Administration Official: "Sebelius Misspoke."

Found this on remy's blog:
http://smoothlikeremy.blogspot.com/2009/08/clarification.html

Here is the direct link to story:
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/08/administration_official_sebelius_misspoke.php

Administration Official: "Sebelius Misspoke."
An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "misspoke" when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option "is not an essential part" of reform. This official asked not to be identified in exchange for providing clarity about the intentions of the President. The official said that the White House did not intend to change its messaging and that Sebelius simply meant to echo the president, who has acknowledged that the public option is a tough sell in the Senate and is, at the same time, a must-pass for House Democrats, and is not, in the president's view, the most important element of the reform package.

A second official, Linda Douglass, director of health reform communications for the administration, said that President Obama believed that a public option was the best way to reduce costs and promote competition among insurance companies, that he had not backed away from that belief, and that he still wanted to see a public option in the final bill.

"Nothing has changed.," she said. "The President has always said that what is essential that health insurance reform lower costs, ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans and increase choice and competition in the health insurance market. He believes that the public option is the best way to achieve these goals."


A third White House official, via e-mail, said that Sebelius didn't misspeak. "The media misplayed it," the third official said.

Appearing on Face the Nation, press secretary Robert Gibbs said that fostering competition and choice were non-negotiable, but the specific mechanism designed to do so was up for discussion. That's been interpreted as a signal that the White House is getting behind the idea of adding publicly owned health cooperatives to the menu of choices that consumers without insurance will recieve. Still, this isn't exactly a walk-back -- the White House, Gibbs included, have mused favorably about the co-ops before.

On Saturday, Mr. Obama defended the public plan before an audience in Colorado Springs. At the same time, he said that the government option was not the single critical element of reform, pointing instead to the provisions preventing insurance companies from discriminating against people, requiring them to offer plans to everyone, and capping premium increases.



"The public option, whether we have it or we don't have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. This is just one sliver of it. One aspect of it," Obama said.

This has been a refrain the White House has used for weeks, but not until Saturday did Mr. Obama voice it so explicitly.

The perception that the White House had backed away from the public plan has roiled many prominent Democrats, who took to their blogs, and to Twitter, to protest.]





Health Care Reform is a complicated thing. If it wasn't it would have been reformed by now. What will probably end up happening is that unfortunately, Progressives will not get everything we want and fortunately the repubs WON'T get everything they want.
President Obama ran as a bipartisan candidate, how the hell do you think he got all those independents and Obamicans?

So let's all take a deep breath and chill the FUCK OUT!!!! Dayum.

Let's hope she fucked up when discussing the public option. If that's the case, they need to prep these people better for shows. There is NO. WAY. something that important should be left dangling out there for the day. None.

we need better spokespeople and we definitely need better pundits to go toe 2 toe with the repubs on tv.

this is the SECOND time they fly the balloon

The first time it took until Monday for them to walk it back

This time it took hours.

Balloon got shot full of lead.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/08/life-after-death-of-public-option.html
Incrementalism seems to be a popular meme these days -- could the public option do better as a standalone provision? While bearing in mind that bargaining is the third stage of grief, this seems to me to be a somewhat realistic hope, especially if Barack Obama is elected to a second term. If a health care reform bill passes, then the government will paying for private insurance coverage for some low-to-middle income individuals. This will tend to give everyone a more direct interest in cost containment: if a low-income family's insurance coverage is costing more than it should because of the absence of competition from a public option, it will be the taxpayers making up the difference. Of course, there would be some people arguing to blow the whole thing up entirely for this reason. But if someone then proposed a public option -- a provision that would spare $150 billion from the public dole and which would give consumers more choices -- it would seem to have a fairly compelling case. Part of the problem the public option faces is that it's a somewhat popular, cost-reducing measure which is mired in a somewhat unpopular, thousand-page, $900 billion bill. When taken as a standalone measure, its cost savings would be more transparent and its opponents would have less ability to confuse the public about its costs and benefits.]

for my generation... if this does not pass, perhaps my nephews will see it.

We have been fighting to get this since 1912... yes TR proposed something akin to socialized medicine based partly on the German system emerging at the time. The next attempt was Truman in 1948. Then we had Clinton, and now this. So perhaps my nephews will in their golden years. Did I mention one is six the other is four?

And there is a problem when the People want something and special interests + the RW win every time.

So yes, this does not happen... don't count on me getting further involved in the political system. I think at that point I will be truly done. Never mind I know this is one of the goals of those in power.

this administration is starting to look like a bunch of clowns

:banghead:

shot full of lead shot.

I can only imagine what KO has to say.

the WH email box and switchboard most be more than just hot.

That is why I said, the balloon got shot down, full of lead.

And I for one added to that, not that I think it will make any difference in the end, that is how little trust I have in the system anymore... but I will add to the switchboard tomorrow, as well as my delegation.

Perhaps if enough of us do this, they will get it.

Pr. Obama would not abandon us.

and God help the President.

perhaps it is cynicism, or being burned burned too many times... but all politicos have their price.

Right now this is a race between the interest to get us fools to continue voting, and them donors... and that is for everybody involved.

The war of words will just intensify, as well as donations. Mark my words.

your comments has shown how high your distrust level is for the Obama administration and government as a whole.

perhaps it is time the American people take a lesson or two trust but VERIFY.

And it is not the Obama Administration, by the way I elect Reps not leaders, but since at least Reagan... and from history, Nixon.

I'm not saying he's abandoning you but don't be so innocent as to believe that Sec. Sebelius misspoke. That is absurd. She got her marching orders from the Obama. It was a failed test balloon.

I guess I should have read the ballot more closely? "Bipartisan candidate" - new one on me!
Do they have a mascot? Is it like a platypus or maybe a three headed dog?

cabinet is on message? I think he's doing a shoddy job at this. It's not the first time that he's had to go out and clean up mess that members of his cabinet made. It looks bad...like poor leadership.

Get it together, Mr. President!!

I think she's better behind the scenes (at least I hope she is!). She doesn't push back against dishonest claims hard enough and seems wishy washy when responding to inaccuracies.

I just had to switch off tweety and rascist buchanan talking about how good its to drop public option.