Obama defended his Public Option compromise. Hear this....

[DaveofCali]

I find it interesting that even now, seemingly most people believe that Obama stood for but DIDN'T promise the Public Option. He certainly didn't campaign for it much, but he did promise it. It's funny how easily things go down the memory hole in this country...

See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acc6Wn_BWlk

[yourout]

1. A decent public option was the make or break point on the Health Care fiasco.

Without it the bill was not worth the headaches.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. how dare you quote his own words? That's so unfair.

[tekisui]

3. Oh yeah, I remember those days.

[DaveofCali]

4. Progressives DO have a right to be angry with Obama n/t

[emulatorloo]

6. Liebermann killed the public option. He killed lowering the age for Medicare too,

which Weiner proposed as an alternative to the PO when it was clear senate did not have votes to get the Public Option.

That's an oversimplification, there were others in the Senate that helped him, but if we are going to name one person who killed the public option, I would say Liebermann.

[Bluerthanblue]

10. thank you-

:hi:

[ProSense]

5. Obama campaigned on

health care reform, which included a public plan:

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO AMERICANS? IF SO, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT?

Every American has the right to affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage. My plan will ensure that all Americans have health care coverage through their employers, private health plans, the federal government, or the states. My plan builds on and improves our current insurance system, which most Americans continue to rely upon, and creates a new public health plan for those currently without coverage. Under my plan, Americans will be able to choose to maintain their current coverage if they choose to. For those without health insurance I will establish a new public insurance program, and provide subsides to afford care for those who need them. My plan includes a mandate that all children have health care coverage and I will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs to help ensure we cover all kids. My plan requires all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan. Under my plan a typical family will save $2,500 each year. We will realize tremendous savings within the health care system from improving efficiency and quality and reducing wasted expenditures system-wide. Specifically, these savings will result from investments in health information technology, improvements in prevention and management of chronic conditions, increased insurance industry competition and reduced industry overhead, the provision of federal reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, and reduced spending on uncompensated care.

link

Candidates and President's promise and fight for things all the time. Sometimes they get everything they want and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they get nothing. Truman and Clinton tried to pass health care reform, both failed.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Obama did reform in name only

And it was the opposite of what he ran on. He ran long and loud on 'no mandates'. He vigorously opposed Clinton's support of mandates, he rejected them in detail, with specifics. He stated his opposition very strongly in print, in television, in direct mailers. He framed mandates as Clinton taking money out of your bank hands. Then when the moment came, he snapped to for mandates, having argued the opposite up, down and sideways for months on end.
So no public option, but with the mandates. It is only 'reform' because they call it such. It is a few tweaks, and a mandate. The 'huge victory where others fail' routine does not hold water at all. It was an enormous, loud bit of nothing much, and what was there mostly stunk, and people are not going to buy soap just for the selling, this is about money and health. Soap will not sell.
He did not get any of what he ran on. None of it.

[Bluerthanblue]

11. it's a foot in the door- better than nothing at all

and THAT was what would have happened.

"If we pass this bill, there will be no turning back," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)


There is massive room for 'tweaking'- but it's a start. To blame Pres.Obama for the lack of a public option is pretty myopic.
Where was the support from the Democratic reps? 34 of them voted against it.

The reform doesn't help me. But it WILL help 32 million others. that isn't soap. That's help.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

8. So what happened?

http://www.bloomsburypress.com/books/catalog/deadly_spin_hc_816

[Goldstein1984]

9. "Any plan I sign..."

"This is the health care debate all over again."

Yes it is, Mr. President. Or my I call you, Capitulator-in-Chief?