Obama's calling Senate Dems to the White House

[AndyA]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34430563/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

He's going to give them a really stern talking to, I guess.

I wonder what's next on the chopping block? This health care reform has been diced up into so many pieces, if someone sneezed it would take them a year to piece it back together.

[tekisui]

1. Next up, get rid of that pesky 'pre-existing condition'

reform.

[wordpix]

2. maybe he'll tell them to inform Lie-man his chairmanship is up as of today

That's change I can believe in, as opposed to the change I'm losing faith in.

[Vincardog]

3. He is going to tell them what a WONDERFUL job they have ben doing.

[WeDidIt]

4. Is everybody going to watch while he gives Lieberman a massage?

I'm sure there will be a happy ending.

[Bluzmann57]

5. So what?

Is he going to say, "Let's give Mr. Lieberman whatever he wants."? Of is he going to say, "Let's get this health insurance reform bill done correctly"? My guess is somewhere toward the former.

[budkin]

6. Please Obama... you're the only one that can turn this around now.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. Obama should knock their heads together and get a single payer health system

it could start with this bill and be built on over the next couple of years.

[optimator]

8. more theater

he will probably put on a good show of fake scolding, like he did yesterday with his wall street buddies

[xultar]

10. +1

[bluethruandthru]

20. Ding, Ding, Ding!

That's the correct answer!

[xultar]

9. I thought they went last night. What happened.

[emulatorloo]

14. No I think that was just a caucus meeting on the Hill

[xultar]

18. Did holy joementum go? Do u know?

[AndyA]

26. Yes, I heard that Joe strutted himself in there.

I remember posting here at DU at the time that I wished Reid had Lieberman's gonads, because that's what it took to show up.

[xultar]

32. I think Reid has a bit of cover from Obama on this one. Because Obama by wanting

Reid to give him a chairmanship gave joementum validity which he eventually used to walk on the dems in the senate.

[VMI Dem]

11. Spectacle for the gullible.

[Turbineguy]

12. I suspect there's a "Man Overboard" play in progress

and Lieberman is "it". If the citizens of Connecticut want a Democratic Senator, they will need to elect one.

[tridim]

13. What would you rather he do? Ignore the reality of Congress?

This is good news.

Contrary to popular belief, Obama does want a good bill. Lieberman and his corporate masters don't, but we already knew that.

[emulatorloo]

15. "damned if you do, damned if you don't"

[LatteLibertine]

16. At this point

I really feel they just want to be able to say they did it. The actual substance of the it doesn't matter.

President Obama was doing the same sort of theater on 60 minutes when he was "blasting" Wall Street and their CEOs. Talk is cheap.

[DCBob]

17. Traitor Joe is "on-board" as long as no "government-run insurance plan" of any kind..

WASHINGTON – Independent Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman says he expects to support the Democrats' health care legislation as long as any government-run insurance plan stays out of the bill. Lieberman has been a question mark on the health care legislation for months. To win him over, Senate leaders said late Monday they were backing away from a Medicare expansion Lieberman opposed. They already had dropped a full-blown government insurance program. Lieberman told reporters Tuesday that if the Medicare expansion and government insurance plan are gone, "I'm going to be in a position where I can say what I've wanted to say all along: that I'm ready to vote for health care reform." Senate leaders need Lieberman's support to secure 60 votes necessary to advance the legislation in the 100-member Senate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_lieberman_1

[polichick]

19. Probably just PR - the WH is good at that...

...but people are not falling for it so much anymore.

Still, I'd like to be a fly on that wall!

[LittleBlue]

21. Ream them. Please, for those of us who voted for a say and got none.

[KansDem]

22. Maybe he'll advise them to go with Reconciliation?

Ya'think? Huh? Huh?

Maybe he'll remind them the Repubs used the big Recon for many of Bush unattractive programs:

Despite their howls against Obama, Republicans employed the same procedure to pass major Bush agenda items (which were supported by all four aforementioned Senators):

– The 2001 Bush Tax Cuts

---

– The 2003 Bush Tax Cuts

---

– Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005

---

– The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

ThinkProgress

Ya'think?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

27. Reconcilation is difficult to do on non-budget related bills. I think that's why they

haven't flat-out stated that they'd go that route. I say DO IT, already, dammit!!!!!

[Blue Owl]

23. yawn

less talking, more doing.

And by doing, I mean giving the American people what they voted for.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. "Obama needs to lead!"

"Obama! Stop leading!"

[Robbins]

25. Maybe

He wants to give Lieberman even more power.Health Care Reform Is dead.No Public opotion.No expansion
of medicare and Medicaid.Just a handout to Insurance companys.Exactly what Is the reform anymore.They
gave up everything to Conservatives.Next that pisky pre exsisting condition will be given to
Conservatives.And yet they expect people to pay for Insurance with their mandates.

[Impedimentus]

28. I'm sure the Senate Democrats are cowering in their offices ...

fearing for their lives, afraid that the President will humiliate them into submission, just like the big banks cowered in fear from yesterday's political theater over at the White House.

If the big banks want taxpayer money they whine a little and Tim Geithner delivers big bags of it by overnight express - practically interest free. If the poor or the middle class need health care reform to stay alive, or help with mortgages to stay in their homes, the Administration delays and delays, finally providing the needy with 30 minutes of Administration Political Theater.

The rulers of the Corporate States of America never had it so good.

[AndyA]

29. I heard on the news last night that some of the banks didn't even show up.

The weather was so bad that apparently they couldn't make it.

I don't know about you, but if I had a meeting scheduled with the President of the United States, I think I'd make sure to get there before any bad weather could prevent it.

Unless it was Bush, I'd likely have not shown up for that.

[David Zephyr]

30. Bingo.

It's good to have you here at the DU.

[tridim]

31. Would you rather he cut the banks lose at let them fuck us forever?

That's what Bush did, and look where it got us.

At least the President is trying, regardless of Denial-Underground's opinion.

[Armstead]

33. Message: "Cave in you guys. I need a bill."