rhetorical flourishes like, “grab a mop.” They feel it speaks to them and get so focused on the rhetoric they fail to evaluate any actions.
For instance, Obamabots were happy that Obama “called out” the financial sector but sat silent as he handed the keys of the treasury over to them. Just amazes me to see so many Democrats turn out to be nothing more than fans.
Okay, Obama issues some ‘blistering’ rhetoric that speaks to his fans. Now what? What action will be taken? All this accomplishes is it makes the eventual and probable sellout more palatable to liberals because so many of their fellow travelers were bamboozled into thinking Obama and the Dems were on their side and fought as hard as they could. It’s intended to sucker the left into thinking he’s fighting when he’s not. It’s too little too late and intended to deceive.
Obama himself has said that he expects to be judged by the results that he produces, so I’m withholding judgment until the results are in. I’m watching to see how/if he achieves what he campaigned on, but the end result is what I’m waiting for before congratulating or condemning him.
In addition to agreeing with everything you’ve said ( and have been saying), I think there are various types and levels of White House pressure yet to be played out. We’re seeing the beginnings of very targeted, behind-the-scenes pressure; what this will lead to, ultimately, is a consolidation of support and careful counting, and then Obama will go full public in order to shame the stragglers into being on the right side of history. There’s no way we get this close without doing what it takes to close this deal. The price of obstruction will be very, very steep for anyone foolish enough to go that route.
It is a mistake to think that all of this is scripted out and that the pieces just fall into place as if by magic. The White House has been, as you pointed out, keeping its information closely held while slowly getting other players to expose their agendas. This week AHIP jumped in bed with the GOP bigtime. Olympia Snowe got shown to be unserious about triggers; after all if she is against a public option, what exactly would the triggers trigger–the regulations themselves? Harry Reid went for the public option. Baucus folded. The AMA showed that it couldn’t deliver on its own agenda. And public support for the public option has solidified.
So what information does Obama need? What 218 members of the House will vote for. A commitment from holdout Democratic caucus Senators not to filibuster. A clear public (to the caucus) statement of position from everybody on the House side and the Senate side.
And what do House members and Senators need? Some real improvement that will actually be in place before folks go to the polls next November. For Pomeroy, Boucher, Conrad, Dorgan that looks like adjustment of Medicare rates for rural states. For Mike Ross, that looks like an interim extension of buy-in to Medicare until the exchanges and public plan are in place in 2013. There are other pieces that will be added for other lawmakers to get off the fence. In part, the emergency was that a bunch of folks became fence-sitters in order to bargain for their pet issues.
I think this has be an educational exercise for the progressive blogosphere as to how the sausage is actually made and how much pressure you have to apply to get it into those tight little skins.
How is this any different from what the WH has been saying for months?
They support a public option (ha), they’re working for it, but it is not necessary to a final bill.
Obama is a master politician. Suckering people into thinking he’s “fighting” for something.
If you think Obama planned all this and there will be a “robust” public option then surely you will blame him if it fails to happen. Right?
Or are you going to give him a pass no matter what? If it fails he tried his best and he’s being pragmatic! If it gets included Obama is a master chess player. Obama wins no matter what.
The spinning is driving me insane. The willful ignorance is really annoying (as if the White House hasn’t been empowering and pushing for compromises like the trigger from the beginning).
This is about giving the WH political cover and instead of objective analysis we’re getting excuses and obfuscation and spinning (and no–it’s not smart politics to lie like this–it’s not part of any strategy other than suckering the left into supporting a bill that gives the insurance industry a windfall).
Bah Humbug.
I guess you didn’t read the transcript.
Obama is a master politician. We are waiting to see how masterful. And chess is not his game; poker is. And poker is about having an asymmetric information advantage over your opponents and drawing and playing a good hand. One by one each of the industry players have come out about how serious they were in their agreements with the White House. AMA is still on board. PhRMA is still on board somewhat. But AHIP is no longer holding its fire publicly; until now, it had been funding the astroturf campaign against reform at arms length through contracting lobbyists and co-opting the Baucus committee. Olympia Snowe really is not on board although they dangle her along until the last minute.
The real heavy lifting is convincing one or two Senators in the Democratic caucus not to filibuster with the Republicans if the Senate bill contains a public option. There is no way of knowing how far Harry Reid or Obama can push these Senators. Right now they are trying to tweak the bill to get their neutrality. It would be helpful to know who these holdouts were; dollars to donuts, Joe Lieberman is one of them.
And in the House it is the time for some who will vote for a strong public option to sit on the fence to try to get special things for their district or have a pet idea included in the final bill. There is not way of knowing what will finally move the fence-sitters. Except through negotiation with the House Democratic leadership. The number of these House members is down to eight, which means at least 210 votes are solid for some kind of public option.
There was no way for Obama to predict that the progressive base that put him into office would hold as firm as it has for the public option and still be plugging to get a vote on single-payer.
All that is needed out is authorization for a public plan that is available nationwide and uses Medicare rates as a basis for driving down provider costs. If there is an opt-out, it cannot be exercised until the people of a state have the opportunity to test run the public plan in order to make an informed decision. If the bill comes out that way, then there is a high likelihood of Democratic strength in the 2010 election. And beginning in 2011, any necessary changes can be made to make the reforms better.
Obama is not going to fail to deliver a health care reform bill. If he succeeds in getting a strong public option, it will be neither because he is pragmatic or a master chess player or a master poker player, it will be because he is doing the job he was elected to do.
Very good analysis. And I agree that Obama is a skilled politician.
And I agree he will probably be effective at getting some legislation passed.
But this legislation will probably be horrendous.
It is not what you are selling (the start of great things to come–pie in the sky hippy). I am sure of it. It’s as if you want us to look really hard into Obama’s eyes to see how he’s winking at us; how he sympathizes with us and actually agrees but . . .
This probable legislation (even with a compromise public option) will further decimate the middle class.
It will increase the percentage of GDP to health care for sure, probably by a couple of points, further surpassing an already insane amount. So more health care jobs but also a lot more inefficiency. The profits insurance companies suck out and will be further entrenched. The government will even provide direct subsidies to the industry. They broken system will be expanded and solidified with government support. We will get closer to full coverage but only on the backs of the middle class and at an insane amount of GDP.
And Uncle Sam will collect the bills from you on behalf of the insurance industry.
Anyway . . . it’s time for these guys to shit or get off the pot . .. . vote on the damn bills already . . . and I’m just waiting for the steaming pile to be deposited at the middle class’s doorstep. Yet another bailout for the wealthy–this time for the insurance industry. No added benefit than close to everyone gets shitty insurance and forced to pay for it (by government enforcement) even if they can’t afford it, and we pay an ever-increasing portion of our GDP to this parasitic industry and further entrench this inefficient and immoral system for the next generations.
It’s a huge gift to industry with no real commensurate benefit to most Americans. It would be terrible legislation.
But I guess Obama would get the W.
And he may be able to convince the media that this huge pile of shit smells sweet. And a lot of Democratic party fans, I guess.
But the reality is looking a lot stinkier. No matter how hard they try to hide it.
Or, to put it another way “We’d like full-citizenship, but will settle for ‘separate-but-equal'”.
it’s past time that it happened, and they need to push all in now.
342^@$#^^$!!!!!
“Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members. But they also say that the White House is pushing back against the idea, in a bid to retain the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).”
Well now.
If true, it’s so far beyond odd that it makes the WH motivations suspicious, or implies that multiple factions within the WH are letting their differences show.
Has the president really communicated so little to Pelosi and Reid that they’ve been working hard for a policy the president doesn’t support, and won’t back them on during the final push? That seems weird, too.
Someday someone will make a lot from a tell-all book.
I hope they’re wrong, but this is TPM’s own reporting, not reiteration of Polito:
“Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members. But they also say that the White House is pushing back against the idea, in a bid to retain the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/sources-white-house-pushing-back-against-senate-public-op
tion-opt-out-compromise.php?ref=fpa
TPMDC is reporting that “multiple sources” say that Obama is pushing a trigger.
So we are back to the default Olympia Snowe trigger shuffle.
Float like a butterfly….
Kabuki, baby. This is setting up, as planned, to be a triumph for the House and Senate, with Pelosi and Reid asserting their will. What helps more in the next national election, Obama triumphant, or better yet, the Democratic Congress looking far, far better than anyone previously thought? Obama can afford to appear to be trying to be “bipartisan” until the last moment–in fact, it helps his long-term agenda if he is seen as trying until the choreographed end–because in the back rooms he’s still calling the shots. Very Chicago, in my opinion.