Transcript: Obama Talks With PBS' Jim Lehrer

[ProSense]

Transcript: Obama Talks With PBS' Jim Lehrer

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MR. LEHRER: And let's say, for instance, the public-option plan: It's in - it's in the House version; it's not in the Senate version.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right.

MR. LEHRER: All right. What is - what's going to be your position when you sit down and talk about this?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, look, I've been in favor of the public option. I think the more choice, the more competition we have, the better.

On the other hand, I think that the exchange itself, the system that we're setting up that forces insurance companies to essentially bid for three million or four million or five million people's business, that in and of itself is going to have a disciplining effect.

Would I like one of those options to be the public option? Yes. Do I think that it makes sense, as some have argued, that, without the public option, we dump all these other extraordinary reforms and we say to the 30 million people who don't have coverage, "You know, sorry. We didn't get exactly what we wanted"? I don't think that makes sense.

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[HuckleB]

1. Yup.

I knew sending him this piece was a good idea:
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/08/a_public_option_health_care_in.html

[ProSense]

2. Thanks for the link. n/t

[Cha]

4. Thanks for the link, HuckleB.

[Cha]

3. Thanks Pro..

Logical and pragmatic.