Harkin: I Assumed--Wrongly--The White House Pushed Strongly For Public Option

I'm not surprised Obama didn't push hard for this. I know his goal is to get some sort of reform passed in any manner. He does have two elections (mid-term and 2012) to deal with.

I just wish Obama and other people would have the courage to do what's right than do good enough to get re-elected. It sucks sometimes.

Can they please do something to eliminate the 60 vote
fillibuster? The super majority rule here in California via Prop 13 has ruined this state and the Senate fillibuster as now practiced by the Repukes is doing the samfork US. Without this reform soon, I fear for the Republic.

And some people here wonder why many others are pissed at Obama.

Again:

This is coming from Lieberman, right???

Interestingly, Lieberman is not mentioned in this posting.

Why not??

I guess this is how narratives take hold w/out attribution or responsibility, huh??

Please, people: Let's not let Lieberman win through distortion and lying AGAIN!!!! (fueling the Nader/Edwards/right wingers)

Please!!!

Obama lost my vote no matter what happens on the econmey or jobs. Time itself could restore our economy as it has many times in the past. Stick up for what you believe in and what you say, otherwise get out. It is better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. 3rd party time in 2010 for me.

I feel pretty confident that the administration did not push very hard behins the scenes for the PO. I don't think anyone yet knows whether that was because they are closeted conservatives who want insurance companies to be even more profitable and have greater control over our lives, or because they made the political calculation that publicly demanding the public option be included was a recipe for high-profile failure on their signature legislative issue (not that not knowing will stop the cries of sellout from "our" side).

What should concern those of us still supporting Obama is that his apparent tendency to move his negotiating position closer to his opponents before negotiations have even begun, combined with an "I'll take whatever Joe Lieberman is willing to give me" approach to legislation, will make for an agenda continually watered down to the point where it's not terribly progressive or even effective, and demoralizing to the most passionate supporters of a progressive platform.

I didn't vote for Joe Lieberman or Ben Nelson, and if they're going to be running the government for the next four years, I can definitely sympathize with those feeling cheated.

Hey Tom ever hear of a phone......Call up the milqtoast Obama and say...HEY BO SRE YOU GIVING LIEingScumbagBERMAN a bit of presure to get in line with the health care program.....Just wondering..Or how about calling up traitor Joe yourself before the bill is passed or finalized and ask him what pressure he is getting from the President. Harkin another meally mouthed fob who pretends to be a progressive. If no progressive Senator steps up to stop this Insurance company golden parachute then shame on them. At this point I get that Sanders is a blow hard who likes to hear his own voice and he believes what he says he just doesn't have the balls to actually dow what he says. First it is I WILL NOT VOTE FOR A BILL WITHOUT A PUBLIC OPTION PERIOD! Then its...WELL I WILL HAVE TO REVIEW THE BILL BUT I WILL TELL YOU AT THIS TIME I AM NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS BILL..then its.....WELL THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT ARE WRONG WITH THIS BILL AND IT IS NOT IDEAL BUT IT DOES ADDRESS MANY OF THE MOST AGGREGIOUS PROBLEMS WE FACE WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.....Then finally it is....WELL AS YOU KNOW I WOULD PREFER A SINGLE PAYER PLAN BUT WE CAN"T GET THAT SO I WILL VOTE FOR THIS BILL BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH....Bernie if you don't like the bill kill it YOU HAVE AS MUCH POWER AS JOE LIEBERMAN YOU COULD KILL THIS BILL BY VOTING NO! Of course that might just mean that Olympia Snowe would be persuaded to change her mind but so be it at least you Bernie Sanders stood up for what you believed in.

It wasn't all that long ago that you could see arguments over whether the White House was really pushing for a public option. Now you just see arguments about whether it matters at all.

It does. If you campaign on something people do expect you to push for it. At the least it's very disingenuous. If you don't have to votes initially that just means you lobby for the votes. You make deals for something else or you make threats. Note the Nelson compromise; not a perfect example, but he did give ground on Stupak and got Medicaid money. The White House was able to shift votes on drug re-importation. Not everyone will give ground, but to refuse to even try is the height of passivity. That isn't a legislative strategy at all.

The methods by which caucus discipline is maintained, and by which votes are won were all available. Job security, political pressure, constituent benefits, and authority. (The GOP even manages to maintain discipline from retiring Senators) None of them were applied. Maybe they wouldn't work. But 'not trying' guaranteed a weaker bill. Moreover, 'not trying' wouldn't guarantee having any bill at all. Trying and failing in that regard doesn't mean that he wouldn't have a bill; it just means few would agree that he was breaking a campaign promise or that this wasn't the best possible result. (He may have in fact succeeded)

What I want to know is this: What will happen if the GOP gains 1 or 2 senate seats? Do Obama and the Democrats give up for two years? Or will they try and do what they should have tried to do here? What do you think they will do then?

Maybe Obama pressured Lieberman, maybe he didn't. The sad thing is we don't know, because Obama thinks it isn't important enough to tell us, his supporters, and to show us how committed he is to the public option and to a lot of things he said were important during his campaign. I hope he wakes up soon and comes out of his stupor. I've seen so many emails and articles lately that give some really good hints as to what Obama should do, but I don't know whose advise he's taking. Certainly not the ones' who understand how to endear him to his public. The latest brulliant email is from bold progressives- a petition titled "We need a hero." If Obama were our hero, the crappy health care reform bill might still be crappy, but not more crappy, and Obama could hold his head up and feel he did everything he could to make it a good bill for us, the people. We could still believe that his election to the presidency was the change we could believe in.