Obama Holds Conference Call With Progressives Who Oppose "Trigger"

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Holds Conference Call With Progressives Who Oppose "Trigger"

President Obama will hold a conference call with progressive leaders on health care reform early this afternoon, a day after they sent him a letter requesting a meeting "as soon as possible" and reiterating their call for health reform that includes a robust public option, without a so-called "trigger."

The House Progressive Caucus's two co-chairs, Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), will be on the call, their offices have confirmed; the two sent a letter to the Obama yesterday requesting a meeting and saying they oppose the "trigger" mechanism, recently floated by the White House, under which a government-run health insurance plan would be created if private insurance companies fail to meet certain market requirements.

"We look forward to meeting with you regarding retaining a robust public option in any final health reform bill and request that that meeting take place as soon as possible," Woolsey and Grijalva wrote.

They, along with 58 other liberal House Democrats, have threatened to vote against health care legislation that doesn't include a public option. In an interview yesterday, Woolsey said she's skeptical that such a trigger would ever get pulled.

"We have Part D Medicare as our example. There's a trigger that was the compromise in that legislation, and it's never been pulled, and there are all kinds of problems with Medicare Part D, and we've never pulled the trigger so that there could be a public plan in that," Woolsey said.

"It should have been pulled and it never has been, and I doubt that it ever will be," Woolsey said. See a copy of the letter below:

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/obama_holds_conference_call_with_progressives_who_oppose_trigger.php

[quantass]

1. Wellp, looks like a "Trigger" is in his Speech next week :(

This sux.

[DrToast]

3. Huh? Why do you say that?

[tridim]

5. Wishful thinking is my guess.

DU spin is just as bad as media spin these days.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Oftentimes even worse.

n/t

[jefferson_dem]

4. This looks like the necessary "compromise" given the political environment we're working in...

Whether it "sux" or not certainly depends on the details of the "trigger" and what the alternatives are.

[rudy23]

9. How necessary is it? Unless you include Obama's deception as part of our political environment.

Let's face it---they sold us out on the public option weeks ago, and this is all just marketing to keep too many people from turning on the President as we should.

[DevonRex]

11. What deception? Let's face it, you're HOPING there's no public option. nt

[rudy23]

15. Oh, no I'm not, believe me.

I will eat the most delicious plate of crow if I'm wrong. It directly affects me. That's why I'm so crushed to hear that he's backtracking, and now seems to support triggers. No, I hope I'm very wrong. I admit I'm wrong to my s.o. nearly every day, it would be nothing new for me :)

[DevonRex]

19. I'm not buying it. nt

[rudy23]

23. Yeah, why would a Democrat be upset that the President is backing down on the public option?

I thought we were all supposed to support the President no matter what! What odd behavior for a Democrat to be disenchanted with the way this healthcare debate is turning out!

[MNDemNY]

21. Betting, maybe, hoping? No.

[scheming daemons]

13. And it has always been your goal to have people "turning on the President"?

Seems like it...

[rudy23]

17. Yes, I want triggers to pass so progressives turn on the president so Jeb Bush can win in '12

That's my agenda.

Oh wait, I'm wrong. That's Rahm Emanuel's agenda, it appears.

[depakid]

26. Some people never learn- and Rahm's at the very top of that list

[jefferson_dem]

34. You honestly think Obama's chances in 2012 would be hurt more by passing healthcare reform...

with a trigger than by not passing healthcare reform at all? If so, we disagree.

[girl gone mad]

35. I absolutely do.

No one I know wants another bloated, corporate giveaway bill with mandates and watered down "reform". If that's what we get, it's going to keep a lot of people home in 2010.

[jefferson_dem]

14. It's necessary because Obama wants to and will deliver the most expansive reform possible...

While that may not satisfy your rigorous though unrealistic standards - and instead, would rather have nothing and "turn" on the president - is another story.

[rudy23]

18. I would rather have nothing than reform in name only.

Fake reform would thwart our momentum until the next Democratic President took office. When do you think that will be? I might not be alive then! It took 15 years to get from Hillary's efforts to today's efforts. I'd rather have a public option, than a public option in name only.

Just like I'd rather have a Democrat in the White House than a Democrat In Name Only.

[Windy]

30. Its called democracy. We had a dictator for 8 years! Obama is letting Congress write the bill

That is how it is supposed to be done in our democracy. It is not for the president to DICTATE to the elected representatives of the people. I want a public option too and that's why I've contacted my senator and congressperson.

I don't want a dictator. We had that for 8 years!

[rudy23]

33. He is letting a small, unrepresentative segment of Congress write the bill.

If he were being Democratic about it, he'd let Progressives write the bill.

And I do believe Rahm Emanuel did in fact dictate to Congress how it was going to be. Very disturbing in light of the last 8 years.

[Windy]

36. There are 5 possible bills out there... just because finance is slow as hell doesn't mean

that their bill is THE bill!

[phleshdef]

22. Deception, what an over the top load of crap.

No one has deceived poor little you. A President asks for what they can get and sometimes has to take what they can get. Its painfully obvious that President Obama WANTS a government ran public option, its also painfully obvious that he is having a hard time getting even his own party in the Senate to comply. Thats tough luck and it really sucks. But he has deceived NO ONE.

[joeycola]

29. He is wishy washy and the results show it!!

[phleshdef]

31. That statement has absolutely no merit.

[jefferson_dem]

32. Hey, welcome to DU!

:hi:

How long have you felt like that about the president?

And...the results are not in yet. Thanks.

[ProSense]

12. It isn't necessary.

There is always reconciliation

[WeDidIt]

16. Then KILL THE BILL

If they push a trigger, the Progressives should pull the trigger on the bill and kill it like they've promised.

[jefferson_dem]

24. Yay.

Status quo.

:sarcasm:

[WeDidIt]

25. It's sad to say

but the status quo is better than mandated wealth transfers from the working class to insurance comany executives.

[Engineer4Obama]

27. Tell that to people with

Pre-existing conditions.

[WeDidIt]

28. If a bill passes with no public option

they'll still be in the same boat.

It'll just cost the taxpayers more and the poor people with the pre-existing condition will be fined for not having insurance.

[MNDemNY]

20. slurp.

[Inuca]

6. I don't see any

cause --> effect between the article and your conclusion.

[DevonRex]

7. All is says is that he is talking to the people who oppose a trigger.

Like they wanted him to do.

[WeDidIt]

2. Putting ina trigger guarantees the public option is dead. n/t

[ShortnFiery]

37. AMEN! Public Option OR The Corrupt Insurance Companies Win.

There's no half way ... no public option, no REAL health care reform.

[HereSince1628]

8. Hopefully they bring a gag to stuff in Rahm's mouth.

Imagine a cartoon

On the left, The Progressive Caucus walks away from a rope that a struggling Rahm Emanuel is trying to hold, by himself. It is a rope that Obama is using as he tries to swing from the "Cliff of Promises" across the "Moderate Void" to get a footing on an opposing cliff, known as "The Receptive Right." In Obama's pocket is a scroll of paper marked COMPROMISE.

A bubble points to Rahm's head...inside is written, "Hang on guys! Just a little longer, and he'll take this chess game where I think it needs to go."

[jefferson_dem]

38. More on call here -

Top House Liberal: Obama Signaled On Call He Understands How Serious We Are About Public Option

I just got off the phone with Dem Rep. Raul Grijalva, one of more than two dozen House progressives who held a conference call with President Obama today to discuss the public option’s fate.

Says Grijalva: The call left him with no doubt that Obama understands House libs are dead serious about not backing any bill without a public plan in it.

“He understands how serious we are about this,” said Grijalva, one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, in describing the tone of the conversation. “For many of us this is not a political dance. He got that point.”

Grijalva says Obama asked how far liberals were willing to compromise on the public option, another sign, Grijalva noted, that he grasps that they mean what they say. He added that Obama asked a number of “frank” and “probing” questions, though he declined to say precisely what they were.

In another newsworthy tidbit, Grijalva says Obama signaled that discussions about the public option would continue even after his big speech before a joint session of Congress next week. That may be an indication that Obama won’t be mentioning the public option in his speech, but doesn’t want liberals to despair at that prospect.

Said Grijalva: “I didn’t come away from this discussion feeling that we were dead.”


http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/top-house-liberal-obama-understood-were-serious-about-not-backing-bill-without-public-option/