Obama to work to solidify support for health bill

[Akoto]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After months of turmoil, President Barack Obama is calling Senate Democrats to the White House to say it's time to come together and pass legislation embracing a wholesale remodeling of America's health care system.

The meeting set for Tuesday afternoon comes a day after Senate Democratic leaders suggested they were ready to abandon the last vestiges of a government-run insurance program that liberals have long sought, in order to placate moderates and secure the 60 votes they need to overcome united GOP opposition.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is racing to finish the sweeping bill by Christmas. There's not a vote to spare in the 60-member Democratic caucus, and Obama planned to drive the unity message home.

-snip-

The White House meeting coincides with a Capitol Hill rally planned by conservative activists opposed to the bill, with speakers including talk radio host Laura Ingraham and Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL?SITE=NCKIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[mvd]

1. Why does this have to be done so soon?

I don't want it to drag on forever, but we also should be willing to get this right. If the bill is weaker, I don't think we have to worry about the insurance companies having time to mount a campaign against it.

[Baclava]

3. Isn't it obvious? 2010 is an election year.

Many congresscritters will be trying to save their phoney baloney jobs.

They won't want to stand for anything the least bit "controversial".

[Javaman]

4. exactly. They want to shovel over this health care corpse as quickly as possible.

so they can lie to the fickle americans about how they gave us reform! americans have short memories and short attention spans. They are banking on just that.

But some how I don't thing we will forget this time.

2010 will be very very interesting.

[mvd]

6. Could be, but they should be thinking long term then

They should say, "will this excite my potential voters?"

[earcandle]

2. I guess Americans don't deserve to have their tax dollars pay for their healthcare... but they

don't get a choice about their tax dollars going for war.

What kind of a democracy is this? I am having a cognitive dissonance problem on this lack of logic and
passion and ethics in decision-making. Who is running our congress? And who are the people who put these
guys into office? We really need a change of the guardianship of our treasure. This body of guardians of our wealth and allocators of services is not doing the work it needs to do to protect and enhance our hard working lives. They should not have a right to our payroll and sales tax dollars if we cannot be served by their use.

Crashing Into the Future

[LaPera]

5. Now that there's a watered down, weak bill doing almost nothing towards offering any options

just the same insurance companies profits & the usual corporate insurance collusion bullshit...

But so what, now Omama wants to get behind this fucked up bill so he could parade around and call this piece of shit bill "health care REFORM" and claim the bill as a victory for himself, his administration and the American people.

As this pile of shit bill will be his center piece of achievement during his State of the Union Address next month.

[zipplewrath]

7. The NAFTA of health care

Why do I get this sinking feeling that this is the "NAFTA" of health care. A bill passed by democrats which ultimately will undermine the long term interests of democrats and their constituency. And one they'll never be able to get changed.

The last democratic administration passed DOMA, DADT, and NAFTA. We're still stuck with all of them.

[wordpix]

8. If you're in DC and can make it, there's a MoveOn rally at front of WH against Lie-man

1 pm is the time. Great time to show up and let the senators AND WH know how you feel about this so called health care bill

[dflprincess]

9. A "wholesale remodeling"?

A remodeling would be single payer - protection of insurance company profits is not "remodeling" nor is it "reform". For that matter, what "health bill" is Obama going to solidify support for? The only thing on the table right now is an insurance bill that does nothing to guaratee access to health care.

[RamboLiberal]

10. If these numbnuts Dems pass a "sausage" of a bill

and not something that will truly benefit Americans it will be apparent well before Nov 2010 and Dems will deserve to go down in defeat. Obama too shouldn't count on the level of grassroots support he got in 2008 in 2010.