"What we know about the speech"

[Clio the Leo]

What we know about the speech
By MIKE ALLEN | 09/05/09 12:14 PM

1) There will be a President’s Plan, even if they don’t call it that. We’ll be able to list bullet points of what’s on the table, and what he thinks warrants further debate, such as cost and pay-fors.

2) He will not confront or scold the left. "This is a case for bold action, not a stick in the eye to our supporters," said an official involved in speech preparation. "That’s not how President Obama thinks. The politics of triangulation don’t live in this White House."

3) He will make an overture to Republicans: "He will lay out his vision for health reform – taking the best ideas from both parties, make the case for why as a nation we must act now, and dispel the myths and confusion that are affecting public opinion," the aide said.

4) His comments on a public option are evolving this weekend after heavy blowback from the left about his intention to omit an insistence on it from his plan. Liberal congressional leaders were unyielding on a conference call yesterday, and he's going to meet with them at the White House early next week. Obama's aides want to thread the needle of being supportive of a public option -- even suggesting he will fight for it -- without promising to kill health reform to get it. The left hates the formulation: "We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition. There are lots of different ways to get there." So look for the president to hit the gas harder, along the lines of: "He has consistently said that he thinks the public option is an important way to make sure that their both cost and competition control. He’s also said consistently that if someone can show him a better way or another way to get there, he’d be happy to look at it. But he’s never committed to going with another way. He’s always said he’d be happy to look at any proposal that gets to these goals, but that he thinks this is probably the best better way to do it."

5) Some notes have circulated among top advisers, but there’s no true draft yet, because key decisions are being hashed out. Even the length is not yet set. "He has not made any final decisions about the ultimate form of his package," said another top official guiding speech preparation. "Anyone that tells you that he has is misinformed or extrapolating from conversations. He’s going to talk to a lot of people between now and next Wednesday. The president is in the process of deciding what his ultimate proposal will look like."

6) Also undecided: whether to follow up with nitty-gritty legislative language. "He has not made decisions about how he’s going to move this thing forward," said a top West Wing aide.

7) The speechwriters are on the West Coast for Ben Rhodes’ wedding, so the mother ship has a three-hour jump on them. Robert Gibbs said at his gaggle yesterday that the president is working on the speech over the weekend.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0909/pudnits_prep_on_potus_plan_053d387d-bbf2-46d7-b394-50e7ca8d87cd.html

emphasis added

[phleshdef]

1. Sounds to me like he is done with letting the debate play out, now its time to lay the hammer down.

[WeDidIt]

2. I hope Allen is right

I'm not counting on it though.

[joeycola]

3. "show him a better way" Hey folks--it is an INVITE to call him about

single payer. Lets DO it. Pass the OP around. Ask him to at least LOOK at it please.



4) His comments on a public option are evolving this weekend after heavy blowback from the left about his intention to omit an insistence on it from his plan. Liberal congressional leaders were unyielding on a conference call yesterday, and he's going to meet with them at the White House early next week. Obama's aides want to thread the needle of being supportive of a public option -- even suggesting he will fight for it -- without promising to kill health reform to get it. The left hates the formulation: "We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition. There are lots of different ways to get there." So look for the president to hit the gas harder, along the lines of: "He has consistently said that he thinks the public option is an important way to make sure that their both cost and competition control. He’s also said consistently that if someone can show him a better way or another way to get there, he’d be happy to look at it. But he’s never committed to going with another way. He’s always said he’d be happy to look at any proposal that gets to these goals, but that he thinks this is probably the best better way to do it."

[jenmito]

4. K&R-especially for point #4. I think he's listening to the progressives. n/t

[Jennicut]

5. "The politics of triangulation don’t live in this White House"

I really, really hope so.
And for once, I hope Politico reporters are right.

[Aramchek]

7. I bet that pisses off the DLCers

:)

[jenmito]

8. Yup. And it makes me happy.

:)

[Bjorn Against]

6. Why should he scold the left? This is why I hate Politico.

[Clio the Leo]

9. You may have missed this.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8628164&mesg_id=8628164

[liquid diamond]

10. I'd assume it's because some aren't willing to compromise.

Have you seen the "public option or bust" thread?

[Bjorn Against]

11. We want single payer, the public option is a big compromise but we are willing to go along with it.

It is those who refuse to allow even the option of a public plan who are refusing to compromise.