In Letter, House Liberals Crank Up Pressure On Obama, Demand Meeting

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/in-letter-house-liberals-crank-up-pressure-on-obama-demand-meeting/

In Letter, House Liberals Crank Up Pressure On Obama, Demand Meeting


Just when things couldn’t get any dicier…

House liberals have fired off a letter to the President demanding a meeting to discuss health care reform and reiterating their insistence that the bill include core liberal priorities — another sign that if the bill is watered down enough in the Senate, it could face a headwind in in the House.

A source sends over the letter from the two co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to Obama:

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, we write to request a meeting with you to discuss health care reform legislation. We have attached the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Principles that we expect to be included in the health care reform bill conference report.

We look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss how we can work together to ensure these provisions are included in the final bill.

Sincerely,

Rep Raul M. Grijalva
Rep Lynn Woolsey

The CPC represents at least 80 House Dems. The attached principles that the liberals want included, of course, include a robust public option. Obviously, liberals supported the House bill without a robust public plan, so this may not be all that worrisome to the White House.

But it’s clear that House progressives won’t make it easy for Nancy Pelosi to unite the Dem caucus behind whatever version emerges — if something emerges — from the Senate. And while liberals are widely expected to fall in line behind the proposal, presumably there’s a point somewhere that constitutes a breaking point for them.

[eleny]

1. Good, because you don't get anywhere being docile

You have to shoot for the moon and fight the good fight for what you know the country needs.

Just like people here at DU say they wish we started out with Medicare for all and then compromised from that position.

Good luck to our Progressive Caucus!

[chill_wind]

2. Good! K & R.

[grantcart]

3. Can anyone smell Reconciliation?

[tekisui]

4. KNR!

[janx]

5. It seems as if, finally, things are beginning to take shape! n/t

[damntexdem]

6. It's make or break time; and the limits of compromise have not only been reached ...

they have been way overstepped. Time to pull back to a real reform bill and pass it using reconciliation.

[Cha]

7. Good for them! They show respect and it shall be treated in

kind.

[vaberella]

8. At least these guys would like to "chat" unlike Conyers! n/t