Lincoln: Obama Never Called Me On Health Care, I Had To Call Him

[laughingliberal]

The time may have passed for the president to personally lobby skeptical senators on both health care reform in general and the public option in particular, but it's become increasingly clear that either Obama was personally averse to one-on-one arm twisting or thought it was best to leave the task to aides or allies in Congress.

On Wednesday morning, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) revealed that the president never reached out to personally lobby her on health care reform. In fact, she claimed that she was the one who had to initiate the phone calls, not the other way around.

"I actually called and asked to have a meeting with him and went over to the White House and met with him and visited with him," Lincoln told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "I think he hates asking people to do things that's contrary to what their gut tells them to do."

One of a handful of conservative Democratic holdouts on health care reform, Lincoln ended up supporting the Senate's final package. But not before she was able to get the public option sacrificed. The Obama White House has repeatedly stressed that it did everything it could to get a government-run insurance plan in the final legislative language. But it's getting harder to believe that argument. Lincoln is now the second senator to admit that they never got a personal entreaty from the president on the matter. <snip>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/lincoln-obama-never-calle_n_502245.html

Yep. The big guns came out for the progressives who wanted to oppose the bill to get something better for us. Kid gloves for the corporate friendly Dems.

[Oceansaway]

1. screw Lincoln.....n/t

[Raineyb]

5. +1. Only I would have been ruder.

[Warpy]

2. Gee, Blanche, maybe you shouldn't have shot your mouth off

about what a good little corporate conservative you are and how you'd never support insurance reform. Maybe if you had kept your trap shut, you'd have been blessed with a phone call. As it is, the president's time is valuable and he can't afford to waste it on a closed minded, corrupt nutjob like you.

[laughingliberal]

3. Well, the President has endorsed her in her primary race

That's got to be way better than a call asking her to support a public option, huh?

[mmonk]

4. Flawed article. He had no intention to lobby for a public option.

[laughingliberal]

6. I believe that's the point of the article. nt

[riderinthestorm]

7. I've got a similar post in GDP about Kucinich.

"Yep. The big guns came out for the progressives who wanted to oppose the bill to get something better for us. Kid gloves for the corporate friendly Dems."

Even further, Obama gave big deals to Nelson and Landrieu in an attempt to gain their support. Perhaps Kucinich and the Admin are keeping mum, but what did DK get in return for his support? I hope he got something. But right now it looks like he gave away the store for the DLC/Blue Dogs while the real progressive (Kucinich) got a pat on the back and a ride on Air Force One.

[laughingliberal]

8. I really hope he got something for his support besides a tube of lube. nt

[Lorien]

9. Of course not. Corporate whores are embraced by this WH. Those who fight for the people

must be "managed".

[yurbud]

10. ''their guts''? Is that where she keeps her campaign contributions?

[Nikki Stone1]

11. K AND R!!

Thanks for this.

[laughingliberal]

12. Funny we never saw Obama at rallies in NE or AR or CT

calling out the legislators in those states opposing a Public Option.

The example of how the President handled Kucinich and the results sort of puts the lie to the talking point of, "The President has no control over how the Senate votes." We know that's a lie and we knew it was a lie while the supporters were saying it. The President always has some leverage to persuade recalcitrant members of his own party. What is telling is who he chose to use it on and for what ends.

[Zomby Woof]

13. Never trust a Lincoln

[Bryn]

14. A very funny comment

posted by someone in reply to the article

LOL

The evolution of Blanche and the (((hated))) phone.... Parts I, II, and III...

((young, pubescent Blanche...with the joyous buds of female-hood sprouting all over sits by the phone on her farm in Cat Fish, Arkansas....))

"Oh mama....why won't a boy just call me....

"You just stop yo frettin' now Blanche...one day you'll have mo boys than you can handle..."

..but ((alas)), Mama was d*ead wrong....that call from a young male suitor nevuh came.....

Part II:

19-year-old U. of Arkansas-Pine Bluff sophomore, Ms. Blanche sits in her room on a Saturday night...as the other girls ready themselves for their night out with their respective fellers....Blanche, homely and h*orny as always waits for the call......that will never come

"Tee Hee...poor little Blanche..sitting in a tree..k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love than comes....THE PHONE NOT RINGING...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)))"

(Blanche would make them pay one day...once she became Senator of her state and denied all of her tormentors health care coverage)

Part III:

Senator Blanche Dubois-Lincoln sits alone in her Senate office...still waiting desperately for a man to call her on that telephone....when suddenly...(((RING)))!!

"May ah hep you?" she asks in a syrupy drawl....

"Uh yea, I was just wondering if you had Prince William in a can?!?!

((Furious))) Ms. Blanche ponders terminating her phone service....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/lincoln-obama-never-calle_n_502245.html

[mzmolly]

15. ONCE AGAIN we no longer need 60 IN THE SENATE.

The bill passed the Senate once.

[laughingliberal]

17. Yes it did. That would be the bill with a mandate and without a public option

The point here is why wasn't the President out embarrassing the Blue Dogs in their districts when they were opposing a public option and while it was still in play? I think we all know the answer to that.

[saracat]

16. K+R . this says a lot.

[The Genealogist]

18. Cry me a river, Blanche n/t