I disagree. President Obama tells liberal groups to stop attacks about health care reform.

I much disagree with this. I think if we don't hold them accountable there will be no reform.

Methinks a few of the ones getting ads run in their districts by progressive groups are running to the boss and asking the ads be stopped.

From the WP today:

Obama Urges Groups to Stop Attacks



Many groups are running ads. I donated just today to the one DFA is running against Landrieu.



May I suggest some requests from the president be directed to the right wing groups who are spreading hatred against the gays, telling women they should not have birth control, and who are going on TV and actually lying about health care reform.

Healthcare is obviously going to be a partisan effort so we need to focus on the Dems and put the pressure on them. It seems to be working so keep it up!

The very fact that Obama would bring up the subject of liberal groups targeting the Moderate (read: Blue Dog) Dems would seem to me that it certainly is working.

This should be proof positive to anyone without any shadow of a doubt that Dems are not a bunch of automatons who march in lockstep. That lack of message "discipline" seems to be proving inconvenient for our elected leaders...

Which is a good thing.

And BTW, Mr. Obama - WE ARE FIGHTING FOR COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM. This is how it's done. We tell YOU and our elected officials what we want, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

is on the line here?

I thought Obama was smart enough to know that sometimes you have to pressure -- not "attack" -- those standing in the way of reform, when they should be leading it, in order to get them to do the right thing.

Basically, he's telling us to shut up and stop pointing out how they're going to fuck us over.

Not going to happen.

in my party. Protecting the Democrats who would vote against real change, and fussing at those who work for it.

Not the way to go.

It pretty much began during the primaries but it really didn't start until after the appointments began, when I realized we elected another corporate Democrat.

When I voice my disappointment (and when others do as well) here we are greeted with calls to leave DU.

NT!

it will be out fault?

Unless he trying only to endear himself to those on the right and the conservative wings.

stop doing certain things.

But that's okay. I believe in standing firmly for things, and I say so.

I know if you are a member of the DLC we should just get to the back of the bus and shut up.

Don't work that way dear.

The right and the DLC sell outs. Many in the DLC are GOP lites... They will cave in on any meaningful reform because they are too friendly to the insurance lobbyists , as are the Repukes.. Unless the reform is meaningful, then the Democratic party has failed us and we will not tolerate that betrayal.

..and NOT asking the ConservoDems to stop voting with the Republicans.

and now, he changes his mind? Or only some animals are more equal than others?

What a phoney he's turning out to be.

NT!

asked us to keep quiet on the failure of some Democrats to support the peoples health bill. Isn't that what he said?

the more the pols would hear & listen

i thought he once told us to *not* stop.

on edit: why the change of heart, barack?

...and I credit liberal groups who pressured them.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/specter-schu...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/hagan-comes-...

Particularly pleased to hear that Hagan is on board. She was making me nervous. Now off to hammer on Mark Warner!

issue. Not that one persons's email matters, but thousands of pissed-off voters' emails do.

Hooray for US--the lowly citizens who are making politicians start listening to US instead of the DLC lackeys who are tugging on our President's coat sleeve.

I called Kay Hagan's (who is my Senator) office twice about her stance on health care. The two (different) assistants with whom I spoke both seemed pleased to relay my support for a strong public option.

It sounds like we thorns have gotten noticed! Stay sharp!!!

-app

but I'm still trying to convert my rep, David Price, into a Progressive. We're in the most liberal district in the state--possibly the South--and he tiptoes around acting like joining the Progressive caucus would damn him to hell.

at the Senate's HELP plan and see if this is the healthcare change you really want--

There's no public opting in. The only folks to get in are basically those now uninsured. Or those whose health insurance through employers is too high of a percentage of their income. Employers are mandated to provide private health insurance, there is a penalty for not covering employees.

Individuals now not covered with low and moderate incomes would have to pay from 1-12.5% of our income to buy in. My income has not increased 12.5% recently, has yours? This plan is still beyond my reach financially.

This "public option" does not address the basic problems with our healthcare "system"--like the ~30% administrative costs of private insurance--read "marketing/advertising, millions/billions for CEO pay, profit for shareholders. That 30% minus the 3% (Medicare's overhead) could/should go toward provision of services.

This "public option" is a HUGE financial windfall for the private health insurance corporations. Think about it! Employers being mandated to provide private insurance. What health insurance corporation isn't salivating to get all those new enrollees!!

The "public option" proposal will become a dumping ground for the chronically ill, costly (needing care which has been postponed), and surely will fail financially because the patient pool will be too small to gain all the advantages of a larger pool.

It adds another fragmented layer to the already cumbersome, unwieldy, confusing, provision of care we currently have. It does NOTHING to address the difficulties that practitioners like myself have to deal with now--the multiplicity of programs/plans/policies/eligibility.

Read http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/06/15/hold-out-for-single... /

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/6089 , and

http://www.centerforpolicyanalysis.org/id37.html for parts of the HELP bill

Broken reform is no reform at all.

by private industry."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Under this despicable plan, if you can't afford government health INSURANCE, you will be fined. That's hardly the "change" I voted for; that's just more f the fucking same, just given the government's imprimatur.

The health care companies, who have been calling all the shots for a very long time, and making a fortune from their policies, are being given a place at the table for this discussion. Yet those advocating single payer were excluded. Only after pressure from these "liberal groups" called out Congress for their conflicts of interest was the door opened for other options.

EVERYONE deserves to be heard. EVERYONE. Got it, Barack?

We voted for change, and you promised us change. Allowing corporate America to continue to call the shots isn't change, it's more of the same.

He can be wrong and this time he is DEAD WRONG.

NT!

What does it matter if you "win" your debate, but the plan you get is so compromised that healthcare costs don't go down, the whole system gets worse -- and American businesses don't rehire because they can't pay the medical costs.

You're wrong, Mr. President. Do you want to run in 2012 on a half-assed, ineffective solution to America's biggest problem?

It won't do any good if the plan sucks. Whatever plan comes out will be "The Obama Plan". No matter how much the right cripples it or corporate insurance guts it, the plan will be known as the Obama Plan. If it is as bad as the Senior Drug plan or if it leaves poor people struggling to cover premiums or creates the kind of paper work mess that the Senior Drug plan did, it will cost him the election. We already know that the plan, which the republicans are setting up, will be the plan that they attack him on.

Better to let the asses kill public insurance this time and take the fall for it than let them write a plan they know will fail so they can blame Obama for it.

Obama has to start talking to the people and then carrying through on what he talks about. No more wonderful pressers where he lays out plans that his "helpers" then give away to the republicans.

The goal of those owning BOTH Political Parties is to Smash & Grab as much as they can before the whole thing collapses. This just tells me that TPTB expect the final collapse to be within the next three years.

This is NOT about "Health Care".

This IS about channeling a few more Billions into the pockets of one of the most criminally RICH industries in the World.

You got that right.

NT!

For the Health insurance providers.

He doesn't need to worry about running in 2012. He has already been told that if he continues acting as the Great Appeaser, he will be awarded the job. ("My fellow Americans, please send the WH comment lines your comments, so if enough of you register your wants and needs, I can present them to those who have my back against the wall." Is he our President or the salesman at the local auto dealership?)

Sarah Palin is being groomed as the next candidate for the Repugs. And once again, there will be only a narrow tricky way for any third party that truly represents people to make inroads - what with all the hysteria of "If you don't vote for Obama - Palin will be President."

I have to hand it to the Powers that Be - their triangulation abilities are superb.

No more lobbyist money to STOP real conversation about our options.. ALL options..

Switzerland had a national referendum to choose their plan.. so did a few other countries..

Hilarious.

I love it.

Boy was I played for a sucker.. Remember all those Promises during the Campaign? How spelled out "in detail" his National Health Care Plan was..Remember? "Beginning on Day One" "One Brigade a Month" "Transparent Government" "Follow the Rule of Law" Remember? I truly believed we were having a National Referendum and our side won.. What a sucker I am..

Some Democratic Principles.

The fact that we are nothing but a northern style Banana Republic, with a candidate like Obama representing a "negotiated solution" so that we don't revolt, is a very new concept to us as Americans.

Those south of our border understand the principle well. They witnessed how our CIA would install a truly loathsome Military style dictator -who would see that so much of what happened under that regime related to giving the nation more and more of the civil rights of the people, while at the same time building up the military.

Then when it became apparent that the people would take to the streets and revolt, the nation would "suddenly" have a new, friendly smiling face who would come in, address the nation in speeches about progress to be made on the part of the government for the worker, and sit there at the controls ensuring that the nation was stolen blind. And it would Be hard for the workers to revolt - after all, did they want the deposed military fascist to be put back at the controls?

and see how they are doing now. We should have learned from GB and the Banana Republic politics. But, then, we had no real alternative given that the PTB have been deciding things for decades until it got so ugly that the people could see and then it was too late.

Depressing.

The garden here is saving me from too much depression.

Give me some seeds and a spade and there are things I can change.

the political scene, not so much.

Tis good.

How about Obama for once standing up for the left side of his party?

rather than attack ads. Something along the lines of discussing the costs of the current system, and that it needs to be improved, then saying Senator X, we are calling on you to support health care reform.
That would primarily accomplish educating the public but also let Senator X know s/he's being watched, and draw the public's attention to Senator X's position.

Attack ads against Dems are never a good idea - they create a negative image in people who vote Dem!

https://www.democracyforamerica.com/contribution_pages/...

to a donation page I couldn't get past.

http://firedoglake.com/2009/07/02/blue-america-launches...

What's your definition of an attack ad???

looking for ads that are "constructive" that don't criticize anything or anyone, in essence not stating what you really think, how on earth do you think anything will change to what we really need?

Answer: Nothing, absolutely nothing, will actually change.

NT!

A corpo-controlled health care plan that we're required to purchase, a windfall for the insurance companies and shit for us.

We'll keep the pressure on for real reform, thank you.

companies, i think they are doing one hell of a job as well as being very smart about it. They are targeting the weak links in the chain getting the most bang for their buck.

Be directed to the RW groups out there - problem being - Obama can't hear you!

The sound of the massive amount of change he''s leeched from the Big Insurers is rattling around in his pockets so loudly he can't hear most of us.

Stop advocating for real health care change....

Fall in line.

That is just gross.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l8ZOMd468o
(OUCH!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWFmE4CyJHo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJvkRFKGgGw&feature=chan...

those Blue Dog DINOs who are holding this opportunity for healthcare reform hostage, then we wouldn't have to do it for you.

I'm sending my donation to MoveOn tomorrow. They're doing "the lord's work" on this.

Recommend.

he did not say that, he had a meeting with them and told them what he expects of them.
This is another misleading article.

Complete BS...

Please put the correct words if you know.

I disagree. I think this is a pattern our party leaders have fallen into for the last couple of decades. The liberals are sort of the bad guys.

No conservative Democrat is ever called out by anyone in leadership.

That's how it is.

No, it is not hogwash.

you the exact words that where said during the meeting because I was not part of the meeting,
but what I can do is provide you with information as to what was said and what they did not say.

First off, here is a link;

http://democrats.org/blog.html

and an excerpt from the meeting;




Looking at those statement, I could not find anything comparable to what you've posted, so
stop it.....here is another link;

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by... /

These misleading and distorting of the President's comments is something a RW hack would do, I have
not seen any evidence suggesting what you have posted.

They are not the same thing at all.

From my OP:

"In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform.

"We shouldn't be focusing resources on each other," Obama opined in the call, according to three sources who participated in or listened to the conversation. "We ought to be focused on winning this debate."

Specifically, Obama said he is hoping left-leaning organizations that worked on his behalf in the presidential campaign will now rally support for "advancing legislation" that fulfills his goal of expanding coverage, controlling rising costs and modernizing the health system."

quote is from a letter that Kennedy and Dodd sent to fellow committee members?

that where supposedly Obamas'

That is totally unacceptable.

are that of a RW hack, thats what they (RW hacks) would say not YOU being a one.

I don't want you taking my comments out of context.

NT!

From Obama's stuff three out of four Americans support the establishment of a public option to compete with private insurance plans and offer families better choices when making health care decisions.
The correction:
72% of the American people support single payer, no profit system, all public health care, not a public option keeping the "private option" viable...

from future attacks on Democrats, according to the source, who did not have permission to speak on the record about the discussion."

Huh?

How would they do that?

That is such a strange statement.

to those who are coming forth and speaking out. But I suspect it's more of a putting a foot on the neck of groups who dare speak out against a plan they don't like.

"on the record" about the discussion - meaning, of course, that following up on this or even debunking it would be difficult. Hopefully the ominous (and frankly, weird) wording is due to the reporter's bias or tendency toward dramatic interpretations, rather than to any sinister intentions on the part of the administration.

or perhaps a rogue reporter..both of whom would have to go out of their way to manufacture a story out of whole cloth for reasons that are beyond our ken other than loose supposition

But that is not my issue with your comment: you say it is either that explanation (which even you have to concede is a rather thin possibility) or else it is ominous, sinister intentions on the part of the administration?

Do you you see it as an either/or?

and/or perhaps a rogue reporter..both of whom would have to go out of their way to manufacture a story out of whole cloth for reasons inscrutable

That is not my issue with your comment: you say it is either THAT (which even you have to concede is a rather thin possibility) or else it is sinister intentions on the part of the administration?

Do you you see it as an either/or?

but no, I don't see it as "either/or". The comment seems to paint Obama in a very sinister light to my eyes, but this could be attributed to my somewhat left of center bias.
I'm more curious now about the source than about the article or the comment itself, tbh.

but even more startling: apparently "unity" means that those who are united have to shut up or suffer the consequences.

"Change"

We should just sit back and trust the pureness and goodness of our democratic leadership, right? We elected a man to change the way washington and wall street works. If we wanted to continue the business of having the public shut out of our own process of government we would have stayed home and not campaigned and donated valuable time and money.

Let him talk flowery about MLK marching for justice and fair representation in government out of one side of his mouth and out of the other comes this.

With unemployment heading past 10%, wall street rolling in us treasury cash and Obama slamming the door shut on his grass roots support, 2010 mid terms will have little momentum for the democrats.

He will be remembered as being handed a rare chance to make sweeping changes and instead chose to negotiate away his mandate in misguided efforts of bi-partisanship.

How about this - you give us the change we demand and then we'll consider supporting your candidates. Not the other way around this time.

I agree -- I'm pretty much done with participating in this broken system. I'm sick and tired of being lied to.

"May I suggest some requests from the president be directed to the right wing groups who are spreading hatred against the gays, telling women they should not have birth control, and who are going on TV and actually lying about health care reform."

Amen!!

President. I have already decided not to vote for him for re-election. He has 3 years to change my mind. But, then, "change", so far, is not his strong suit.

He stated something along the lines of 'I didn't understand what Howard Dean meant when he said he was representing the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, but I do now.' the comment was related to health care.

I hadn't heard the comment prior to today, and it was good to hear it. Ed has stated time and time again that it's big money that is blocking real health care reform, which is what a lot of Americans know already.

And, yes, I disagree with the President on this. Raise hell, and raise it loudly!

It's been interesting to watch. Some of his early shows he said all kinds of things about Dean without even checking the facts. He kept hearing from us...to his credit his wife and James responded. He has grown as a progressive. He once said Dean needed to get his head out of his a**. Oh, yeh, he seems to understand things more.

He's become more LIBERAL as time has rolled along. There were times in his early days when I would turn him down or off. I might have to on some other issues, but he's been spot on and hammering away on this issue for months, and I'm glad that he's doing it.

I hope that you have a great holiday weekend!

Will be pretty rainy here, I think. Don't mind that, though.

Truly, Madly, Deeply.
But I have mentioned how wrong I was and his show is definitely one of my "must see's"
He has pleased me very much.

he tells liberal advocates that Democrats haven't won the health care debate yet. I mean,

His popularity is very high - doesn't he feel that he needs to be taking charge, rallying the troops? Just amazing how this guy operates and thinks.

the best my money can buy him.

If you want them to "shut up", then you are breaking another campaign promise of listening to others for what they want as change...

Now were you and some of your advisors counting on the mass media to silence those that some of the insiders really didn't want to hear from, and found that they couldn't stop the grass roots uprising for universal health care in this case?

If so, that exposes you as someone that likely won't champion decent and SORELY NEEDED media reform too!

Obama, my patience is running out! You DIDN'T need to say this if you are truly trying to help the people's voice be heard in Washington. You could have stood back and forced the Rethugs to say their spiel against this (as well as other corporate Democrats) to defend their actions of working against what the people want. Instead you choose to work for them by trying to get us to "shut up"! That isn't someone trying to negotiate, that is someone that is complicit with the other side's agenda in my book. I hope I'm wrong and you find a way to reverse this in the coming days, but you've lost me more with these comments.

If we never challenged him to begin with - we wouldn't even have consideration of a public option!!! He is beyond wrong to try and tell us what to do like that.

You're far more forgiving than I.

But I'm losing that each day with so many things not being done that he has control over.

I'm willing to cut him some slack because of the depth of the pile of sh-t that Bushco left him, but I think if anyone's going to fix things as well as the corporate trough we have there now, it's going to have to be him. So I want to push him and "hope"...

But confident in him? Hell no!

Especially since it's becoming increasingly obvious that Obama's not going to do what it takes.

or was that all just a bunch of b.s. that sounded good at one time?

want this vital change in health care.

Now that they're in office & expected to follow through for the people who worked so hard to put them there, grassroots groups are the bad guys.

Yeah right.

Dems are the only relevant players here. WTF did he expect, anyway.

Changes the meaning if you don't read the article. From the Herald Tribune...change the tone of the article by changing the headline.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090704/ARTICLE/9...

"We shouldn't be focusing resources on each other," Obama opined in the call, according to three sources who participated in or listened to the conversation. "We ought to be focused on winning this debate."

It would be nice if more energy was put into supporting reform and the need for reform. I totally disagree with those who would kill efforts at reform simply because it does not take the exact form that they desire.

and they bought out many to help them.

I do not support reform that benefits insurance corporations.

What is so hard to understand about that?