Obama to address Congress on reform

Politico ^ | 09/02/09 | Mike Allen

[MissesBush]

President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress on health care reform in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a senior official tells POLITICO.

Obama plans to give lawmakers a more specific prescription for health care legislation than he has in the past, aides said.

Congress technically returns to Washington on Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day. But many members had planned Sept. 9 as their first workday, so Obama is seizing the first moment when he will have maximum impact.

The address to Congress, the second since Obama took offiice, is a way for White House aides to achieve maximum news coverage as they kick off their plans to recovery from a disappointing August congressional break, which saw the president's poll number fall as voices of opposition to health care legislation rose.

The exact time of the speech has not been set, but prime time ensures a huge viewing audience beyond the Beltway.

Presidential aides have promised Obama will take back the reins after allowing Congress to work its will on his idea, without one specific plan for Democratic lawmakers to defend back home. We’re entering a new season,” senior adviser David Axelrod said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s time to synthesize and harmonize these strands and get this done. We’re confident that we can do that. But obviously it is a different phase. We’re going to approach it in a different way. The president is going to be very active.”

Aides said Obama does not plan to make a public option, or government plan, a make-or-break issue when he spells out his specifics. “We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition,” an aide said. “There are lots of different ways to get there.”

The content of Obama's presentation is still being debated in the West Wing. Aides have discussed whether to stick to broad principles, or to send specific legislative language to Capitol Hill. Some hybrid is likely, the officials said.

The White House said given the Senate Finance Committee until Sept. 15 to try to reach a bipartisan deal, but Obama now is short-circuiting that process. Axelrod said Tuesday: "We’re not in the second inning. We’re not in the fourth inning. We’re in the eighth or ninth inning here, and so there’s not a lot of time to waste.”

"His goal is to create the best possible situation for consumers, create competition and choice," Axelrod said. "We want to bring a measure of security to people who have health insurance today. We want to help those who don't have coverage today, because they can't afford it, get insurance they can afford. And we want to do it in a way that reduces the overall cost of the system as a whole."

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC

[MissesBush]

Obama has now crossed over into "pathetic schlub" territory going to Congress to beg them to pass fascist healthcare. "Please Congress. Won't you save my presidency?" Gawd what a sorry sack of manure.

[Jeff Head]

So, he's going to "re-frame" the debate, eh? That just means he's going to rephrase what he's already said to try and get people to buy into it...or blow smoke and try and out and out decieve.

But that train has already left the station.

He's already revealed himself to be a liar...and the people have not forgotten it.

"I have not said that I was a single payer supporter.” Pres. Barack Hussein Obama, Aug 11, 2009

Compare that to what he said while campaigning for the Senate to his union supporters, and was cheered while so doing:

“I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program. I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its gross national product on health care, cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that’s what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. That’s what I’d like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we’ve got to take back the White House, we’ve got to take back the Senate, and we’ve got to take back the House.” - Barack Hussein Obama, June 30, 2003 to AFL-CIO

The slumbering giant is really stirring now, and he's waking up hopping mad.

EZEKIEL EMANUEL AND OBAMA HEALTH CARE
(Must Read - Shocking, cited quotes by Emanuel)

OBAMA HEALTH CARE BY THE NUMBERS

AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY

A PETITION ON FACEBOOK FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION

ANTI-OBMA POSTERS - FREE HIGH RES DOWNLOADS

[ArmyBratproud]

Guess he finally bothered to read the bill and see what his health plan has in it.

20 bucks says he gives “details” that are in no way accurate in describing the actual legislative language and are nothing more than talking points to take people’s attention away from what is in the bill.

[Texas resident]

The dimrat party is loyal to their party only. They are not loyal to this country or it’s citizens. They keep on proving my point.

[MissesBush]

Congress better recognize this—Dumbo can turn on the charm and the glib speaking manner all he wants but it doesn’t change this one reality—Obama is not the one who will re-elect them in 2010. He is one vote in one Congressional district in Illinois. Then there is the majority of Americans who now disapprove of this clown and his deathcare scheme. So let the Congresscritters decide which side they’re going to be on and which of those two they’ll chose to please—because they can’t please both. I suggest they think long and hard about that choice.

[Buckeye McFrog]

this is the only play in their playbook....throw Bam in front of a microphone and he will make it all better...they are really gonna freak when it does not work

[RoadTest]

Reform; this man would take the Parthenon and make a Soviet high-rise apartment building out of it; if he could he would take a Miss America and make a Frankenstein out of her. Reform. That’s his catchword. Reform. Remember it because it’s a cover for skulduggery.

[SpaceBar]

The only reasonable reform would be for Obama to tender his resignation.

[tcrlaf]

“So, he’s going to “re-frame” the debate, eh?”

INCORRECT-
He’s going to reframe the reframing of the reframing of the reframed healthcare debate.

This thing is like a zombie that just won’t die. First it was “Free HEALTHCARE!”, then it was “Universal Care”, then it became “the Public Option”, then it became “Insurance Reform!”.

Even the insaniacs of the left have noticed he’s completely tanking on this, and they are NOT happy!!

[Jeff Head]

Exactly...Pelosi, Reid, Obama...none of them actually hold the reins, despite their thoughts otherwise.

I see 2010 as a major watershed, potetnially the largest overturn of seats in congressional history. And it couldn;t happen to a more deserving bunch.

Forward...Damn the Torpedoes and full speed ahead. We have them on the run, and now its time to absolutelt route them.

Here's a clue, Barry. We don't want a "changed" or "spun", or compromised bill comeing from you pack of liars. We want NO BILL from you and your ilk.

A PETITION ON FACEBOOK FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION

A MARINE VET SPEAKS OUT TO HIS REPRESENTATIVE AT A TOWNHALL

A SMALL COUNTY HOLDS A BIG LIBERTY GATHERING

[MissesBush]

And the last healthcare speech Dumbo gave bombed badly.

[NEMDF]

No matter what he says, I think it will behoove us all (is that a word?) to contact our senators and representatives the next day and continue to tell them how we feel about the health insurance reform issue and all his other crap.... be sure they understand that those who support 0bama will NOT be re-elected.

[varina davis]

A day late and few trillion dollars short.

[Don Corleone]

Why doesn’t he just replay his ‘schoolchildren’ speech? It looks like he’d be talking to the same intellectual level.

[bt_dooftlook]

As noted on another column, the last time a sitting president addressed a joint session of Congress, outside of the annual SOTU address, was September 20, 2001.

He is still flogging this as time-critical ("the time to act is now").

Americans have curiously discovered that the more they read bills written for Dems by outsiders and voted on without having been read, the more they learn about the essential character of Dems and the less they like.

This will be a "Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?" moment.

I will bet $20 that Obama's rating will be lower 9/16 than on 9/9. To avoid this, Obama would have to say on 9/9, I'm sorry, this is not about me, this is about you. I have heard your protests clearly and understand that the cure for what is broken in our health care system is less government, not more.

But my $20 says that will not happen...