The One Thing Obama Must NOT Say Tonight

[berni_mccoy]

That the Public Option isn't essential to Health Care Reform.

If he says that, HCR will not come.

If he does not, and says the opposite, that the Public Option is essential to HCR, then we have a chance to succeed.

However, if he says the PO is essential, it will appear as if he is flip-flopping and the media will be all over him for it.

[liberal N proud]

1. If you read everything that has been posted on DU

you would think he has been flip flopping all over the place with the public option.

I swear for the last month, we have Obama wants the public option, next thread is Obama dropping public option, then one says public option is a must say congressional leaders followed by a thread saying its dead.

The media has been doing a much more thorough job of making it look like the public option is or isn't a requirement by the President.

It would be funny if it were not so sad that the state of our governing system has been reduced to the propaganda wars that have been waged in the recent months.

[bobbolink]

2. And that's because mixed messages are coming out of his administration.

We all know the media is crap, but when an administration keeps "leaking" conflicting messages, of course the media is going to jump all over it.

Obama thought he was doing the right thing by surrounding himself with conflicting viewpoints. Unfortunately, he lost control of what comes out of their mouths.

You knowm, Obama is a big boy, and at some point he needs to take responsibility for his actions, and lack of actions. Isn't that what he told the kids? Didn't he also tell them to follow through on commitment to their aspirations?

[Buzz Clik]

5. Not at all. He's been very consistent.

People have been hanging on every word, every raised eyebrow to divine some insight.

Be patient. It's about to play out.

[bobbolink]

8. Then you're either listening to a different administration, or have a very short memory.

For starters, you REALLY don't remember one admin person saying the "public option is a very small part of this, and can be (in so many words) given up and it won't matter", and another person saying "the president is just as committed to a public option as ever" (again in so many words).

You really don't remember those mixed messages?

I can guarantee you that many voters DO.

"Be patient." I don't appreciate the paternalism. We've been patient for over 40 years now. Look how many thousands of people have died because of our "patience". Is it ever enough?

[Buzz Clik]

3. It's all part of age-old debating strategy.

You let your opponent get all excited and start fuming. You feed the flames with some carefully measured -- but meaningless -- dialog to encourage him to continue burning energy in a vacuum. You hold your points, not revealing much. Then, when it's time to make the points, you play all your trump cards. Your opponent has exhausted all his energy and counterpoints when it was least critical, and you take the day.

He's got this.

[berni_mccoy]

4. The AP and Faux have been driving the false information. Obama and no one in his admin

has stated that he is dropping support for the PO. Too many here trust AP, Politico though, so they get fooled. I have to admit, I almost was fooled by Politico one of those times.

[liberal N proud]

6. That is why I disregard all other information as false

Until I hear it straight from Obama or a White House official, I don't believe its dead.

[TheKentuckian]

7. There has been no flip/flopping. They've said exactly the same thing

for months and months. The media and people have been chasing their tails and chasing every shadow.