"Any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange

[VMI Dem]

a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost 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." - President Obama.

Good to see the President has walked back that statement for the common good of the insurance industry.

[AndyA]

1. Dylan on MSNBC said this would impact at most 9 percent of the people.

Not sure that's enough to matter much, unless you're one of the 9 percent. We'll just have to see what's in the final version.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. But 9% totals nearly the amount of people who the pro bill

people are shouting about 'getting coverage'. They say 30 million. Well, there are about 300 million Americans. So 9% is not a small amount of people.

[AndyA]

13. I took it to mean 9% of the people who would now be eligible for insurance.

So, much smaller than 30 million. And there are still many questions about how costs are going to be controlled, the smaller the group, the smaller the impact. I came away from the discussion with the impression that bottom line, there wouldn't be much of an impact.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. 30 million at the bottom disagree with you

How easy to write off "only 9%" of 350 million.

We're worse than the fucking Romans thumbing down at a gladiator event.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. Convince the Senate to give it to him and he'll sign it.

Absent the legislation that he desired, Obama is now in a position to accept something that is less than what he wanted or to accept nothing at all. If he's going to stand pat on his earlier statements and veto his legislation, that means another year (or more) will go by without reform.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, if nothing changes, there will be some 45,000 people who will die in the next year because of inadequate access to health care. Now let's be fair and assume that only a fraction of those 45,000 -- maybe just 5% -- would be positively effected by the reform that's on the table right now.

Taking a pass on this legislation means that more than 2,000 people are going to die in the next year. What if it's another fifteen years until we have the opportunity to do something? Tens of thousands of people die.

You're Obama. Do you draw a line in the sand or do you make the deal?

[VMI Dem]

3. Like I said, good thing he walked that comment back.

[freddie mertz]

4. I thought that was Obama's job.

Silly me.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. Making these decisions is ABSOLUTELY his job.

And he's made his choice.

My question: What do you do if you're Obama -- Accept a lousy deal or risk the lives of thousands of people?

[freddie mertz]

14. Might be a good idea to stand for something BEFORe you give it all away.

Don't you think?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

17. It was never Obama's to give away...

If you want to be pissed at somebody, go have a chat with Harry Reid. He's the guy who's supposed to be able to keep the Democratic Caucus in line. If I were placed in a position of having to choose, I would take 100 Stupak Amendments (sorry, NARAL) over the loss of the Private Option. I would have made just about any friggin' deal I had to in order to keep that in.

That didn't happen. Sixty-plus precent of the public want it, but it didn't happen. Ask the Senate Majority Leader why that got left out.

[johnaries]

23. It's NOT Obama's job. It's OUR job. Obama didn't elect them, WE did.

I tried, but unfortunately Alexander and Corker didn't listen. I didn't really expect them to, but I tried anyway.

Remember, Obama never said "yes, I can" - he said "yes WE can!"

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Should the LEADER OF THE FREE FUCKING WORLD be doing that?

You make his sound like a victim. Next you'll be saying "Pooooor Barry. Poooooooor, Poooooooor Barry".

The contortions of the apologensia ..........

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

8. The leader of the Free Fucking World has to do this all the time...

It's called politics.

And you didn't answer the question: Do you take the deal or do you write off thousands of Americans?

[Phx_Dem]

24. The only person using the term "poor Barry" is you

and the teabaggers. Nothing about passing this bill was easy. Nothing.

You're stinkin up the place, Stinky.

[John Q. Citizen]

Obama is incapable of drawing a line in the sand and demanding a minimum package. He will always

take whatever they give him and claim it's somehow important.

I think Obama should give billions to the private prison industry, and if a tiny bit of that goes to improve the diet of prisoneers a little bit, he can claim it's reform.

He should triple the defense budget so that the contractors make triple profits, and if 2 percent more goes to vets benefits, he can call it important reform.

He should pass a bill requiring Americans purchase heroin from the Russian mob, because it will help some farmers in Afghanistan, which will help the war effort.

See, the chances to make the criminals rich are endless, as long as a tiny amount can be claimed to do some body some where some good.

And you can champion it when he does. Does he help those Afghan farmers? or does he let the deal go down and wait more years to help the war effort since those farmers aren't making any money?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. Fourth response to my question....

and fourth non-answer to my question.

You're Obama and you have a choice. Knowing that several thousand Americans will likely die if you don't sign this legislation, do you stand on priciple and let them die or do you take the deal?

[VMI Dem]

12. I listen to the generals and send more of them to Afghanistan.

Whoops, wrong thousands of dead Americans.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. Fifth response....still no answer

It ain't easy being the POTUS!

[ima_sinnic]

16. +++1 righteous insights (nt)

[katandmoon]

18. Most importantly, health insurance stock is SKYROCKETING over this deal! Of COURSE you make it.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

22. No it's not....

The major carriers have seen their stock prices double during the past year, but that's only slightly better than the broader market and not as good as at least four non-insurance stocks that I have in my own portfolio.

And while these stocks jumped Monday morning on news that a deal had been struck, the increase was not terribly remarkable (3-4%) and in some cases, the stocks have given back up to half of that during the past two days.

[Teaser]

9. it's the insurance exchange that must be included

the president has been very clear on that from the beginning. The PO is simply one of the plans the insurance exchange can sell.

[uponit7771]

20. Look,...we don't need none of those damn facts round here k?

[uponit7771]

19. unrec, Obama did not EXCLUSIVELY campaign on public option...thx

[Unvanguard]

21. I think that can be read a different way.

"Any plan I sign must include AN INSURANCE EXCHANGE"--that's the requirement--"and here's what I think that exchange should be like" (NOT a requirement.)

Considering that at no other point has Obama indicated that the public option was a litmus test for his health care plan--considering that repeatedly at other times he said the exact opposite--I think it's hard to claim that he's been particularly dishonest about this.