THE VOICE OF KNOW SAYS “NO” TO DEAR READER
Posted on 09/07/2009 7:27:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
President Barack Obama is getting no shortage of advice on what to say in his health care speech to Congress, and much of it conflicts.
Liberals want him to issue a call to action in his Wednesday address, clear and bold. Conservatives hope he'll back away from his push for sweeping changes this year and break health care legislation into smaller pieces.
Everyone is hungry for specifics about Obama's stand on major elements of the package.
The biggest challenge he faces is taking ownership of legislation that until now has been shaped by political conflicts in Congress. Lawmakers return this week from a summer break that saw contentious forums on the issue in their districts and eroding public support for an overhaul.
Obama was previewing his new health care theme during a Labor Day speech Monday in Cincinnati at an AFL-CIO picnic.
The president, admired the world over for his oratory, has struggled to find the right message on health care. Polls show Americans are losing confidence in his vision of a revamped system with guaranteed coverage and lower costs.
On the Sunday public affairs shows, political luminaries lined up to offer advice on Obama's speech.
"I'm hoping for wisdom on Wednesday night," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., appearing on CNN's "State of the Union." Klobuchar said some of the emotion of the August forums is dissipating and constituents are now focusing on how their costs will keep rising if Congress fails to act.
Former Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean said Obama must face political reality and recognize he's not going to get much support from Republicans. Instead, Obama should use his prime-time address to rally his party, he said.
"What people value more than anything else in a president is strength, and that's what we've got to see," Dean said on "Fox News Sunday."
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said going for broke would lead Democrats into a dead-end.
"He should say, `I'm going to clear the deck. ... Here are the four or five things that we can get done, and we can do them in a bipartisan way,'" Alexander said, also on Fox.
On at least one high-profile controversy, there was little clarity from the Obama administration Sunday. The president's bottom line on a government health insurance option remained blurry as White House officials stressed support but stopped of short of calling it a must-have.
Obama "believes it should be in the plan, and he expects to be in the plan, and that's our position," political adviser David Axelrod told The Associated Press.
Asked if that means Obama will only sign a bill with a public plan, Axelrod replied: "I'm not going to deal in hypotheticals. ... He believes it's important."
The idea of a public plan has become a symbol for government's reach.
Supporters say it would give people secure benefits like those older Americans get through Medicare, while leaving medical decisions to doctors and patients. The plan would be offered alongside private coverage through a new kind of purchasing pool called an insurance exchange. At least initially, the exchange would be open to small employers and people buying their own coverage.
Insurers say they couldn't compete with government's price-setting power. Employers contend it would undermine job-based coverage.
While many House Democrats support a public plan, Senate votes appear to be lacking.
THE VOICE OF KNOW SAYS “NO” TO DEAR READER
This conservative hope his listens to his liberal base. Obama has tried that 5 times already, and has fallen on his face each time. I love that strategy.
Shut up Lamar.
Needed some editing for clarity.
Any chance the London odds makers have an over-under on how many smokes per day Zero is going through while hiding out at Camp David? (You know it bad when even Gordon Brown has had enough of this amateur hour).
Obama should clear the deck by instructing congress that everything they’ve come up with so far will go into the shredder. Fine if he states a few specific items - then the debate can be over those instead of the thousands of pages of legalese that’s encompassed by the various versions in the senate and house. Of course, whatever he proposes would be crap but it would be specific crap that can be attacked.
But he won’t do anything of the sort.
Howard, he doesn't need a single Rep vote to get this passed. The Reps can't stop him so why is their support needed at all?
“Klobuchar said some of the emotion of the August forums is dissipating and constituents are now focusing on how their costs will keep rising if Congress fails to act.”
Hear that folks? First we were “not real”, “astroturfers”, now we’re “dissipating”
“Obama should clear the deck by instructing congress that everything they’ve come up with so far will go into the shredder. Fine if he states a few specific items - then the debate can be over those instead of the thousands of pages of legalese that’s encompassed by the various versions in the senate and house. Of course, whatever he proposes would be crap but it would be specific crap that can be attacked.
But he won’t do anything of the sort.”
You are correct. The only way the Democrats can hope to get their agenda through is in a giant monstrosity like the health care bill. There they can bury as much garbage as they can.
The Democrat’s agenda, passed in the dead of night.
TOTUS only cares what Soros says.
Waterloo, Waterloo, makes 0bama go “boo hoo hoo.”
My prediction is that Hussein will again make with the “soaring” rhetoric, stating vaguely all the things most people want (better care, lower cost) but will make no commitments, trade-offs, or hard choices. Once again he will position himself above everyone else and above the issue and call upon the rest of the world to bring him something that will please him. It will be hard for the leftists to spin Bambi’s speech as a success. The real story will be that the Kenyan has no robe.
The idea of a public plan has become a symbol for government’s reaching into your pocket and giving you nothing in return.
I wonder if there is a way to get to the teleprompter program.
Would make for a hell of a bunch of fun to fix the speech while he is making it. The dumbass would simply read it as it is written and not know at all what he said.
>Howard, he doesn’t need a single Rep vote to get this passed. The Reps can’t stop him so why is their support needed at all?<
because without republican support it is not legitimate and even he knows that.
I hope they go it alone. Then they own it, when it turns to crap and we can repeal the entire thing.
If the GOP had one brain in all their heads they would stonewall this socialist crap. Any who do not are goners in 2010.
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