Looks like Obama's going to have to deal with Dean on healthcare

[cali]

Looks like Howard Dean is well on his way to finding a post-DNC niche, and he won’t be needing the Obama administration to find it for him.

On a conference call with supporters later today, Dean will make a surprise announcement, unveiling a major new health care campaign that will gear up his political operation to pressure the White House and Congress to preserve a public insurance option as part of health care reform, I’m told.

The campaign will be called “Stand With Dr. Dean,” and its immediate goal is to build up a membership of a quarter million in the next few months, relying on the million-strong email list of Democracy for America, Dean’s political operation. The eventual goal is to organize and door-knock to build support for the public insurance option in Congressional districts across the country, DFA executive director Arshad Hasan tells me.

Supporters of Dean — a former doctor who has been looking for a meaningful way of impacting the coming health care reform push — were furious with Obama aides for not giving Dean a health care-related spot in the administration. This new project to push Obama and Congress towards a public option is Dean’s post-DNC solution, and his political operation could have a real impact on the coming health care debate.

“We’re drawing a policy line in the sand,” Hasan says, adding that the goal is to get a quarter million signatures on a new petition insisting on the public option.

“We’re saying that if the public option is not included, it’s not real health care reform,” Hasan says. “DFA is the perfect vehicle for Governor Dean to do this.”

Today’s announcement is keyed to the fifth anniversary of Democracy for America, which debuted during Dean’s 2004 campaign. On the conference call with DFA supporters, Dean will thank everyone for their support, Hasan says, then launch into the surprise announcement about the new campaign.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/howard-dean-to-announce-major-campaign-on-health-care/

[Avalux]

1. Hmm. I'm not buying this is completely independent (or adversarial) to Obama's agenda.

In fact, I'd be willing to this is a strategy Dems have put together. I hope so anyway.

[wryter2000]

6. I'm with you

That would be a very clever move. I hope they've done that.

Somehow with Rahm E so close to Obama, I doubt it, though.

[madfloridian]

7. He is not against Obama's agenda, which had Medicare as an option

It's the centrist dems who are going to try to take away the option.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

8. Dean has the ability to counter Bayh's "We speak for Americans-Let's join Republicans" team

[sandnsea]

15. I think so too

I've been worried there wouldn't be any advocacy for the left except for single payer and we might lose some necessary aspects because of it. This is really good news and just what we need for an alternative to single payer.

[Two Americas]

24. the people support single payer

Why do we need to find an alternative to single payer?

[sandnsea]

29. No the people don't

and we're not going to get it.

Supporting the choice to sign up for Medicare For All - is not the same thing as supporting everybody be required to sign up for it.

It's good to keep educating because there is a lot of information that needs correcting - but we are not going to go from insurance to single payer in one leap. If we don't have somebody advocating for the correct stepping stones, we'll never get there at all.

[yurbud]

37. I get that impression on several issues--Obama talks DLC then governs progressive

Let all the foxes into the henhouse, serve them tofu, and tell them it's chicken.

[Captain Hilts]

2. It shouldn't have come to this. I don't 'get' it. Can someone explain it to me?

[Schema Thing]

14. see above

[wryter2000]

17. You're right. It shouldn't

It's possible it wouldn't except for the "moderate" Dems in the Senate. The "moderate" Dems are to the right of Richard Nixon on some things. Obama needs to pull some R's to get this through. If he can't depend on all Dems, he has no chance.

Dr. Dean has always been in the business of doing what's right for this country...esp. on health care. He's independently wealthy, so he doesn't need the money. (Daddy was Dean/Witter) He only ran for President in 2004 to make some points about health care. His own success surprised him.

He knows how to organize the real grass roots. And he has millions of Deaniacs (including me) who'll rally behind him. If he can create a screaming groundswell of support for a good health care program, he can probably introduce the "moderates" to reality. He could even get some Republicans.

[PVnRT]

27. Even Nixon wanted some kind of national health insurance

He didn't advocate the single-payer solution, but there is this, from 1971: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3311

And he still bought the line about how we can "nationalize" the entire thing, but, still, he's more right on it than some of these alleged moderate Democrats are today.

[MarjorieG]

32. Nixon was shown on the Sicko film as praising the beginning of HMO, Kaiser Permanente (sp) for

making money and not having to deliver services. His voice!

[wryter2000]

3. Awesome!

K&R for Dr. Dean.

:bounce:

[madfloridian]

4. We have already donated through DFA and will be on the call.

Good for him.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

26. Dean might be able to get more done outside the government than within it.

This is making a lot of sense. Howard Dean has grown in stature since he ran as a candidate himself. He will be a fearsome and fearless advocate. Plus, he's so smart and knowledgable that he makes the media twits look like numbskulls.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. That's not a bad thing. Dean is pulling Obama in the left's direction unlike Bayh

Who is joining ranks with the freaking Republicans.

[MarjorieG]

31. I don't think Obama needs pulling, but ConservaDems and awareness nationwide

There will be ads and money spent on both sides. We need a choice to join public that will only grow.

[yurbud]

38. Bayh and his ilk were already in bed with GOP--they've gone Lieberman about it.

[Occam Bandage]

9. This is about what I expected, and I welcome it.

Dean never wanted to be an apparatchik. This is where he belongs: leading the charge.

[FrenchieCat]

10. That's a good thing!

The thing about Howard Dean is that he will approach advocacy the right way. He will make himself and those who agree with his proposal on health care be heard by the President in a rationale and systematic way.

That's the kind of democracy and advocation for policies that I like.
What I don't like is when folks decide that it is their way or the highway.
That doesn't work for me.

Howard Dean has stated that the public part of the President's proposal that Obama ran on during the campaign is what Dean wants to make sure to see implemented. That sounds exactly like what Pres. Obama wants as well. I see this more as a partnership to get Americans the health care agenda that is needed, and that would eventually lead to a single payer health care system.

I'm signing up! :patriot:

[Cha]

23. I'm loving this. I knew Dean's path post

DNC would be great like it's always been for the brilliant Dr/Gov/DNCChairman and it didn't have to happen a certain anticipated way.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Clearly We Need Help Here - Thanks Dr. Dean! n/t

[rocktivity]

12. I'm sure they've made a sweetheart

deal under the table. Obama wants a "medicare-for-all" type option as much as Dean does.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[FrenchieCat]

16. He doesn't only want it, he ran on it!

[ErinBerin84]

13. great!

I love seeing him on tv (even if I have to see him on places like Morning Joe), he is such a great advocate.

[madfloridian]

18. Here is more about what Dean is doing. He is fighting to keep a public option.

Who is working behind closed doors on health plans.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3777

Dean talks about added cost of privatizing Medicaid.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3729

Zeke Emanuel compares his health care plan to Obama's plan. Dean supports
Obama's plan of including Medicare
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3703

Dean fears Obama might give in to a mandatory insurance plan.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3697

Dean emphasizes on CNN the need for a Medicare opt in.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3691

[Beetwasher]

19. Great Tactics! The Debate Will Be Between And Obama And Dean W/ Repubs

Nowhere to be found.

IOW, not whether we should reform at all (which is what the Repubs would want it to be about), but HOW GOOD that reform is going to be!!! It assumes reform from the get go, and that my friends is the sweetest thing there is!

This is how you control and reframe the debate.

[depakid]

33. Agreed

This will further marginalize Republicans and the Republicrat wing of the party.

[LittleBlue]

20. Obama and Dean should be of one mind on this

I don't see why they should differ over the basic principle of healthcare for all being a necessity.

So let's get it done.

[cali]

21. Obama is going to be facing fierce opposition within his own party

Dean's efforts will make it harder for him to compromise with the blue dogs.

[madfloridian]

22. More on Dean and Medicaid....and some summaries. PBS video

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3798

[madfloridian]

25. Dean on Morning Joe today. Video from Raw Story. Smacks down Joe, really.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Dean_smacks_down_Scarborough_Budget_criticism_0325.html

"Did we choose this? He always talks about moving this in a new direction. Fiscally, this is going down the same path that George Bush and Republicans took us down eight years," Scarborough asserted.

Dean interrupted, "Joe, that's total nonsense."

"In your heart that the spending proposed in this budget, what we are bailing out Wall Street, is unsustainable," argued Scarborough.

Dean disagreed.

"First of all, there's -- there's no federal balance sheet affected by the Geithner proposal to deal with getting the toxic assets off," explained Dean. "They very wisely put a lot of private money into that and that's guaranteed by the federal government and we are going to end up making money off that.".

"Second of all, we are not nationalizing health care," Dean added. "We are giving the American people a choice of what they want to do. Which is a lot better than not giving them the choice."

[HopeOverFear]

28. Wonderful news!!

I'm glad that Dean is doing this. And I'm confident he will get President O's ear on this issue and we can move forward for Universal Health care.

[Egnever]

30. Where do I donate?

Go Howard!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

34. Here's the petition. You can also volunteer and donate here.

http://www.standwithdrdean.com/

[area51]

35. k&r (n/t)

[LWolf]

36. That's good news. nt

[redqueen]

39. This is how we do it.

This is how we'll get single-payer, or even close to it.

Organize.