Speaking to reporters in the Speaker's lobby off the House floor, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said the President reminded them that "If this opportunity passes, much of our agenda, on the progressive side...it would be difficult, if not impossible for a generation to get back to this issue."Sure you are, Barack. Sure you are. I know that 31 million people getting health coverage is better than zero, but for the other 140 million of us or so on non-Medicare/Medicaid, "what's in it for us?" is a legitimate question. All the advantages we're supposed to get would be made even better by the public option, but apparently that's going to be a battle Obama wants to fight later.
I asked if the message was convincing to those in attendance.
"It's pretty compelling," Grijalva said.
That's a significant change from his tone earlier in the week, when Grijalva said he was inclined to vote against the bill from the left.
Obama reminded the assembled Democrats that doing nothing would be politically disastrous. "To maintain a strong presidency we need to pass this bill," the President said, according to Grijalva.
Progressives aren't without demands of their own. They are looking for all assurances that the Senate bill won't pass without a companion reconciliation bill amending it. Obama assured the members he sees the two bills as companions.
"We don't want to get trapped voting for the Senate bill as is without a full understanding that what he signs, and comes to his desk, are the two pieces of legislation, and the other part being the critical part being the reconciliation," Grijalva said.
Obama also apparently pledged to revisit the public option in the future.
Still, Nate Silver notes the Intrade line on HCR is just barely over 50-50 in favor of passing right now. There's still a long fight ahead.
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11 comments:
The public option is NOT the way to go. There are plenty of alternatives to lower the costs and keep it in the private sector where it belongs.
Like what, selling insurance across state lines? Works for the credit card guys, they make tons of money selling credit cards out of South Dakota.
Doesn't work so much for lowering costs for consumers.
Actually even Obama agreed that would lower it, so I'm pretty sure if the far left and far right agree something would work, that it will work. If they had an grounds to disagree with each other then they would have brought them up.
Again you fail to read anything but liberal garbage and refuse to think for yourself. Reading other liberal blogs and then posting agreeing with them doesn't show you actually think for yourself, it shows you can parrot the ideas of another far left nut case.
Also that isn't the only idea in which could be used to lower health care costs, there are several, none of which involve using the Government. It's funny because I've brought this up time and time again and yet you never come up with anything to say back.
What has the Government done right? Medicaid? Medicare? Social Security?
All failures, sure let's hand them 1/6 of our economy to control.
Why do you have this blind trust for the Government in the face of case after case of Government misues of taxpayer dollars? You're like a puppy dog, they kick you and then tell you you're a "Good boy" and you start wagging your tail again.
Why do you have a blind fear of the government?
Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are three incredibly successful programs.
What has the government ever done right? Really?
I mean... really?
Roads, highways, libraries, air traffic control, rural electrification, the US frikkin military.
Ah... never mind.
Not worth it.
Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security Incredibly successful? You think having over 40 trillion pissed away and something that has the strong probability to bankrupt our country is incredibly successful? Social Security will be out of funds because our politicians who said they would put those funds away in a lock box broke into the piggy bank shortly thereafter and failed the American people once again. It must be nice to live in a world where facts don't matter.
Roads and highways are handled by local government, which I believe in states rights. Air traffic? Yes they've done a bang up job there
Also Military? No, not at all, any country who will send people to see atrocities then deny them care is not doing it right. How many men and women have been denied care because PTSD didn't really start affecting them until months after they left?
Again you don't both looking up anything before spouting off your image of Government, which is vastly different than reality. You lose.
Wait, so state and local governments built the US interstate system?
And they DON'T use federal funds to build state and local roads?
Medicare and Medicaid haven't provided healthcare to hundreds of millions of people?
Millions of people haven't retired on Social Security?
It seems your issue is that that these programs don't work exactly the way you think they should. Hell, they don't work the way I think they should either. That doesn't make them failures.
You seem to have the same problem with the military. There are issues with veteran's care, so the military is a failure? Is that your argument?
Tell me, what DO you like about this country? I'm curious.
Well at least after we bankrupt our country those programs are long gone we can say "we did the right thing" and pat ourselves on the back
In essence we did the wrong thing, bankrupting our country is not the right way to go. I realize liberals are like a teenage girl with daddy's credit card but eventually funds run out. Sure we can just print more but that doesn't solve the problem. Medicaid and medicare are failures, 41 trillion, no country can afford that, its a failure. Military is the closest thing they have done to being right and that's because there's still honor involved in that. They do however look for ways to cut benefits to them which isn't right.
But lets hold onto the fact that "we did the right thing!" that will keep us warm at night and take care of us when there's no money left to.
The people of this country is what made it great, not the Federal Government. Government needs to back out of peoples lives, put in place regulations to keep shady businesses in check and leave it be. Health Care is a whole different monster tha needs to be tackled but public option is NOT the way to go.
Face it, you've lost, quit while you're ahead. You cannot convince anyone that 41 trillion dollars in the hole is not a failure. The more you try the more you show your blind faith for Government and how ridiculously clueless and lost you are.
Guess I struck a nerve when I proved you wrong and called you a condescending prick. :-)
41 trillion dollars? Where the hell does that come from? You're making shit up and then declaring victory? You're not even a decent troll.
US public debt article on Wikipedia, also that office that you libs like to brag about when something goes your way, but ignore when it doesn't....the CBO.
Now the blog writer has lost too, all in the same thread. This has been a productive day.
So being that it is now been proven and you can see it is not made up
Now I declare victory.
Quite frankly to be honest you never stood a chance, Politicians make it easy, and liberals are even easier.
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