Duck! Here comes the gauntlet! (Obama to Deliver Major Health Care Speech)

[Clio the Leo]

This "breaking" from Politico....

President Obama plans to detail his health care demands in a major speech as soon as next week, when Congress returns from the August recess, POLITICO reports.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/wbarchive/whiteboard09012009.html

So, it turns out, HE was the one we've been waiting for? :)

[Arkana]

1. And yet the naysayers will immediately pronounce it a failure

because Obama won't scream his head off and threaten to hold his breath until he turns blue if he doesn't get what he wants.

[Juche]

3. Does everyone have to be a naysayer or a syncophant?

Why can't we just examine behavior rather than assuming Obama is always a failure or always a savior?

[Skittles]

4. it is indeed so fucking juvenile

I see the speech as desperately needed

[PVnRT]

33. Of course. There is no middle ground.

With us or against us, remember?

[iconocrastic]

12. Does the gauntlet include dropping the public option?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html

[Me.]

17. That's My Question Too

From the link posted:

"And although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself, the officials told POLITICO"

Is he going to let Congress be the bad cops?

[OwnedByFerrets]

42. Wouldnt that make Congress the GOOD cops?

[jumptheshadow]

22. No, it doesn't, it's in the story (nt)

[Clear Blue Sky]

32. This speech is months too late.

[Phx_Dem]

48. No, it isn't. Better to wait until after the GOP has exhausted

the lies they tell. By now everyone has heard them. If they drag out the old "Kill Grandma" and "Death Panel" lies again, it'll be met by yawns.

You always want to have a big minute push toward the end of the debate, after everyone has heard the lies from the GOP. If he had done it earlier, the message would have been completely drown out by the town halls and GOP lies, just like all his previous messages were.

[damonm]

53. Exactly.

IIRC from the campaign:

"...we didn't throw the first punch. But we WILL throw the last."
You heard it here first - this speech will be the KO blow.

[Clear Blue Sky]

62. You may be right, but on the other hand

once the momentum gets too strong against this, no amount of speeches will change anything.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Oh, Shit!

(I knew this was coming this month...)

It's ON!!!

:bounce:

[Clio the Leo]

5. lol the ONLY thing surprising about this to me......

.... was that it's happening next week and not this one ...... and that's ONLY because I thought Labor Day was THIS week and not next. ;)

patience is a virtue...... miles to go before we sleep.......

[cliffordu]

6. Yuppers, I knew he was waiting for all the kids to stomp their feet and get

the hysterics out of the way before he talks again.


His timing is always his timing, not neccessarily ours.

[HopeOverFear]

7. AWWWW SUKI SUKI NOW

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

41. lol

[msongs]

8. words mean nothing ONLY behavior is real - observable, measureable, verifiable nt

[OhioBlue]

10. words inspire behavior. n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

50. What other "behavior" can he exhibit?

You do realize that Congress has to pass the bill, right?

[OhioBlue]

9. no.. WE are the ones we have been waiting for

we have the power to effect change right now. It is right there waiting for us to grab it. We have to write letters to the editor, march in labor day parades, write our representatives, talk to our neighbors.. just make sure we take a stand.

I've been seeing a change in my part of Ohio... the loud, angry tea-bagging mobs... boy.. did they get me down.

Tonight I went to a health care rally in Columbus. 2500 people cheering and chanting for reform. Senator Brown and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy were both adamantly supporting a strong public option. Senator Brown's earlier town hall in Conservative/Republican Cincinnati: 1400 people.. about 1000 pro-reform, 200 against 200 in the middle... Congressman Latta (R).. very (R)... town hall yesterday - about 30 people... all against.. but even he admitted reform is needed.. he just thinks tort reform is the answer.

The tide is shifting. It's our rally time. They're tired, we're fresh. Let's get it done.

[Clio the Leo]

11. you mean we cant just sit on our butts and whine and moan.....

.... and expect him to "fiss" it for us?

You're no fun. ;)

[OhioBlue]

14. lol - personally, I wouldn't mind sitting on my butt

or scrapbooking or taking my son for a choo-choo ride, or putting in a new flower bed for next year instead of calling volunteers, making t-shirts, writing letters, etc.

But, I know I have to work for what I want and health care reform is priority above the scrap booking and new flower bed. I'll still take the lil guy for a choo-choo ride... :)

[jumptheshadow]

23. The majority of Americans want the public option

We have to demand the public option. He is caving in and throwing it overboard.

[OhioBlue]

51. He isn't caving. That is ridiculous. what have you done today

for health care reform? Did you write a letter to the editor, your representative, anything?

If so - good for you. If not, I encourage you to do it. you will feel better.

[yodermon]

13. If he's all waffley on the public option again

then i'll have no choice but to bash my head against the wall. "One tiny sliver" puh-leeaze.
We want leadership dammit

[OhioBlue]

15. He isn't waffley. He is consistent.

He said all options were on the table. He has to provide leadership for all Americans. Not just us. He gave them a chance to present an option that reached his goals. They didn't.

Public option is on.

[joeycola]

46. He is consistenly waffley when it comes to health CARE!!

[yodermon]

52. I haven't heard him say he'll VETO a bill that LACKS the PO.

If he actually signs a bill that Lacks a PO, he's done.

[damonm]

56. Interesting -

because I have.

[yodermon]

57. Well good, then!

would love a cite.

[damonm]

59. Seems I misremembered slightly -

not a specific veto threat, but this works for me.
"any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange — a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, costs 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.”

See the vid and hear the words fromthe man himself at:http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/flashback-last-month-obama-said-reform-must-include-public-option/

(edited for emphasis - bolding is mine.)

[yodermon]

67. hmm.. that's good phrasing, I'll take it. I guess he understates it because

he doesn't want to be seen waving his veto pen around like clinton did in '93.

[NJGeek]

16. He needs to be firm, strong, resolute

The American people love to follow strength.

He needs to come out for clear, strong policies, including the public option. Use the bully pulpit.

[progressivemar]

18. No! Obama might cut out the public option,

Obama might cut out the public option,




On health care, Obama's willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.





http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html

[NYC_SKP]

19. Er, welcome to DU? BTW, Politico is known for their dramatic misinterpretations..

Also, you've broken a DU rule limiting to four paragraphs excerpts from copywritten material.

And, you threw some of your own words in at the beginning.

So, I don't know if you're here for good or for mischief, but I offer a tentative "welcome".

:popcorn:

[JTFrog]

24. I think the pizza answered that question. n/t

[Cha]

63. There's been a lot of deadwood showing

up on DU lately talking negative shite about the Public Option and then being carried out on a big pizza slab.

[goclark]

36. Mr. President needs to spell it out in A B C 123 language

I will keep saying it over and over and over again.

We really don't need a speech in the purest sense, we need CHARTS
and slogans like YES WE CAN have a PUBLIC OPTION
that means,,,1.....2......3......

[SemiCharmedQuark]

20. I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment here.

Unless it's a presidential address, nobody will really see it. And his last presidential address came off (apparently)to many people as too "dry" and "wonky".

I hope I'm wrong, but...

[jumptheshadow]

21. Fail!

He is not going to back a public option, according to this article:

"On health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html#ixzz0Pwa6Fvki"

Wrong decision, Mr. President.

[polichick]

25. Oh yeah, he'll be a real man if he "stares down the party." Sure hope this is wrong. nt

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jumptheshadow]

27. Excuse me, don't you DARE compare me to a troll (nt)

[JTFrog]

49. I pointed out that the same link was used by the tombstoned troll above.

Which it was... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8620562#8620681">right here.

You made the jump to comparing yourself to said troll all on your own.

JFC.

:eyes:

[jumptheshadow]

68. Guess what?

The poster was simply quoting from the same article the OP introduced so misleadingly in order to tell us what the main point of the article really was.

[JTFrog]

69. Fail link is fail porn all the same. n/t

[jumptheshadow]

28. Then how about this link?

Obama is considering detailing his health-care demands in a major speech as soon as next week, when Congress returns from the August recess. And although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance
option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself, the officials said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html#ixzz0PwuzvkQX

[Teaser]

29. politico sad clown failure porn.

[JTFrog]

30. Same link.

:shrug:

Not sure why you posted it again.

[Clio the Leo]

34. lol, some of you would make TERRIBLE salespeople....

... and I'm not just picking on you, I've been meaning to say this for weeks now.

I'm in retail sales .... and without being overly vain, I can sell water to a drowning man, ice to an eskimo and a Mother Jones subscription to Joe McCarthy.

There are certain things my employer wants me to sell to my customers. Do I do this by demanding that they buy it? Do I tell them it's my way or the highway? Nope.

I make it ABUNDANTLY clear to them that I could care less if they bought it or not. I concede that it's cool if they only buy two things instead of three, because I only need them to buy one. I make THEM want it thinking that I DON'T.

I've asked time and time again here for an example of a President who rammed his agenda down the Congress' collective throats and he and his party survived into another term.

I've yet to get an answer.

[high density]

35. Bush did a great job ramming an agenda and was 'elected' to two terms

Even though congressional elections in 2006 were bad for the Republicans, they still clearly had control over the body and that remains in effect today.

My problem with Obama's approach is that he's going to get blamed for any legislation that comes out of Congress. So when the Republicans water down an already weak bill to nothing, they get the upper hand in telling people how bad it is and that Obama and the Democrats are to blame for the lack of progress. (The Republicans tried this exact tactic with the stimulus, though now that green shoots are showing, they have backed off.) At the same time the underlying problem of health care remains, Democrats come out weaker, Republicans come out even stronger even as a minority party. Endless capitulation has no good outcome that I can see.

[Clio the Leo]

37. "Even though congressional elections in 2006 were bad for the GOP"...

(had to change "Republicans" to "GOP" so it would fit)

...... see, that's my point ... and how did things go for the GOP in 2008?

Remember when Newt et al stormed the castle and decided they were doing things their way, the rest of the country be damned? How did that work out?

[high density]

38. So far I'd say the Republicans are doing OK with their agenda

They succeeded in watering down the stimulus. Health reform is sputtering like a clunker engine with sodium silicate poured in it, moments from seizing up. They succeeded in fabricating complete nonsense about health reform so they could come out and denounce their own delirious thinking, branded as Obamacare. They've had success at instituting a de facto constitutional amendment that says we now need 60 votes in the Senate to pass legislation. They have a rabid group of uninformed supporters that have infiltrated the media and give a significantly loud voice to a crackpot way of thinking.

The bottom line is that the "middle" of the political discourse remains far tilted to the right, despite the results of the 2008 election.

[jumptheshadow]

40. Yep, it's salesmanship all right

This thread certainly is a bait and switch to generate recommendations.

The OP started with a headline that President Obama was going to give a speech where he "threw down the gauntlet." But it didn't mention the fact that he was throwing down the gauntlet to the base of his party and basically telling them to "screw off" on the public option.

That was the real story in this article, which was quoted in the OP as a credible source, but then was denigrated when the people who actually read the piece noted that the breaking news in this story is that the president is going to "stare down" his core supporters in some kind of faux dramatic show of strength.

Actually, he's taking the wrong path here. He needs to operate from a position of strength and principle. That's what the independents are looking for, it's what his base wants and its what the public desires, according to the polls.

Yes, he's ensuring that he will be a one-term president, and that's because he will be perceived as a mighty weak man if he gives the speech that is being described.

[Spazito]

55. Oh noooooes!!!

If Politico, quoting anonymouses, says it's so, why, all are DOOMED! Politico, a slightly upgraded version of Talon News, is seen as telling the gospel truth, amazing!

[asdjrocky]

31. We'll see...

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

39. I hate to say it but this but he should have done this a loooooooong time ago

I hope this isn't another speech with no real substance and just generalizations. I don't like how they say he won't talk about the public option. Then again, it is politico..........

[Beetwasher]

43. No, Now Is The TIme

Now is the time for the big push.

[BeyondGeography]

44. When everyone was at the beach?

:freak:

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

45. wat

[joeycola]

47. Yes, it is too late IMHO.

[Ikonoklast]

54. Wrong.

His timing is perfect. He let the idiots lie and make fools of themselvesa, on the record.

He will use their own words against them.

[HopeOverFear]

58. Exactly

this is especially true...

He will use their own words against them.

[damonm]

60. As he said in the campaign...

"...we didn't throw the first punch. But we WILL throw the last."
And he will beat them up with their own lies.

[Cha]

65. Not, it's not too late..too

bad..we're going to get it! HA!

[Cha]

64. This is the perfect time.

Thank you, President Obama:patriot::fistbump:

[Better BeLIEve Bull]

61. slap em in the face, O!

[and-justice-for-all]

66. He better hammer the shit home too!!

Let'em have it Obama.

[Craftsman]

70. Clinton tried the same thing in 1993

to save a single payer plan. We all know how that worked out.