Would it be acceptable to you if Obama just states his support of the Public Option but

[saracat]

does not declare Health Care Reform without it "unnacceptable" in his speech tonight? I think the time has come to take a real stand. And if his definition of "Real Reform" doesn't include a non negotiable Public Option, both the HCR and his speech are meaningless.

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. I would like him to say explicitly that he will veto any bill that comes to his desk

if it does not contain a true, untriggered public option.

He's already said that before, but I don't believe it was on a live televised address, and definitely wasn't in front of Congress.

[Hutzpa]

7. +1000

about time to take it to them.

Enough!!!

[freddie mertz]

12. No. It is really terrible legislation without a good public option

Crushing mandates on middle-class families, forcing them to buy overpriced heath insurance for many thousands of dollars.

This will kill us as a party for decades if we do not get this right.

[Eric J in MN]

2. If Obama has a few sentences in support of the public option tonight,

...that will be enough for me.

I can understand that he doesn't want to limit himself by promising to veto any bill without a public option.

[saracat]

11. He should be limiting himself to a real Health care reform Bill. He shouldn't be given room to

weasel and and say he got something passed even if it is garbage and benefits the insurance companies , like the Baccus Bill.

[polichick]

3. Valerie Jarrett just said he won't make ultimatums...

"He wants to bring everybody together."

(on msnbc with Andrea Mitchell)

[saracat]

4. That is NOT a good sign. This "bringing us together " is destroying us.

[AndyA]

8. I didn't vote for "bringing us together" I voted for "change you can believe in"

Where's the change? :shrug:

[polichick]

9. Yeah - Gibbs talked about getting a bipartisan bill on Morning Joe today too. nt

[AndyA]

5. There is no reform without public option.

There is no incentive for the insurance companies to change. No competition.

The insurance companies could have done all of this years ago if they'd wanted to, if they're not forced into doing it, it's not going to happen.

There is no reform without a public option.

(Unless you consider fines for people who can't afford insurance to be reform.)

[HereSince1628]

6. He apparently wants to have some people believe that he says it BOTH ways

The other day people thought he said he support the PO when what he said was he still believed it would save consumers money.
Supporting an option, and believing in some property of an option aren't always nested sets.

Yet, the confusion, supported by Gibbs and others in his administration allow people to hear what they want.

As I see the chess game analogy, he (like most politicians) is trying to avoid being checkmated. That tactic doesn't necessarily include checkmating the other opponent. A draw isn't a loss. A weak bill is not being defeated without some ability to claim success.

I fucking hate chess played for reasons of personal political survival.

[democrat2thecore]

14. I agree with this - parsing words is cowardly and shows a lack of leadership. -nt

[Mass]

10. He wont draw a line in the sand. But we will be able to see if a public option is a important part

of his speech that he will emphasize or just an aside.

[dionysus]

13. i don't know. i'm almost starting to think this needs to be broken up and voted on piecemeal in

several bills, possibly using reconciliation for parts.

the public option is very important, but let's not forget there's other parts of reform that are essential as well, such as removing policy denials for existing conditions.

[yeswecanandwedid]

15. It would be acceptable to me, there are multiple ways to skin a cat. nt