TPMDC
Pelosi Mum On Obama's Support For The Public Option
Brian Beutler | October 29, 2009, 4:10PM
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) with Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was mum today about her level of confidence in the White House's commitment to the public option going forward.
On a conference call with reporters and bloggers this afternoon, I asked Pelosi whether, given recent reports about the President Obama's reluctance to push for a public option in the Senate, she was confident he'd be supportive of the measure going forward.
Pelosi said she's been too busy to gauge the White House's commitment to the public option, but suggested that Obama may need to be a bit more persuaded of its political viability if he's going to throw his weight behind it.
"I guess I'm just so busy with what I'm doing that I'm not worrying about what somebody else is doing, and I have confidence in the President of the United States. He wants the strongest best possible bill that will work for the American people. And we have to convince him that what will pass in the Congress is something similar to what we have in the House," Pelosi said
Pelosi acknowledged that a more robust public option--one with payment rates tied to Medicare--was always a long shot in Congress.
"We knew the Senate was not going to that place if even Senator Kennedy was not going in that place," Pelosi said, referring to the fact that an early version of Senate legislation contained a public option with negotiated rates similar to the one she unveiled today.
But that's about as low as she's willing to go. "I don't see any way to go less than that, as good as it is."
At the White House today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs repeated a common administration theme--that the point of health care reform is to increase choice and competition.
The White House, Gibbs said, will "continue to look at the provisions and ensure that the provisions particularly around the public option are something that ensures something we have talked about a lot - choice and competition."
"[Y]ou can call it choice and competition, the point is not what you call it the point is the effect that it has," Gibbs added.
On that score, Pelosi has opinions of her own. She's largely changed the way she talks about the public option, redubbing it "the consumer option"--a term she used for the first time earlier this week, and repeated more than once on the call.
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ericf
October 29, 2009 4:15 PM
I don't recall hearing "consumer option" before, but at least they've finally figured out "public option" was a crappy name. If only Democrats could apply this lesson when debates begin, like Republicans do instinctively. By the way, with greenhouse gas and financial reform bills just going into committee, nows the time to apply the lesson.
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CT Voter
October 29, 2009 4:20 PM in reply to ericf
Yep. Consumer option. And while they're introducing THAT into the mind of the American public, they should also hammer on Republicans' unwillingness to help the unemployed. A twofer.
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Kevin Sutton
October 29, 2009 5:52 PM in reply to CT Voter
Lack of public support isn't the problem.
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Joe Patriot
October 30, 2009 1:20 AM in reply to ericf
Is that communist red in your logo? Do you really want the government controlling your life. Because that's what you will get from public run health care.
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ericf
October 30, 2009 6:27 PM in reply to Joe Patriot
I guess that's why Britain failed as a democracy. Oh wait, it didn't. It was Australia that failed. Oops, bad example again. Help me out, and just tell me which country fell into dictatorship because they started a national health care system.
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Obama1st
October 29, 2009 4:43 PM
pelosi's response kinda tells us that the PO will be weak if at all...sad day in mudville for what is needed for tru health care reform. I sense what we will end up a "token" health care reform and the private insurance will draw a ton of money for the new consumers and the mandates! How did this all go so wrong!
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Chris
October 29, 2009 4:49 PM
So far I think Obama staying as much out of the mix as he has is working. I don't always agree with the vagueness but it does appear to be working. When you're up against this stuff, why not lay low and let the crazy blow by?
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bjobotts2
October 29, 2009 8:07 PM in reply to Chris
A "trigger" option is no public option at all and just ends up making priv ins mandatory AND it is the plan the Obama WH (with semi-president Rahm Emanuel) insisted upon. The Huffington Post's reporters investigated what went on in closed meetings with Obama and Reid's team and the WH was very angry that Reid went with an "Opt out" bill to bring to the floor and even told Reid "Don't come complaining to us when you don't have enough votes".
Reid continued with the opt out solution in the public option because he knew he had the votes... against the WH's wishes however. Then suddenly(why at this particular time when it looked like the opt out was all but certain)...suddenly Joe Lieberman will not allow the vote to come to the floor if it has a public option (like the trigger, no option at all). That he will suppport a republican filibuster saying we don't need reform at this time with a public option. Whamo....perfect timing to stop the opt out public option. Joe could have said this at any time but waited till Reid had this bill coming to the floor...then boom.
Obama is over ruled and forced by 2 court decisions to release the torture photos and resorts to stalling for time...Boom...Lieberman attaches an amendment that prevents the release of these photos ever by the FOIA.
Lieberman calls Obama a secret Muslim and campaigns to get McCain elected and when that fails...boom...Obama welcomes him back into democratic arms to continue with his chairmanship.
Lieberman was Obama's mentor when Obama came to the senate.
How do you overcome your opposition...by becoming them while pretending in public to be against them.
Is Lieberman doing exactly what Obama wants him to do...kill the public option??? Remember Obama promising transparency with negotiations with Big Pharma yet making secret deals with them where they benefit greatly giving up nothing.
Obama's HC reform is meaningless without the public option because even though private ins gives up pre-existing conditions etc...they gain all those new clients since ins is mandatory and those who can't pay are subsidized by government. Another big give away to private ins. just like with Big Pharma
Tell me it ain't so Obama...why aren't you out there insisting, demanding, pressuring for a public option. I want to believe...but I want to see a change I can believe in. No public option is a badly bargained reform where the profiteers get more than they give. How about putting Cigna's CEO in preventive detention with a trigger that when all changes he will be released.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 29, 2009 8:47 PM in reply to bjobotts2
Huffpo. Right. Thanks for that.
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Dorn76
October 29, 2009 11:39 PM in reply to bjobotts2
Active imagination, this one has.
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AdAbsurdum
October 30, 2009 9:40 AM in reply to Dorn76
Wacky, but not uncommon nowadays. Whether such irresponsible nonsense is spewed by the left or the right, unrealized ideological imperatives have increasingly brought out the columnious, political obstacles and reality be damned.
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AdAbsurdum
October 30, 2009 10:16 AM in reply to AdAbsurdum
..calumnious..
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OldenGoldenDecoy
October 30, 2009 7:19 AM in reply to bjobotts2
Get a grip kid . . .
You're wandering all over the map. Try a GPS.
~OGD~
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sherifffruitfly
October 29, 2009 5:31 PM
Obama also didn't tell me he's for puppies.
ZOMG! Why does Obama hate puppies!!!!
I'm so betrayed. /sobs
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juanthecat
October 29, 2009 8:07 PM in reply to sherifffruitfly
Looks like they run out of adult trolls at the WH. Now they are sending teenagers. They are fun though.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 29, 2009 8:45 PM in reply to sherifffruitfly
Lieberman is just Obama's stalking horse in the puppy hatred. Obama's clearly hated them all along. The timing of Lieberman's recently revealed puppy hate is just to suspicious to be anything but a plot by Obama.
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juanthecat
October 29, 2009 8:46 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
ObaRahma must hate the firepups in particular.
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Jezreel
October 29, 2009 6:05 PM
Pelosi's comment regarding the vagueness of President's support for the Public Option does not allay anxieties about his commitment to it. Apparently, the W. H. has not involved itself with the deliberations in the House at all.
Frankly, at this juncture the W. H. seems to be validating earlier reports by reputable news sources that the Obama Administration cut deals with the Pharmaceutical and Insurance industries.
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Tanjaoui
October 29, 2009 6:25 PM
I don't think Pelosi's doing the public any service by using the 'consumer option' euphemism. That kind of language frames the debate in corporatist, Reaganomic terms; we don't need the Democrats to reinforce that do we? It brings out what is most acquisitive in human nature, and downplays our potential for public spirited behavior. Similar to education, health care is not primarily a business, nor is health a mere commodity. 'Public option' doesn't sound any worse than 'public school' or 'public playground'. It says what it is, and implies a relation between government and governed.
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bjobotts2
October 29, 2009 8:19 PM in reply to Tanjaoui
Agreed. Well put. Public enemy or Consumer enemy. Public embarrassment or consumer embarrassment.
"Public Option" is not confusing and is direct...the public is given an option to have Gov ins plan over a private plan. Too bad it's not a public option for all who want it...or for the general "public".
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Indie Pro
October 30, 2009 12:55 AM
Isn't this the blue dog's public option? Probably a little better than what Reid's will look like. So, the final is gonna be even weaker and more industry minded than this?
I hope the people who voted for "change" actually seek it in this reform, instead of acceoting 'what's best for the healthcare industry is best for America'!
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synchronicity
October 30, 2009 3:30 AM
Keep fighting back right now. There is no reason to sit back and say this is the best we can get.
'We' are paying for this reform. 'We' are looking at the value we will get for accepting a mandate and if this comes out as weak as it looks to right now, I think they should shove their mandate.
We should fight for more.
It's like we are accpepting a mandate that we each much have insurance whether through an employer or on our own... and we are accepting that employers can only buy from private health insurance companies... no cost changes there, or they face fines. Lots of new customers and money to insurance corporations and more burden on businesses.
And the cost of insurance affects what employees will be paid... so they pay for it one way or another.
Then those of us who 'are give the option' of purchasing the public option are letting congress set the value of what we get to purchase and how much it will costs by refusing to give us a robust public option.
They are setting the cost of our health insurance right now and it doesn't look like there is going to be much competition or incentive for the costs to go down.
Just lots of new profits and customers for the health insurance industry.
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Indie Pro
October 30, 2009 8:59 AM in reply to synchronicity
and what Pelosi has here is the base bill.
she may allow no ammendments. This still has too go to conference. This may be barely acceptable to some, but this is not what we will end up with. They'll continue to move towards the conservatives and the industry, unless progressives are as steadfast in their beliefs as the conservatives.
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