What leadership has Obama provided on the health care reform issue?

[brentspeak]

Not a rhetorical question; simply state the facts as you see them.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Saying the public option is negotiable??

[LakeSamish706]

3. It's been negotiable alright, right down to no Public Option. n/t

[dflprincess]

And taking single payer off the table

before negotiations even started.

[Captain Hilts]

7. He had Baucus do his dirty work there. nt

[SHRED]

5. He didn't here:

Any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans - including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest - and choose what's best for your family.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/obama-demands-the-bill-i-sign-must-include-public-option.php


---

[IndianaGreen]

16. There is a widening chasm between Obama's words and his deeds

This is just additional evidence.

[David Zephyr]

2. It's a great question. Let's see who has an answer.

[DJ13]

4. "I will veto any bill that doesnt have a public option"

It sounded like leadership at the time, didnt it?

[liberalpragmatist]

19. Um. Link?

He never made any such claim, for better or worse.

[Clio the Leo]

6. Define "leadership"?

Also not a rhetorical question.

[grassfed]

8. zip

[Autumn]

9. Lets just focus on what he has done so far,

someone has a list. Be along any time now. He is willing to sign the bill when it gets there.:shrug:

[tinrobot]

10. He gave a speech to Congress and was heckled.

[Better Believe It]

11. He cut a deal with the health insurance industry and big Pharma and has almost nailed enough ....

votes to live up to his bargain and pass the National Health Insurance Industry and Big Pharma Protection Act.

What more do you want?

[jkilvik]

12. Obama to Lieberman, "I've got your back, Joe."

It took a lot of guts to take Lieberman's side over that of the Democrats who worked to elect him. You only get to fool me once once.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[QC]

14. He's made some real pretty speeches. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

15. Obama sent Rahm to tell Reid to cut a deal with Lieberman, no matter what.

Rahm Emanuel Personally Pressed Reid To Cut Deal With Lieberman: Sources

Rahm Emanuel visited Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in his Capitol office on Sunday evening and personally urged him to cut a deal with recalcitrant Sen. Joe Lieberman, two Democratic sources familiar with the situation told the Huffington Post.

Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, has long been identified as leading a faction of White House advisers who have been pushing the Senate simply to pass any health care bill, no matter how weak.

His direct message to Reid (D-Nev.), according to a source close to the negotiations: "Get it done. Just get it done."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/14/rahm-emanuel-personally-p_n_391786.html

[Writer]

17. What do we really know without being able to see what he's actually doing?

Do you truly think that Obama's sitting on his ass?

[IndianaGreen]

18. You will see Obama tomorrow smiling alongside Lieberman at the White House

calling this a great deal fro the American people. I am sure that Animal Farm's Squealer will promptly proclaim how grateful we must all feel about this deal.

[rockymountaindem]

21. You'd think if he was calling people all day or having personal meetings with Senators

there would at least be a few leaks in the press about that. Funny how there aren't any...

[Writer]

22. Why would you think he wasn't, though?

It simply wouldn't make sense that he wasn't involved. Why would he stir up this major legislative overhaul of the health care industry without having an active role?

[rockymountaindem]

26. Because he's too afraid to be associated with not getting what he wants

That would imply that he took a risk and got burned, or failed. By not saying anything, he can just declare whatever bill he gets as a victory, and that'll be that. He can say he demanded "health care reform" and got it. If he demands a public option, medicare for 55+ or anything specific and doesn't get it, he can't hide.

[Writer]

27. Hold on - do you know him well enough to assess whether he's too afraid to be...

associated with not getting what he wants? You're putting a lot of thoughts into his head.

[LooseWilly]

20. He urged HCR be put at the top of the list of things to be done.

After that... :shrug:

[maryinthemorn]

23. He once strongly supported the public option. Hope he does so

now at this critical point.

[dflprincess]

37. He once supported single payer

but he was just a lowly state senator then. And, he once opposed mandates but he was a candidate then and had to make his healthcare ideas different from Clinton's somehow.

[Dr.Phool]

24. zero

[budkin]

25. Demanding that Lieberman's Demands be met!!!

What leadership!

[JVS]

28. Ideally, use the bully pulpit and vow to campaign against any senator who doesn't toe the line

At minimum, count the votes ahead of time in order to avoid this embarrassing debacle.

Of course, both of these would require some kind of vision of what the plan should be, so some kind of plan would have been good too.


Oops, I thought you asked "should" rather than has. What he has done is none of the above

[mcablue]

29. Weak leadership n/t

[O is 44]

30. What would you have him do?

You say weak leadership, I say what would you define as strong?

[slinkerwink]

31. setting a budgetary limit on the bill of $900 billion

which reduced the amount of subsidies that could be given and constrained other elements of the bill.

[maryinthemorn]

35. Aw gee, it limits the $$ going to Big Pharm and Insurance Industry.

It's winner.



The whole process sucks at this moment.

[bvar22]

32. Obama had Pelosi remove the Kucinich Ammendment ...

...from the House Bill AFTER it passed in committee.

The Kucinich Amendment would have allowed states to start their own Single Payer System.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

33. I am not aware of any

[VMI Dem]

34. Exactly Jack Shit.

[freddie mertz]

36. Publicly: Almost none since mid-summer. The Congressional speech was the last

After that... crickets.

[BlueIdaho]

38. He told a Nobel Peace Prize audience that sometimes war is a really good thing

no - wait - that wasn't about health care - sorry!

[rug]

39. During an interview on his health plan he decisively smacked down a heckler.

Oh, wait, that was a fly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbUH_iVjYw

[jillan]

40. What was his plan here? He left it all up to Congress - as far as we know.

Congress critters were all over the msm asking for his input.

:shrug: