Lieberman: Obama Never Pressed Me On Public Option

[Hissyspit]

Source: Huffington Post

Lieberman: Obama Never Pressed Me On Public Option

First Posted: 12-21-09 11:57 AM   |   Updated: 12-21-09 02:10 PM

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) insists that the White House did not pressure him to get in line behind either a public health insurance option or a Medicare buy-in compromise during the health care debate this year.

"Well, no. I think I got pressure from the president to be for health care reform," Lieberman said when asked by HuffPost about any pressure from the administration to support either the public option or the Medicare buy-in. "I'd have to think about this, but I didn't really have direct input from the White House on this."
He added that Nancy-Ann DeParle, a top administration health care aide, downplayed the public option's significance early in the debate.

"Early on, Nancy-Ann DeParle came in, I told her my argument, I said, 'Nancy, I don't remember this ever being in the presidential campaign debates -- or discussions. I don't mean just the debates. And she said, 'You know, it's interesting. We went back and checked and there's one mention in the bottom of a paragraph of an Obama presidential policy statement on health care where it's mentioned as an option.' But most of the negotiation I had on that was with Senator Reid."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/21/lieberman-obama-never-pre_n_399355.html

[MUAD_DIB]

1. Joe Lieberman: Slimy, eotistic, untrustworthy fuck.

[PassingFair]

2. Can we PLEASE strip him of his committee assignments now.

Please!

[Walk away]

3. Why would he lie about that? No reason to.

I never heard President Obama forcefully support the public option either.

[WriteDown]

6. Quiet!

You'll bring out the cheerleaders.

[tabasco]

17. I'd rather be a cheerleader

than a dumbass who would sidle up with the likes of Holy Joe, just to score a hit on the President.

[WriteDown]

18. Like Russ Feingold?

:eyes:

[Hepburn]

27. +1....

...and I hear NO denial from Obama on this.

[New Dawn]

32. Exactly.

[LaPera]

4. DU Connecticut Welcomes You.........

[bluestateguy]

5. Lieberman is a liar

This has no credibility,

[AlbertCat]

21. This has no credibility,

Especially since Lieberwang himself was for a Medicare by-in just months ago.

[24601]

29. If you have proof the President did pressure him on the PO, I'd love

to see it. Can we look forward to your post of it or are you just blowing smoke up our asses?

As long as bribes are the going currency for votes, his are no better or no worse than the others.

[truthisfreedom]

7. He's working for the pubes again, stirring up shit against Obama.

What a slimy fucktard.

[izquierdista]

8. Lieberman, when pressed,

will ooze out of the holes in his socks. :rofl:

[PurityOfEssence]

9. Why is this hard to believe?

Did Obama stick his neck out on this issue anywhere else lately?

This hasn't been "measure" or "subtle", it's been positively coy.

I've never experienced so many people projecting so many things onto one person as I have with our President, and it would be one thing if these projections were the wishful thinking of the gullible, but he and his campaign happily took advantage of misconceptions in many instances on many subjects and played the field quite thoroughly.

The worst thing about this artful proclivity to sidestep issues while being on both sides of them is that I don't think he or his people realize how wise people are getting to this crap.

[pampango]

10. Joe-"What can I say today to get that Democratic circular firing squad going again?" n/t

[treestar]

30. bingo

Besides, what difference would it have made? Does Lieberdork admit he would have voted for it had the President said magic words?

[Cha]

31. He can say whatever he wants and it may or may not be true

since he's known as a lying piece of shit.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. as much as i dont think the president did much for the public option

lieberman is not a reliable source

[Bette Noir]

12. And we should believe him, why?

[katkat]

13. Still waiting to hear why LIEberman has his committee assignments. n/t

[Downwinder]

14. So, does he have to be told what to do? If so, I have suggestions. n/t

[BP2]

15. Oh, no - no cheering for that fucktard LIEberman, but looking at Obama's statements since

the Public Option was striped, I've heard no mention from Obama on how we need to have the Public Option like he said during the campaign.

One could argue that Obama shouldn't say such things negotiations. But even if he did, it wouldn't change the fact that we still have 60 votes in the Senate.

Obama should not be ashamed to at least publicly stand up for his constituency, and let us know that he hasn't been corrupted by the Lobbyists.

[hayu_lol]

16. Joe has no credibility... none ... nada ... zip ... keine ...

he said and did what he did without coaching from any but his well-paying contributors. On the other hand, he has nothing to gain by lying.

He needs to be shunned by valid Dems.

[Garam_Masala]

19. He should get a Berlusconi n/t

[laughingliberal]

20. Joe Lieberman has no credibility but Russ Feingold does

Taken together with Russ' statement the other day that this is the bill the President wanted all along, it's hard to dismiss this as asshat talking out his butt.

Start with a president who never showed up with support for the public option through the entire debate. Add the fact that he waited until every tiny scrap of hope for it in the Senate was dead and buried before he started to pressure the Senate to pass the bill.. Stir in a good dose of Rahm Emanuel insulting those who were fighting for the public option. Throw a nice dollop of reports from the beginning of the debate about the deals the administration cut with Pharma and Karen Igagni. Stir in his fauning support for Max Baucus' work with nary a mention of the House' or the Senate HELP committee's work. Add a generous amount of Russ Feingold's statement, a pinch of the reports of Harry Reid's frustration at the lack of help from the White House. Layer in the President' s confusing support for Lieberman keeping his chairmanship after he alienated every Democratic voter in the country with his support for McCain. Blend well.

We all hate Joe Lieberman and I have hated him longer than most. The best opinion I ever had of him was that he was a horrible choice for Gore's running mate and my opinion has gone down from there. But, I have to be honest and say what we have here is what is called, in civil court, a preponderance of the evidence. Joe Lieberman is a slimy scumbag for releasing the statement because his motive is obviously to rub the liberals' noses in the knowledge that the President they supported and he campaigned against sold them down the river, salt in the wounds. But Joe's been doing that since he lost his primary to Ned Lamont and he's not likely to stop finding opportunities to do that. Is it despicable? Of course, it's Joe Lieberman. Is he lying? Probably not.

[jgraz]

22. That's our Fierce Advocate.

There is absolutely no evidence to contradict Lieberman on this. Obama never wanted the public option. He never fought for it.

[Duke Newcombe]

23. This idiot inhabits my nightmares and my news viewing time...

must I read about Joey McFuckstick HERE as well??!! Sheesh!

[mascarax]

24. Dear Nancy-Ann, the public option/plan is on page 10 of the Democratic Party Platform

Not that it matters...it's just the meaningless Party Platform, after all.

Isn't this the $6+ million corporate board member to several healthcare companies? Who now makes <$150K in her new position...

[wordpix]

25. thanks for that---I was going to search the web for all the times Obama said he supports the PO

I know he said it more than a few times.

[wordpix]

26. 'Nancy, I don't remember this ever being in the presidential campaign debates -- or discussions."

Not that Lie-man ever listened closely to Obama's message, anyhow.

[unkachuck]

28. and....

....a Merry Christmas to you too, traitor joe....and a Happy New Year!