Is there an issue where Obama pressured right wing Democrats to move to the left?

[yurbud]

I'm trying to think of one.

For the most part, he seems to start with proposals from the furthest right wing of the party, then moves further right to try to capture Republican votes (that rarely materialize), and browbeats the progressive majority in the party to accept a cup that is nine-tenths empty with the excuse that it's better than nothing.

It would seem like those blue dogs and DLCers are far more vulnerable politically than most progressive pols to both Republicans taking their seats and progressives primarying them from the other side, so the president would have a pretty good stick to beat them with if he chose to.

The one issue where I can recall the result being more progressive was changes to the student loan program that took it away from private banks, reduced payments substantially based on income, and forgave loans of public sector workers after 10 years, and private sector workers after 20. And he even gave the correct rational himself: the money private banks were getting in subsidies to run the loan program could go directly to students if the government ran the program directly.

That rationale was sorely needed in the health care debate too.

Maybe I missed it, but was there some issue where he sided with the progressive majority in the Democratic Party and Congress, and brought the corporate compliant minority into the fold, or at least made a serious effort to?

Help me close my enthusiasm gap.

[Nite Owl]

1. Good question

anyone? Don't just unrec give a few times that this was done.

K&R

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. I felt that Reid pressured some conservadems on HCR

Probably some WH involvement also

But that was only after capitulating to the right on most important points

[Radical Activist]

3. Nearly all of them. Including his health care proposal that included the public option.

The one he spent months fighting for.

You're changing your memory of the facts in order to fit your inner narrative about Obama. You're supposed to use facts to create a narrative, not the other way around.

[Eric J in MN]

Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress

...said a public option is preferable, but no public option is fine, too.

[Radical Activist]

8. He had already spent months campaigning for it

and still did after that speech. He didn't say it was "fine." He said it wasn't the only part of health care reform that mattered. The fact is that the health care plan he introduced was to the left of what the Senate was willing to pass and that was already obvious by the time of that speech.

[Eric J in MN]

15. Obama's words

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-to-a-Joint-Session-of-Congress-on-Health-Care/

Now, it is -- it's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left or the right or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn't be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it. (Applause.)

The public option -- the public option is only a means to that end -- and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. (Applause.)

For example -- for example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring.

[Radical Activist]

16. Yes, just as I characterized them.

He reminded liberals that it's about more than the public option. A means to an end, not the end itself. I think some pundits were more interested in using the public option as a rallying cry for their own reasons.

You'll also notice that the speech was in September, after he had already spent months campaigning for health care reform, as I wrote.

[yurbud]

20. evidence of him insisting on the public option and pressuring corporate Dems to vote for it?

[Radical Activist]

25. Is health care reform about nothing but the public option?

If you want the evidence there are plenty of articles and news stories about him pushing for his original bill with the public option. But frankly, I'm not interested in spending the time googling something that you'll dismiss out of hand because it's not what you want to hear.

[PVnRT]

29. It's amazing how fast your story changes

First - "He was pushing for the public option!"
Then - "It's not just about the public option!"

I can only imagine the next step is "There was never a public option!"

[Greyhound]

28. I'm guessing it will be pretty hard to find as it doesn't exist except as a few

sound bites released for public consumption that were never followed through on.

[Eric J in MN]

4. Harry Reid supported annual caps on health insurance coverage.

The Obama administration insisted on a ban on annual caps. Obama won one for us.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/12/senate_bill_allows_insurers_to.html

[Radical Activist]

5. His effort to get cap-and-trade through the House.

It was not easy.

[yurbud]

21. Not easy to set up another market for Wall St. to scam?

I'm not even sure why Republicans oppose it apart from requiring an indirect admission that pollution is bad.

[Radical Activist]

23. Taking on the fossil fuel industry is not easy.

If it was "just another market for Wall St" then the Chamber wouldn't have made defeating it their top priority.

[jsamuel]

6. I might also add "successfully"

as that is very important

I think there are some examples on a small scale.

One on a big scale is not renewing the tax cuts for the rich.

[democrank]

7. Good question, but....

if Paul Wellstone was here today, someone from the Republican Wing of the Democratic Party would surely tell him to stop whining and end the remark with a photo of a pink pony.

As for the student loan program you mentioned, can you imagine any worthwhile government that would think it`s okay that very young adults graduate from college with a loan debt of $80,000 or $100,000 or more? It`s absolute insanity.

[vaberella]

9. It's not like everything that's going on is in the public eye.

Which makes this question moot.

[Radical Activist]

10. Making the stimulus bill green.

The largest focus of stimulus spending was on clean energy and efficiency projects. That came from Obama, not Congress.

[Radical Activist]

11. Forcing much better fuel economy standards on the auto industry.

Done before the BP still, BTW. Congress wasn't going to stand up to Detroit anytime soon. Obama got it done as a condition of the bailout.

[yurbud]

22. that's a good one! Got a link?

[dennis4868]

12. Can't answer that question....

I am not in the room or listening on the phone when Obama and his team are speaking with members of congress....alot goes on behind the scenes that we will never hear about....just because no one can think of one example of Obama pressuring a Dem to the left does not mean it has not happened many times....

[Radical Activist]

13. Veto threat against the Murkowski resolution.

He killed that effort, which had already been co-sponsored by 6 Democratic Senators. The resolution would have stopped EPA from regulation CO2. Obama killed it with his veto threat and gave cover to wavering Democrats who might have otherwise voted for it.

[Phx_Dem]

14. Asking them to vote for any Dem priorities is asking them to move to the left.

Health care reform
Financial reform

These are just two issues thay Republicans are completely against. I'm sure there are others, but I don't have time right now to think about them.

[yurbud]

24. actually, Bush passed Medicare part D, which made similar deals with drug companies

the substance of financial reform was weakened, and reports said the White House was weakening it through back channels.

The best thing about financial reform is Elizabeth Warren, but Obama is sidestepping conserva-Dems rather than pressing them to confirm her.

[guruoo]

17. Hard to prove every case, since political arm twisting is often carried out in private

edited for clarity

[angee_is_mad]

18. WTF?

Here we go again!

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[elana i am]

26. most of it goes on behind closed doors

but the repugs voting no en masse gives the blue dogs + lieberschmuck all the power. all it takes is a few of them to foil the rest of the dems. it's more a matter of trying to talk the blue dogs down from their repug lite positions than anything else.

i keep seeing people here whining about obama not being progressive enough. well that's why. forget the repugs. obama's biggest problem is the blue dogs.

[Greyhound]

27. Sure, you remember when they threatened to take away Chairmanships from Lieberman

and Baucus to get them on board with the single payer bill.

[harun]

30. Do you think the student loan program was from pressure from Obama?

I certainly look at it as a win but we don't really get to see any pressure Obama is putting on. It isn't like his people go and cry on the Sunday talk shows like Bush's people all did. Also the Corporate media cried all day about what B*sh wanted as well. He should have took Baucus and Lieberman out back and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. That was inexcusable and the reason everyone is pissed.

[Honeycombe8]

31. They do this behind the scenes, so we won't know for years. Until books are written.

Personally, I think the WH operates more by trying to cut deals, rather than pressuring. The GOP is excellent at pressuring. Hell, they flat out blackmail and coerce their party members to vote a certain way.

All we know so far is the (oops)...when the WH got caught, allegedly, trying to cut a deal with the guy running in the primary against Specter. But the guy didn't take the deal, and then he talked about it. Deal, or bribe. Whatever you want to call it.

[dkf]

32. HCR.

[ibegurpard]

33. you're funny