President Obama is against this Abortion Amendment

[Thrill]

In an interview with ABC News Monday, President Obama objected to language in the just-passed House health care bill that would strictly limit the purchasing of insurance policies that cover abortion.
Telling ABC that "this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," the president said the bill should be revised so that "we're not changing the status quo."

"I want to make sure that the provision that emerges meets that test," he said, "that we are not in some way sneaking in funding for abortions, but, on the other hand, that we're not restricting women's insurance choices."

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. It will be interesting to see how he comes up with a solution for that dilemma

it would truly be Solomonlike.

Here's my own Solomon answer-

If you are giving Federal subsidies for private insurance and you say you don't want federal dollars going to abortions, about the only thing you could do would be a bookeeping gimmick that says that somehow all elective birth control or reproductive health or however you want to phrase it stuff comes off the client side of the dollar in the premium. I'm sure some software programmer could design an accounting system that could do it.

[FLyellowdog]

4. Would subsidies be paid to patients or directly to ins. companies?

If paid to companies, then that would ensure women would have to use their own money for riders, and therefore no problem. Has the vehicle for distribution been discussed?

[Lord Helmet]

2. Truth is the amendment should have never been brought to the floor.

Pelosi should have settled it in the caucus.

[optimator]

3. He hates fighting for issues

especially hard ones like abortion.

[FLyellowdog]

5. And you know this because he confides in you on all issues?nt

[ClarkUSA]

You must have failed reading comprehension in grammar school. Um, welcome to DU. nt

[joeycola]

32. based on your postings today, Obama disagrees with you.

[jenmito]

39. Based on YOUR postings today anc every other day, many of us are wondering why you're still here. nt

[joeycola]

40. I love you all so so so much.

[Cha]

44. Just don't be bringing anymore

rw shit on here about our President.

[joeycola]

62. Well, now you consider articles from the Left to be RW. Guess you have

all your bases covered.

[jenmito]

73. Do you already forget about your locked thread yesterday when you posted a RW article calling

Obama "bloodless" and claiming some are wistful for the days of Bush?! :eyes:

[vaberella]

45. Ain't that the truth. n/t

[ClarkUSA]

51. Unlike you, I can tolerate differences of opinion with Pres. Obama without resorting to bashing.

I also don't post freeperish OPs about being wistful for Bush that get summarily locked by the mods.

[freddie mertz]

81. You still disagree with him on Stupak? nt.

[jefferson_dem]

13. Hey! Welcome to DU.

:hi:

[vaberella]

27. Of course, that's why he spoke out against it. What you want him to come out with boxing gloves?

Obama vs. Tapper ----Fighto,round 1.

[Cha]

30. No, he doesn't..you just haven't been paying attention.

[LovinLife]

6. Well, looks like the Health Care fight is over. No chance of it passing now.

The Dems were gutless before, now we have no shot at health care reform.

[prolesunited]

10. Defeatist much?

Geez

[LovinLife]

15. I'm a realest. THis thing is now turning into an abortion issue. We know blue dogs don't have

the stomach for it. We're screwed.

[NavyMom]

54. Geesh climb off the ledge...btw it's realist...nt

[LovinLife]

58. I didn't notice it until it was too late to edit. Not my fault. I'm the realest realist. nt.

[Cha]

34. So much negative piling on..

I'm really glad we have a President who is not and knows how to make things happen.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Words are cheap, Mister President

And we have heard a lot of cheap words from you for the past several months on issues ranging from LGBT rights to peace. You will be judged by your deeds, and your failure to act.

[jefferson_dem]

11. Yours are cheap as well...

Sorry.

[Cha]

42. Fucking mediawhores rule with you..I know that.

[rug]

8. He's against a lot of things. Nevertheless, the amendment is still there.

And a lot of things are still there.

[jefferson_dem]

Wait! He hasn't excised the Amendment out with this own exacto-knife yet!?!12!1!

What the devil is he waiting for?!

[rug]

14. He'll get to it as as soon as he's finished being deeply troubled.

[jefferson_dem]

You're projecting.

Being "deeply troubled" is your gimmick.

[rug]

17. So is the OP.

[dionysus]

68. you seem to keep confusing the legislative and executive branches of govt, comrade.

[rug]

85. You seem to keep confusing the raw power of the presidency with pandering to the right, bacchus.

[IndianaGreen]

12. but he will escalate the war in Afghanistan

you can bank on it!

Obama's Afghan Plan: About 40K More Troops

(CBS) Tonight, after months of conferences with top advisors, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for Afghanistan. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that the president will send a lot more troops and plans to keep a large force there, long term.

The president still has more meetings scheduled on Afghanistan, but informed sources tell CBS News he intends to give Gen. Stanley McChrystal most, if not all, the additional troops he is asking for.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/09/world/main5592551.shtml

[Cha]

38. I'll wait to hear from my President on this and

not your mediawhore articles.

[IndianaGreen]

41. And when he does speak of war, you will find a rationale to support it

[jenmito]

21. That's bull. He just let Congress know he wants them to strip the amendment out in Conference.

[rug]

28. And he didn't know about the amendment Saturday morning?

[jenmito]

33. Do you not understand how bills pass? This amendment was put in the House bill, NOT the FINAL bill,

so it would pass the House. Now it can and probably WILL be stripped out. Stupak told Pelosi he'd vote for the bill even if the amendment failed as long as she put it up for a vote. And this amendment was already rejected in the Senate bill. It won't be in the final bill.

[rug]

36. Well then, no reason to publicly oppose it, is there?

[jenmito]

37. Now that it's going to Conference soon, there IS. Saying he's against it could give

anyone in Congress the little kick they need if they're on the fence.

[rug]

48. So he will speak out publicly to empower legislators about to enter a closed room but

will not speak out publicly before the House takes a nationally televised vote on "the most important health legislation in 100 years."

Not even I am that cynical.

[jenmito]

50. Why should he speak out before the House bill passed? He obviously wanted to let

the process play out and let Pelosi do whatever she had to do to get it out of the House.

[rug]

52. Obviously he is an International Grandmaster.

[IndianaGreen]

75. It cannot be stripped in conference if the Senate passes a similar amendment

[ClarkUSA]

9. Translation: the language will be removed in conference.

As I've said repeatedly last night and today... to no avail.

[vaberella]

23. I heard you. I just don't want to get my hopes up.

If it comes true, let's make them puke on crow?! :rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

53. You've gotta a deal!

:rofl:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

16. Barack, don't even start...

[Cha]

60. Start what?

[dionysus]

69. start saying things that blow the crappy argument out of the water that he's somehow anti-choice now

[vaberella]

18. But people said Obama wouldn't speak out against it.

Oh how they underestimate my President.

[jenmito]

22. Exactly. n/t

[Cha]

35. Or they were hyper whining that he

hadn't already bc it wasn't on their finger snapping timetable.

[Better Believe It]

55. Did he say he will not sign a healthcare bill if it includes the anti-abortion rights provision?

It's important to understand the difference between speaking out and acting against something one opposes.

President Obama once spoke out in support of a single payer healthcare system.

Later President Obama backed off that position but spoke out in support of a strong, robust public option.

Later President Obama backed off that position but spoke out in support of a public option that would amount to a sliver in the healthcare bill.

Will President Obama back off his most recent position and soon speak in favor of a weak public option that might kick in sometime in the distant future with a trigger mechanism?

[freddie mertz]

66. I was skeptical but am pleasantly surprised.

Now I hope all you guys who defended the legislation yesterday will join the president and the rest of us in opposition to it.

[ProSense]

19. Daily Kos dairy

here

[vaberella]

25. Thanks just read it. Good stuff Prosense. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

20. Key phrase there is.. "provision that emerges"

in other words, Stupak as it currently exists is not in its final form.

[vaberella]

29. Hell no. I knew he was going to do that.

I didn't think Stupak would be removed but I suspected it would be reworded. Because that is one thing Obama has always been consistent in (let me rephrase) one of the things he's been consistent in, women's rights.

[winyanstaz]

24. Thank God for that....

At least there is one more besides Kucinich with some princiles.

[vaberella]

26. Thrill I want to give you a big THANK YOU and HUG!!! Good looking out. n/t

[Cha]

31. :-)

you need a cyber:hug:

[vaberella]

43. Wahhh...

:hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals::hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals: :hug: :pals:

[Cha]

47. ..

:grouphug::bounce::D

[Better Believe It]

46. So he will not sign any healthcare insurance bill that contains that restriction.

That's the real acid test. And that's what President Obama must say if he's serious and not just blowing smoke.

[vaberella]

56. He never said he wouldn't sign a bill without the Stupak.

But he either will reword it or make it nullified with something else so women maintain their rights. Stupad's name might still be there, but his amendment will be watered down to maintain the rights of women.

[noamnety]

49. I fully expect him to be a "fierce advocate" for women. nt

[jenmito]

57. Rep. Diana Degette just said she's "enormously encouraged" by what Obama said

on this subject today. :)

[Thickasabrick]

59. Can't he just do an executive signing statement like shrub?? nt

[me b zola]

61. Well, that should shut up the people saying that Stupak-Pitts is no worse than Hyde

~~~NOT!

I've posted links to this and to Rep Degette for those whom repeatedly say that Stupak-Pitts is just A-OK with them, yet for at least three of them, they continue to argue. Funny that they ones who seemingly have an agenda have not posted on this thread.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-exclusive-obama-jobs-health-care-ft/story?id=9033559
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x400719

[LaydeeBug]

63. Good. I take it he's threatened to veto the bill if it's in there.

:eyes:

[joeycola]

64. Gibbs: Obama not taking sides in Stupak amendment debate

you better ask his sidekick about that.

Forum Name General Discussion: Presidential
Topic subject Gibbs: Obama not taking sides in Stupak amendment debate
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8747190#8747190
8747190, Gibbs: Obama not taking sides in Stupak amendment debate
Posted by joeycola on Tue Nov-10-09 01:25 PM

so, we now have the WH fence sitting on this issue!!


http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/67001-gibbs-obama-not-taking-sides-in-stupak-amendment-debate

Gibbs: Obama not taking sides in Stupak amendment debate

By Tony Romm - 11/09/09 02:38 PM ET

The White House on Monday signaled it would keep its distance in the increasingly vocal debate over whether health insurance reform should include language related to abortion.

When asked whether the president supported Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) amendment to prohibit the public insurance plan from covering abortion services, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dodged the question -- multiple times.

"Well, ask me that right before Christmas and the end of the New Year," Gibbs said during today's press briefing, noting the president still expected to sign a healthcare bill before the year's end.
....................

However, a number of liberal-leaning Democrats have since insisted they will not lend their votes to any conference report that contains even a variation of Stupak's efforts -- a position that puts the Democratic leadership in quite a political bind.

"I would expect that we would go over to the White House next week -- and we're going to tell the president the same thing we're telling the speaker," Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus Chair Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) told MSNBC earlier today, reaffirming her opposition to the amendment.

"A large group of us are saying that if this language is contained in the conference report, then we will not vote for the conference report," she added. "So it needs to be stripped out in the conference."

..................

[jenmito]

74. This thread is more recent than your "Gibbs comment"! Jeez-don't let the facts get in

your way!

[Cha]

84. Yeah, I'd talk to ya but you're dead.

[freddie mertz]

65. I am glad he has said this and HOPE he really means it.

Maybe now all the supposedly pro-Obama folks who took a "wrong turn" on this one will stop DEFENDING the Stupak bill, and/or DENYING how bad it reallyis.

Each and every one of you who defended should be ashamed of yourselves.

You should renounce your previous ]defense of this C-street spawned amendment and stand WITH this president in principled opposition to this assault on women's rights.

Join me in support the president on this issue.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

67. ...

[IndianaGreen]

70. Obama should use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to defeat Stupak

from whatever bill comes out of the Senate, no matter what Ben Nelson says to the contrary.

Blue Dogs bark a lot, but they only bite when we let them.

[joeycola]

72. Yes, and threaten a veto if not changed. Simple!

[jenmito]

71. Kick to rebut the thread with old information.

[uponit7771]

76. Yeap

[jenmito]

78. Can you believe that the person who started that misleading thread is on THIS thread repeating

the out-dated story?!

[IndianaGreen]

77. Words are cheap!

And when words are not matched by actions...

[uponit7771]

79. That doesn't mean the OP wasn't being disenginous

[jenmito]

80. The other thread was out-dated. Obama has since taken a stance against the Stupak amendment

regardless of WHAT another poster claims.

[jenmito]

82. Funny. On another thread you said, "Silence is consent." Obama can't win with you! n/t

[Cha]

83. Your Cheap Shots are what's CHEAP.