Ambinder: White House “Won’t Buckle” to Liberal Demands for Public Plan

By: Jane Hamsher Wednesday August 19, 2009 2:33 pm




I know people are reluctant to believe that the President has no plans to include a public option in his health care bill, but according to Marc Ambinder, that is indeed the truth:

The White House and Senate Democrats won't buckle to demands from liberals that they revise their health care strategy, officials said today.

Liberals are demanding the inclusion of a public plan. The White House won't "revise" their strategy to accommodate them.

Glenzilla:

The attempt to attract GOP support was the pretext which Democrats used to compromise continuously and water down the bill. But -- given the impossibility of achieving that goal -- isn't it fairly obvious that a desire for GOP support wasn't really the reason the Democrats were constantly watering down their own bill? Given the White House's central role in negotiating a secret deal with the pharmaceutical industry, its betrayal of Obama's clear promise to conduct negotiations out in the open (on C-SPAN no less), Rahm's protection of Blue Dogs and accompanying attacks on progressives, and the complete lack of any pressure exerted on allegedly obstructionists "centrists," it seems rather clear that the bill has been watered down, and the "public option" jettisoned, because that's the bill they want -- this was the plan all along.

Max Baucus (who is negotiating the White House's bill) today reaffirmed his commitment to have a "bipartisan" bill. Since Republicans will never sign off on a public plan, that's not-so-subtle code for "no public plan." And any time anyone says that, including President Obama, that is in fact what they're saying.

Support members of Congress who say "no public plan, no bill."


http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/08/19/ambinder-white-house-wont-buckle-to-liberal-demands-for-public-plan/

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Off to the iggy pile ignoramus.

And the repugs will make some serious gains in the congress (mosty by taking may democratic blue dogs seats).

Someone needs to slap some serious sense into Obama and Co. heads now please.

Obama himself said he wouldn't sign a bill without a public option. Ambinder doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

they disrespect us as soon as they get in power.

Hey! No more insanity - you bastards are on your own if you don't pass the Public Option.

This is the line in the sand for this 51 y.o. who has repeatedly pounded the pavement and canvassed countless times for "moderate" democrats.

PEOPLE FIRST not Party Loyalty.

Marc Ambinder, who, it has been shown walks around DC with a Spin-Me sign on his back. I am so over these supposed DC insiders maintaining they and they alone know all.

to Grassley.

It isn't a question of buckling to liberals.

It's a question of keeping their campaign promise.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/15/767136/-As-a-candidate,-Obama-supported-public-option

Obama-Biden website:
"any American will have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan or an approved private plan"

stake and I think there won't be health care legislation without a public option.

This fight is not over.

"any American...have the opportunity to enroll in the new public plan"?

some decades of paralysis on all sides -- from the public being gouged and betrayed by insurance companies to the new paradigm, which involves the public's questioning those companies' right to provide health care on the basis of profit (as opposed to on grounds of public service or moral obligation).

That is a powerful and historic shift in context. It was brought about by Barack Obama and his team. And while it is bitterly and loudly opposed by the usual suspects, it is nevertheless the new paradigm. The onus of being an anus in impeding the president's reform legislation suddenly becomes costly for the insurance companies, who cannot -- ultimately -- defend an indefensible motive (greed) and it further destroys the GOP's claim to governance, as it's plain they are letting insane people do their thinking for them.

.. Obama's "plans" are. I only care what gets passed into law. We'll just have to wait and see.

The elites in wall street and the health care industry won't allow anything that threatens their businesses and investments.

Bad decision on their part. People will only take so much and when the middle class begins to see their loved ones dying for lack of healthcare in numbers the working class and poor are seeing today, things will change.

Obama would be throwing his Presidency into the trash by not bringing a true "public option".
As a Canadian, I assure you, our health care system works fine.

People think the Obama admin has been in disarray, but in reality theyve teed up the ball perfectly.

The public option will be dropped as has been planned all along, that will give blue dog Dems and some moderate republicans cover, there will be a good bill (with no pre-existing cond., portability, health care exchanges, tort reform, etc...), and Obama will have hit it out of the park. It'll be seen as home run by the public.

into some racket to make the insurance company CEOs richer and me even poorer.

(not at OP but at Ambinder & crew). They need to keep stirring the pot to try to generate enough fodder to get to Labor Day. Apparently the lunatic fringe corporate payments to the rent-a-screamers have been cut back and there are fewer manufactured shows.

Because they now know that the Republicans will not sign off on any health care reform-- if they believe what Grassley was telling the truth to his constituents.

to be a one termer.