Democratic Underground - Obama Demands: The Bill I Sign Must Include Public Option **

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Obama Demands: The Bill I Sign Must Include Public Option
By Brian Beutler - July 20, 2009, 10:16AM

While we're talking health care reform: In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Obama did what he's refused to do all along--he said the public option isn't an option at all.

ny plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans - including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest - and choose what's best for your family.

That's a first. In the recent past, the White House has only demanded that health care reform expand and improve coverage while lowering costs. But Blue Dogs and conservative Senate Democrats have been raising noises about the public option, while citing concerns that the reform proposals on the table won't cut costs. And with the debate reaching its crescendo, Obama's letting them know they can't have it both ways. ...................... :popcorn:

-FACTS MATTER: Candidate Obama DID promise a Public Option (O'Donnell).	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:10 PM	#0
- Deleted message	Name removed	Jan-10-10 12:11 PM	#1
- LOL ...	ShortnFiery	Jan-10-10 12:26 PM	#11
- He supported a public option. That doesn't mean he could force the Senate	pnwmom	Jan-10-10 12:13 PM	#2
- Fine, Just don't be a flip-flopper!	bigwillq	Jan-10-10 12:14 PM	#3
- He has never said he doesn't support one. But why should he advertise	pnwmom	Jan-10-10 12:27 PM	#12
- He denied he ever ran on it. Which was patently untrue.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:34 PM	#19
- Candidate Obama dd NOT PROMISE a Public Option	krawhitham	Jan-10-10 03:09 PM	#62
- He said "I did not CAMPAIGN" on a PO. Not "promise." Though he DID promise later.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:26 PM	#65
- He said he never campaigned on it.	bigwillq	Jan-10-10 12:37 PM	#22
- A Promise is more binding than "campaigning on" the same. One can campaign on meaningless THEMES	Land Shark	Jan-10-10 07:32 PM	#73
- 'caved to the repukes'	GinaMaria	Jan-13-10 01:31 PM	#150
- But he doesn't have to act like he never campaigned on it, as he's doing now.	Hello_Kitty	Jan-10-10 12:14 PM	#4
- Clinton and Edwards were always stronger on the public option than Obama.	pnwmom	Jan-10-10 12:30 PM	#15
- I heard candidate and President Obama promise a public option several times	Hello_Kitty	Jan-10-10 12:33 PM	#17
- Show me where he used the word "promise." As opposed to "support." n/t	pnwmom	Jan-10-10 12:43 PM	#26
- Are you trying to to be funny? nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:46 PM	#28
- No. I think there's an important difference between the words. n/t	pnwmom	Jan-10-10 12:49 PM	#32
- The word of contention in this case is "campaigned"....	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:53 PM	#39
- Especially with someone as untrustworthy as Obama.	jgraz	Jan-11-10 01:33 PM	#102
- Now you're just being an ass. Buh bye. eom	Hello_Kitty	Jan-10-10 12:47 PM	#30
- Taking your ball and going home?	tridim	Jan-10-10 12:50 PM	#
- We're gonna set up a public plan....." On the U-Tube video	Armstead	Jan-10-10 07:40 PM	#75
- Yes, he definitely campaigned on it.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 07:52 AM	#81
- your pretzel "logic" is downright just plain silly!!	shopgreen	Jan-11-10 02:35 PM	#111
- Different issue. Though it is not clear that he tried to "force" anything.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:16 PM	#6
- You mean those same senators, that when they ran, also promised a public option?	inthebrain	Jan-10-10 12:52 PM	#36
- Hard to "force" the Senate to pass a PO when he didn't even bother to push for one	brentspeak	Jan-10-10 02:49 PM	#56
- He signaled very early his willingness to give it up in fact.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:55 PM	#66
- No. He couldn't force them.	Kltpzyxm	Jan-10-10 05:18 PM	#71
- He came closest to that with "Any bill I sign MUST.."	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 07:03 PM	#72
- Ding,ding,ding	goclark	Jan-11-10 04:13 AM	#77
- Of course, he forces the Senate to filibuster drug re-importation	jgraz	Jan-11-10 12:07 PM	#95
- Pretty easy to explain -	karynnj	Jan-13-10 01:31 PM	#149
- Obama also said he would veto any bill without a public option!	shopgreen	Jan-11-10 02:34 PM	#110
- He spouted meaningless platitudes to convince people	Generator	Jan-11-10 02:39 PM	#114
- How often did you see him use the bully pulpit	golfguru	Jan-13-10 01:15 PM	#145
- Facts do matter	NJmaverick	Jan-10-10 12:16 PM	#5
- O"Donnell provides real proof, from Obama's own words and campaign website.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:17 PM	#7
- Simply put- No he doesn't	NJmaverick	Jan-10-10 02:44 PM	#54
- Who you gonna believe? Your own eyes and ears? nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:05 PM	#60
- You linked to Politifact, but their article mostly disagrees with you	Texastornado	Jan-10-10 12:23 PM	#10
- Wonderful catch! LOL X 50000000!!!!	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:29 PM	#13
- Barely true means the people accusing the Presdient of lying	NJmaverick	Jan-10-10 02:45 PM	#55
- Not really. It means they decided to call it "just short" of a lie.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:04 PM	#59
- Yes really, it's untrue and a false accuastion to accuse the President of lying	NJmaverick	Jan-10-10 03:10 PM	#63
- The issue is whether the statement was true or not.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:20 PM	#64
- Which is a HUGE pass on what is an obvious falsehood.	jgraz	Jan-11-10 12:26 PM	#99
- You ignored the other question: Why is the public option listed as promise #518?	Issaiah	Jan-10-10 05:13 PM	#70
- This place should be pissed about the lie.........	KansasVoter	Jan-10-10 12:18 PM	#8
- Obama's "Denial" of the PO promise was his lowest point so far.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:23 PM	#9
- And if we were all "pissed" about this..	tridim	Jan-10-10 12:46 PM	#29
- All we want are the FACTS, ma'am. The truth shall set you free.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:50 PM	#34
- The fact is that President and Candidate Obama supported the PO	tridim	Jan-10-10 12:52 PM	#37
- He claims he never campaigned on it. nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:58 PM	#41
- And he is lying.	KansasVoter	Jan-10-10 02:55 PM	#57
- He campaigned on Health Care Reform..	tridim	Jan-11-10 09:56 AM	#87
- The Dems and WH call it "Health INSURANCE reform" now.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:09 PM	#103
- Maybe an anecdote from my lunch today can help elucidate the big picture..	girl gone mad	Jan-11-10 05:45 AM	#79
- Maybe it's because they've been constantly lied to about the bill?	tridim	Jan-11-10 09:54 AM	#86
- Wait until Rahm turns his sites on Medicare and Social Security "reform"	dflprincess	Jan-11-10 09:16 PM	#132
- The big picture is that we thought we were voting for a different kind of politician.	jgraz	Jan-11-10 12:29 PM	#101
- +1	invictus	Jan-12-10 10:54 AM	#141
- K&R..the unrec crew is working hard to make this dissapear!! eom	flyarm	Jan-10-10 12:29 PM	#14
- They try hard, because they know that FACTS MATTER, and thus FEAR the facts.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:33 PM	#16
- Obama failed at achieving the public option	gravity	Jan-10-10 12:34 PM	#18
- Because he refuses to just level with us and tell us the truth?	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:37 PM	#23
- Saying that looks bad politically	gravity	Jan-10-10 12:50 PM	#35
- He didn't need to deny the facts.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 01:04 PM	#42
- You're putting more importance on him than on getting some sort of	treestar	Jan-11-10 04:17 PM	#129
- The outrage is directed at Obama because their outrage is ALWAYS directed at Obama	tridim	Jan-10-10 12:42 PM	#25
- Actually, I only posted this because the facts were denied here today.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:49 PM	#33
- If the public option was important to Obama - as he once claimed	dflprincess	Jan-11-10 09:14 PM	#131
- Oh No! Now I have to vote Republican - clearly more trustworthy!	stray cat	Jan-10-10 12:34 PM	#20
- THAT'S all you got from this? Sad.	katandmoon	Jan-10-10 12:36 PM	#21
- Union families hard hit by ObamaCare's tax on their health benefits	IndianaGreen	Jan-10-10 12:44 PM	#27
- Yes he promised, and it passed in the House and not the Senate.	ProSense	Jan-10-10 12:39 PM	#24
- Except sometimes, when FACTS ARE DENIED.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:48 PM	#31
- You can continue to be outraged over a comment, but	ProSense	Jan-10-10 12:53 PM	#38
- He is obviously backpedaling here from "must"....	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 12:57 PM	#40
- Then why is it okay for him to just throw out a near Republican like clumsy, stupid, arrogant lie	TheKentuckian	Jan-11-10 04:41 AM	#78
- Hey! You're stealing someone else's cliche! For shame! K&R	StarfarerBill	Jan-10-10 01:07 PM	#43
- It's a kind of "response" thread. THIS was one of the FACTS denied over there.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 01:13 PM	#44
- Of course they matter; and when faced with them, the locksteppers stumble in their backpedaling.	StarfarerBill	Jan-10-10 01:18 PM	#45
- You are so welcome!	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 01:22 PM	#47
- The senate bill offered an exchange for those without insurance.	jaxx	Jan-10-10 01:19 PM	#46
- Fine. But off topic. nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 01:46 PM	#49
- Maybe not.	jaxx	Jan-10-10 02:03 PM	#51
- By off-topic, I meant that the OP was about whether the prez CAMPAIGNED on a PO.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 02:24 PM	#52
- Facts do matter	MissDeeds	Jan-10-10 01:45 PM	#48
- You bet!	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 01:59 PM	#50
- Obama succeeded in failing to achieve a public option--as planned	ima_sinnic	Jan-10-10 02:39 PM	#53
- If Obama HAD been serious about the Public Option he would have made it central to the House Parties	Phoebe Loosinhouse	Jan-11-10 07:23 AM	#80
- interesting--I had never heard feedback about the house party materials	ima_sinnic	Jan-11-10 07:56 AM	#83
- Sorry this particular fact doesn't matter	Egnever	Jan-10-10 02:57 PM	#58
- If anything, the president undermined himself. I had nothing to do with it.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 03:07 PM	#61
- What does the situation Obama inherited from Bush have to do with HCR?	brentspeak	Jan-10-10 04:09 PM	#67
- True, it is just not relevant any more	treestar	Jan-11-10 04:15 PM	#128
- In the July 17 video it looks to me like he was still working for a public plan.	anAustralianobserver	Jan-10-10 04:17 PM	#68
- Far from it in my case. I look at this as a great tragedy.	freddie mertz	Jan-10-10 04:42 PM	#69
- If Tiger was Pres: Tiger Woods never "campaigned on" fidelity, he "ONLY" promised it. WTF?? n/t	Land Shark	Jan-10-10 07:36 PM	#74
- He promised this too>>>>>>>>>	flyarm	Jan-11-10 04:07 AM	#76
- and he never, ever mentions those, nor does the rest of the MSM except Cafferty, Stewart,	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 07:54 AM	#82
- Deleted message	Name removed	Jan-11-10 08:15 AM	#84
- Deleted message	Name removed	Jan-11-10 08:40 AM	#85
- couldnt care less	mkultra	Jan-11-10 10:49 AM	#88
- Is there no "bullshit" in "reality."	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 11:38 AM	#89
- still dont care. Its the way politics goes	mkultra	Jan-11-10 12:28 PM	#100
- It is not my problem... It is all of our problem.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 04:39 PM	#159
- I'm passed the point..	DisgustedInMN	Jan-11-10 11:52 AM	#90
- FACTS MATTER: it didn't have the votes in congress.	dionysus	Jan-11-10 11:58 AM	#91
- Did he campaign on it or not?	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 12:01 PM	#92
- you act like he has messiah-like powers to bend reality. have you ever dealt	dionysus	Jan-11-10 12:04 PM	#93
- we assume he has messiah-like powers to control what comes out of his own mouth.	jgraz	Jan-11-10 12:08 PM	#96
- Why won't any of these...	DisgustedInMN	Jan-11-10 12:13 PM	#97
- "Did he campaign on it?" is still the question.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:13 PM	#105
- The real problem is we've elected another "meaning of is" politician	jgraz	Jan-11-10 02:45 PM	#117
- i'm pretty sure he said he supported it, but did he promise it?	dionysus	Jan-11-10 02:51 PM	#120
- He "campaigned" on it. Then, later he said a bill "MUST" have it.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:54 PM	#122
- then he shouldn't have said it.	dionysus	Jan-11-10 03:21 PM	#124
- Right. He showed a certain contempt for his own electorate on that.	freddie mertz	Jan-12-10 10:51 AM	#139
- Can we keep this pinned to the top of the front page of GD?	Stinky The Clown	Jan-11-10 12:07 PM	#94
- I can kick it!	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:09 PM	#104
- I've already bookmarked this one and the other "mostly untrue" thread	superduperfarleft	Jan-11-10 02:28 PM	#109
- Much of it is "pure comedy gold."	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:49 PM	#118
- Now let's be fair. Did Obama ever promise to not totally lie to us?	jgraz	Jan-11-10 12:24 PM	#98
- Get it right. He only "barely lied" to us. n/t	superduperfarleft	Jan-11-10 02:15 PM	#106
- No, he barely told the truth. Which, of course, means	jgraz	Jan-11-10 02:19 PM	#107
- Maybe NJ is just a glass-half-full type of guy.	superduperfarleft	Jan-11-10 02:27 PM	#108
- The problem is what his glass is half-full of	jgraz	Jan-11-10 02:35 PM	#112
- LOL. n/t	superduperfarleft	Jan-11-10 02:39 PM	#115
- My friend is the King of Comedy.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:52 PM	#121
- I'm here all week. Try the veal.	jgraz	Jan-11-10 02:57 PM	#123
- Unless you are the guy who claims that "barely true" means "100 % honest!"	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:51 PM	#119
- It is like --you can't just be a little pregnant.	shopgreen	Jan-11-10 09:18 PM	#133
- Nancy Pelosi said it best when she said he'd promised "a lot of things" in his campaign.	David Zephyr	Jan-11-10 02:36 PM	#113
- Her frustration was palpable in the clip.	freddie mertz	Jan-11-10 02:42 PM	#116
- do you remove responsibility from the house and senate whose job it was to get those in the bills?	dionysus	Jan-11-10 03:22 PM	#125
- Excuse me?	DisgustedInMN	Jan-11-10 07:46 PM	#130
- the best pelosi got out of the house was a weak-ass public option and you know it.	dionysus	Jan-12-10 08:04 AM	#134
- A weak PO can be strengthened much more easily than NO PO can...	freddie mertz	Jan-12-10 08:36 AM	#136
- i can't disagree with you there. i'm afraid we need to replace all the blue dogs for that to happen.	dionysus	Jan-12-10 09:35 AM	#138
- Well, if this bill goes through in the Senate form..	freddie mertz	Jan-12-10 10:54 AM	#140
- What the hell are...	DisgustedInMN	Jan-12-10 10:54 AM	#142
- With the glaring exception of Stupak, House bill, while weak, of better than the terrible Senate bi	freddie mertz	Jan-12-10 08:35 AM	#135
- not the end of the road yet	Rosa Luxemburg	Jan-11-10 04:12 PM	#126
- But he's not going to get it	treestar	Jan-11-10 04:14 PM	#127
- Obama does not WANT the PO, I am now convinced it never mattered to him.	freddie mertz	Jan-12-10 08:38 AM	#137
- Kicking. Talk today about taxes, but let's not forget the public plan.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 01:05 PM	#143
- If Obama was a dictator he wouldn't have to deal with the obstructionists in his own party.	Lord Helmet	Jan-13-10 01:10 PM	#144
- I guess you wish he was a dictator then. nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 01:17 PM	#146
- hell yes I do on a number of issues -- but that's not the way democracy works	Lord Helmet	Jan-13-10 01:25 PM	#147
- How charming, Lord Metal Head.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 02:15 PM	#152
- lol -- name-calling doesn't make your "YOU LIE!!!!" argument any more cogent	Lord Helmet	Jan-13-10 02:18 PM	#154
- Well, at least I am not having waking dreams about dictators.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 02:24 PM	#155
- Reality matters too - there is no way to get the public option through the Senate	karynnj	Jan-13-10 01:28 PM	#148
- Then just admit that.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 02:17 PM	#153
- I have said that - and said it repeatedly	karynnj	Jan-13-10 02:27 PM	#156
- Then we actually agree. nt.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 02:40 PM	#158
- What does Obama gain from denying this?	GinaMaria	Jan-13-10 01:41 PM	#151
- He gained nothing of course. It hurt him. He needs better advisors.	freddie mertz	Jan-13-10 02:40 PM	#157
- Obama Demands: The Bill I Sign Must Include Public Option **	shopgreen	Jan-13-10 05:03 PM	#160

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