Obama to Democrats: "Keep Eye On The Prize-we are this close, and we have to be unified"

[kpete]

Obama On OFA Webcast:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/oct20watch
“We Have To Be Unified”
By: David Dayen Tuesday October 20, 2009 5:41 pm

Obama’s Organizing for America webcast from New York City, which seemed more like a campaign speech than a Presidential address, featured a very strong defense of the progress made in his first term, and a vow that he is “just getting started” on the change for which people voted last November. When challenged from the audience on health care, however, Obama instinctively sought to defend the Senate Finance Committee bill shepherded by Max Baucus.

Someone at the OFA event called out an unintelligible remark about the Baucus bill during the speech, and Obama stopped and said, approximately:

Somebody just brought up something. I just want to say this. Among Democrats and progressives, there are a whole set of views about how we can deal with health care. But know this. The bill you least like would provide 29 million Americans with health care. The bill you least like would bar denial of health insurance for pre-existing conditions. The bill you least like would set up an exchange where people can use some leverage and bargain for better rates ...

I want to say to you, Democrats: let’s make sure that we keep our eyes on the prize <...>

Democrats, y’all thinking for yourselves. I like that in you, but we have to make sure we finish the job. We are this close, and we have to be unified.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/20/obama-on-ofa-webcast-we-have-to-be-unified/

[saracat]

1. Sorry but I will never support a bill that doesn't provide health care for all

I will never support HCR that mandates insurance premiums for everyone and doesn't provide coverage for everyone. I will NOT take the pov that something is better than nothing and "trust" that things can be made "better" later. Nothing has been done to "inspire " that "trust" in me. Something isn't better than nothing , and if we can't do the right thing now, with Democratic majorities in both houses and a Democratic WH, we must have never intended to do the right thing to begin with.

[sandnsea]

2. Hillary supported mandating insurance

That's what you supported in the primary.

[saracat]

6. I never actually supported mandates but if we must have them healthcare must be for ALL.

and Hillary wasn't my first choice. I supported Edwards but I was uncomfortable with his mandates as well.

[sandnsea]

8. That was her plan, mandated insurance

Yeah, Hillary, her plan will cover everybody!

Uh, yeah, through mandated insurance.

You bought into Hillary's "covering everybody" bullshit, well that's how she was going to do it. Mandated insurance.

[saracat]

9. Did you read what I wrote? I said "If" we "had" to have mandates

the plan had to cover "everyone". I do not "like " mandates but I certainly will not support a mandated plan that doesn't cover everyone. And yeak. it is that "covering everyone" that is my line in the sand

[sandnsea]

11. The mandate is how they defined covering "everyone"

They only reason they could say they were covering "everyone" is because of the mandate.

The House plan will cover 97% of the people, same as Hillary's. All because of the mandate. That was her plan to "cover everyone", mandate them. That is what you supported.

[GreenArrow]

13. To be fair, that poster supported Edwards.

As a staunch non-Edwards supporter, I remember her well. To be doubly fair, both Hillary and Edwards were dependent on mandates. Obama was supposedly 'agin 'em.

[sandnsea]

15. I've known Saracat since 2004

I know full well who she supported and what she stood for. When Edwards dropped out she went whole hog for Hillary because she blamed Obama for his loss.

And I also know full well which part of the Democratic Party is pushing these mandates and which DUers were for them a year ago and are in hysteria over them now.

[saracat]

22. I was never FOR Mandates. But I always supprted health care coverage for all.

[sandnsea]

26. If you supported Edwards' and Clinton's plans

for "health care for all" - then you necessarily had to support mandates because that is the specific method that they were going to use to get everybody covered.

[saracat]

27. Please read to comprehend. I said, I didn't really support mandates but if that

was what was necessary to get health care for ALL Americans I could live with it. I certainly will never support them if they do not provide health care for ALL Americans

[sandnsea]

28. That's why they're in the legislation now

They're what certain members of the Democratic Party have said are necessary to get health care to ALL Americans.

So what's your beef?

Mandated Insurance is what both Hillary and Edwards supported.

[saracat]

29. My beef is that they are even considering a PO that doesn't cover ALL Americans.

That is my beef.

[Barack_America]

42. So did you support what you supported or not?

:shrug:

[saracat]

46. I support heathcare for ALL.

[Cha]

32. Damn good thing Edwards

lost..thank you, President Obama.

[saracat]

25. That is also true.

[AllentownJake]

12. Yes I remember being instructed

by the Presidential Campaign to bring that up while I was campaigning in the primary as a point on why Hillary's Health Care plan was worse than the Presidents. It was a talking point given to volunteers. :eyes:

[Karmadillo]

18. That was the right talking point then because we were still at war with Eastasia.

nt

[bobbolink]

3. "we must have never intended to do the right thing to begin with." Well said!

I'm with ya on that!

I'm afraid it's so much smoke and mirrors... with the billions still being reaped by the ultra-rich.

[lonestarnot]

5. No, Harry Ried, and the blue dogcrappiles never intended to do the right thing to begin with,

therefore, we should continue to grow the 55%.

[saracat]

7. Neither did Obama. The appointment of Rahm said it all.

[Individualist]

10. +1

[sandnsea]

16. Rahm from the Clinton Administration??

That Rahm? The only thing different if Hillary was in the White House is that we wouldn't even be discussing health care reform yet.

[saracat]

24. Never liked Rahm. No matter who likes him. And you can't prove that statement.

what has Clinton to do with anything? She isn't in the WH and isn't likely to be. obama is. and the buck stops at his desk, no one elses.

[GreenArrow]

4. Prize?

A booby prize, maybe. Nice work though, equating the co-opted, chicken-shit approach to solving the health care puzzle that we've seen so far with the civil rights struggle.

[EFerrari]

14. Great. We're in a human rights lottery.

Edit: Sorry, cranky today. This no health care stuff is hard to take when you need to go to a doctor and you can't.

[Libertas1776]

17. What prize?

The only thing that I foresee is a big bag of flaming dog shit.

(Pictured Above: Proposed Health Care Reform Bill)

[Karmadillo]

19. The prize? You mean he's come around to single-payer (again)?

nt

[slipslidingaway]

20. Thanks for posting - what about the other 20 million with no insurance. nt

[katandmoon]

21. Yup, the eye on the prize of screwing Americans over just in a new way!

[gratuitous]

23. I have my eyes on the prize

But are we talking about the same prize, Mr. President?

[MisterP]

30. points at own signature line n/t

[Cha]

31. Good for the President..I know he's working

hard and a lot of people appreciate that.

[saracat]

33. "Working hard" ? Isn't that a Bushism? Dubya used to talk a lot

about "working hard" and "appreciation". Common GOP phrasing.

[Cha]

34. Don't whine to me.

[saracat]

39. And another GOpism! On a roll.They just keep coming!

[Cha]

40. Stop it.

[saracat]

45. Something you might consider. The language of the otherside is not.

acceptable!

[Cha]

48. Please get a

life.

[saracat]

49. The same applies to you. Constructive answer BTW

:sarcasm:

[Cha]

50. Stop harassing.

[saracat]

51. Seriously????????

:rofl:

[Better Today]

35. Mr. President, I believe WE are all unified, will you join us?

[eridani]

36. No, the bill would provide 29 million people with possibly useless insurance

--at $450 a month and it only covers 70%. Ending pre-existing conditions is utterly useless if the shitstains still get to charge anything they want for a premium. The exchange is useless if we have to wait for 4 years for it. All of this could be avoided by allowing voluntary buy-in to Medicare, which could start in 2010.

[HughBeaumont]

37. If there is NO public option, there IS NO reform.

I'm not even hoping for single payer right off. I understand insurance lobbyists are too numerous, too influential and too hellbent on .. . . keeping the status quo firmly in place.

What I want is an INCH.

One single solitary fucking INCH.

One single foot in the door of SOMEthing having to do with forward progress. You know, something the workers of this country haven't been getting for about 30 years now.

I WANT a public option.

If there is NO public option, there is NO reform.

I find it SUCH a massive insult that there are people in this country still believing this one little thing (which we should be getting ANYway) is too much to ask for.

Since were talking about costs that bludgeon the worker like a pile of anvils dropped on their backs, when is anyone going to address the issue of a college education public option for unemployed workers? Again, I shouldn't expect college education to be subsidized in a nation where everything has to be about making a buck. Well, maybe I should, but this is the hypercorporatist United States we're talking about :eyes: It just seems absolutely senseless to tell workers with relatively zero spare income to go "retrain" when the cost of college is still exorbitant and getting worse.

You know, kind of like expecting unemployed workers to COUGH UP when they get sick, what with no forest of money at their disposal and all.

[Yuugal]

38. "The bill you least like"

Yeah, and why is what we least like always what Obama likes the most?

[Barack_America]

41. Mr. President, with all due respect, I did not donate hundreds of $$ and hours...

...to get what I "least like".

[ProSense]

43. Video and transcript

here

[LeFleur1]

44. Mandates

I can see a Medicare-like program that would mandate everyone pay into it. I cannot see insurance company programs where everyone would be required to pay into it. Insurance companies are not regulated enough for that and I don't think they ever will be. It would not be real reform.

[ProSense]

47. Jacob Hacker

on a public option

House committee votes to repeal health insurance industry antitrust exemption

[blues90]

52. People want healthcare and here people are yammering all aboout it

There is no actual bill the people can all see. No one knows where the money will come from and to force people to pay when they can't even afford food or even have a damn job is insane.

Why not instead take all the profits made off these wars at the tax payers expense , find out who profited and is still profitting off the illegal wars and take that money and pay for the entire thing and end the wars. It was after all profit off death which is the very same thing as the medical corporations are doing and have been doing for a long time.

No , can't have that , just allow the very ones who created this entire mess and robbed the people to get away with it and bail them out and then ask the people to pay more and with what.

All the while the people making and deciding on these bills have nothing to lose and are set for life.