I think they've jumped the shark with this one. I hope their credibility takes a hugh! hit.
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7750Politico Says WH Will Throw Obama’s Credibility and Party Under the Bus
By: Scarecrow Tuesday September 1, 2009 11:29 pm
snip//
Remember, this is Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, so before the shooting starts, let's just ask whether such a strategy makes sense.
The polls have been showing not simply an erosion in the President's approval numbers but a decline in support from the liberal base of his own party. Politico says "some" in the White House are looking for an opportunity to make that worse.
There's also been a further decline in the public's understanding of and support for what they believe to be the basic elements of health care reform, and a rapid increase in those who believe outrageous lies about the reform proposals. A major exception has been the public's apparent grasp and strong support for the idea that if consumers are required to purchase health insurance, they want to have the right to choose between a public health insurance option and private insurance plans. It's not just a concept the public can easily grasp and support; the CBO thinks it probably reduce costs and save tax dollars when that seems to be a big concern.
So we have a White House grasping for a clear, understandable message that it can sell, reportedly thinking about throwing out the one clear idea people get and approve by overwhelming numbers. And further, "some" in the White House who have been fighting hard against the Republican lies and media misrepresentations.
Next we have the fact the President has, for more than a year, explained to the American people, and assured his own supporters, that a viable public option was his preferred way to confront the private insurers with a competitive alternative that would serve to keep them honest, thus reenforcing the goal of proposed regulations to ban coverage denials based on prior conditions, curtail rescissions, and limit excessive rate discrimination.
But the Politico boys claim that "some administration officials" think that it would be good for the President to discard this element, betray his followers, and undermine his credibility at precisely the moment when his credibility needs shoring up.
Thus Politico wants us to believe that there are "some Administration officials," all of them anonymous, who are actively seeking to destroy the President's credibility, turn off Democrats, weaken health reform, remove the one feature with extremely high public approval and do all this because . . . because John McCain taunted Obama last year that he can't stand up to his own Party? How about standing up to McCain, and Grassley, and Steele, and the rest of the crazies?
Apparently Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei think the President of the United States is stupid.And does the President know that "some" anonymous officials in his own White House are actively trying to undermine his agenda, his Party, and support for his Presidency? Because if that's really happening, "some" people should be fired.