Obama takes the GOP more seriously than "the left"? (WP)

[tj2001]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/22/AR2009082201163.html

Health Care Reform Drawing More Criticism From Left
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 22, 2009; 12:52 PM

Through most of the summer, opposition to President Obama and his health-care initiative has come almost entirely from the right. In the past week, however, the president has been trying to tamp down a noisy uprising on the left. The immediate cause for the rebellion is growing concern among Obama's progressive allies that he is prepared to deal away the public insurance option to win passage of a health-care bill. Obama insists that he still prefers the public option as part of any eventual legislative package, but some of his friends on the left now clearly doubt his resolve.

That has given way to broader criticisms: Is Obama tough enough to defeat the interests arrayed against health-care legislation? Has he lost the passion that was such an asset during the campaign? Have his rhetorical skills been muted as he descends into the dry, arcane details of health care? Is he too enamored of bipartisan consensus, given what is seen as Republican implacability? Has he given up the moral high ground in the health-care battle?

From liberal commentators to progressive bloggers to grass-roots activists who went door to door during the campaign, there has been a chorus of concerns raised about Obama -- on health-care strategy, on the deals he and his team have struck with the health-care industry, on the stepped-up troop commitment in Afghanistan, on detainees and torture policy...

Obama seems to regard the flare-up on the left as less serious. He coined the phrase of the week in describing the state of play in health-care politics when he said that in August, Washington often gets "wee-weed up" over some change in the landscape. He urged everyone to calm down.

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Best comment for Obama:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/22/AR2009082201163_Comments.html

cfeher wrote:
The President needs to pass the legislation favored by those who voted for him instead of bending over backwards to the point of groveling to try and please those who didn't vote for him and who will not, even if they wrote the entire bill themselves, vote in favor of health care reform legislation.
President Obama, I hate to break it to you dude, but Chuck Grassley's just not that into you. Cut him loose and move on with your life.
8/22/2009 1:07:42 PM

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. He counts on the nose holding ability of the left for the "not as bad" candidate.

And, he's testing it to his peril.

[Juche]

2. "The left" vote for, volunteer for and fund democratic candidates

Unions and liberals make up a huge bulk of the volunteers and a big part of the funding democratic candidates get to win elections. I believe the netroots put $500 million into Obama alone (6 million donations of about $80 each). That isn't even including all the other things the netroots funded (senate races, congress races, progressive orgs, 527s, etc) with small donations. Unions put maybe $300-400 million into the 2008 election. Obama is disappointing people who put over a billion dollars into the 2008 election. The GOP are going to vote against any bill that comes along anyway because they don't want Obama to have a political victory he can run on in 2012. They don't want validation of the fact that a strong federal government can protect the middle class. That is why the GOP opposed health reform in 1994 and why they oppose it now. The worst bill Obama can come up with, from the GOP perspective, is one that works to improve American's quality of life and is cheap to fund.

I am all for a public option, but at this point if we can get everything but a public option (health insurance exchanges, no pre existing conditions, no caps, subsidies, employer mandates, etc), with a possibility of adding in a public option a few years down the road I would likely support that bill.

I have a strong moral objection to taking the public option out, because the CBO says it will save $150 billion over the next decade. The public option will be cheaper, promote competition and for those of us who morally oppose the health care industry, offer a morally palatable alternative to get our health care.

I honestly can't figure out why the blue dogs are opposed to a public option if deficits are their concern. A public option will keep deficits down by lowering costs and promoting competition. I can't figure it out if that is their true motive.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. As I said, Obama counts on the left to hold their noses for the "not as bad" alternative.

That's why we get watered down bills and blue-dog candidates. The Democrats will change their ways when they realize that losing the left is going to cost them votes and elections.

[Juche]

5. Voting is only part of the issue

Turnout among the left will go down, but so will donations and volunteer work. I don't know if the dems are considering this fact.

Sadly, if the dems do lose in 2010 they might assume it was because they were 'too left', not because they disappointed the left to the point where they stayed home and stopped donating.

[emulatorloo]

3. I thought he used "wee-weed up" to describe TV commentators mostly

who were declaring health care reform dead. The same ones who said he wasn't "aggressive" enough against McCain in August 2008.

Well no matter. I think Balz is a little off -- Making nice with the Republicans is gonna be over in September. Then Obama can say to the American people -- well we tried to be bipartisan, but those guys just don't want any reform.

[timeforpeace]

6. He only takes his base for granted because he knows he can.

[Bonn1997]

7. I think people are bit too gullible

I can't imagine that Obama is really waiting for or trying to get the support of Republicans on any health care bill. We just don't have enough votes among Dems because too many of them are bought out by the insurance industry. Obama's not gonna say, "It's taking longer than expected because I can't get my own party to come together." It's smart spin to say "We're trying to be bipartisan." I have no idea what the solution is but I'm highly skeptical that any human could get this Congress to go along with the kind of health care reform we need. Obama's biggest mistake was underestimating how hard it would be to get his own party to do what's right for the country.