Obama “Cautiously Optimistic” on Health Care Reform
EmailABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: After meeting with the Senate Democratic Caucus at the White House today President Obama said that he is "cautiously optimistic" that the health care bill will be passed, saying that they are on the "precipice" of achievement yet stayed away from any deadlines on when this might happen. Flanked by Senator Dodd, Harkin, Baucus, Reid Durbin, Murray and Schumer President Obama said there still are considerable differences to be worked out in the bill, even though there is still many parts of agreement. "There are still some differences that have to be worked on. This was not a roll call. This was a broad-based discussion about how we move forward." The President said that the final bill won’t include everything that everybody wants. "What I told my former colleagues today is that we simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a longstanding and urgent problem for the American people. They are waiting for us to act. They are counting on us to show leadership. And I don't intend to let them down and neither do the people standing next to me." The President said the costs of not acting are too great, and repeated the refrain, "if this doesn’t get done," multiple times. "If we don't get this done, your premiums are guaranteed to go up. If this does not get done, more employers are going to drop coverage because they can't afford it. If this does not get done, it is guaranteed that Medicare and Medicaid will blow a hole through our budget. Those things are guaranteed. That's the status quo. That is the trajectory that we are currently on. I don't intend to have that happen. And I believe that the Senate doesn't intend to have that happen." The President called for a "fair reading of the bill" and called on every member of the Senate to "take a careful look at what’s in the bill," He said that the bill meets the criteria that he laid out when he spoke before a joint session of Congress. "It is deficit-neutral. It bends the cost curve. It covers 30 million Americans who don't have health insurance, and it has extraordinary insurance reforms in there that make sure that we're preventing abuse." Mr. Obama said that there is still work to be done, "in the next few days." "I am absolutely confident that, if the American people know what's in this bill and if the Senate knows what's in this bill, that this is going to pass. Because it's right for America, and I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that we can get this done and start rolling up our sleeves and getting to work improving the lives of the American people." -Sunlen Miller
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In my opinion, this is how a President talks about Congress. The President does have to understand his/her legal limits and what has to be left up to Congress. The President is not a King, thus leads a branch of government.
Posted by: David | December 15, 2009, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Psst! President Obama? Sir?
A lot of us do NOT want the government to get involved in our health care or our health insurance.
Please do not misrepresent what we want. This is all about you and what you perceive your legacy to be. We don’t want this. We will be grateful if you scrap the whole thing. Thank you.
Posted by: Ruh oh... | December 15, 2009, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
Obama and the democrats are walking off the plank.See ya.
Posted by: bobmac | December 15, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
A lot of us do NOT want the government to get involved in our health care or our health insurance.
Ruh oh… | Dec 15, 2009 4:38:19 PM
Really? I hadn’t noticed a great outpouring of anger against Medicare, the government run fully socialized health insurance program. Indeed, Republicans have been very vocally defending it from the slightest trim.
Posted by: jhw539 | December 15, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Posted by: Ruh oh… | Dec 15, 2009 4:38:19 PM
Psst . .. Obama ran on providing universal health care. The majority of Americans support a public option.
Posted by: tierra | December 15, 2009, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
Psst.Most americans are against this bill in every poll.
Posted by: bobmac | December 15, 2009, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
“The President said the costs of not acting are too great, and repeated the refrain, “if this doesn’t get done,” multiple times.”
Would this be considered a “fear tactic” similar to those of which Obama accused Republicans just last week? Perhaps a case of “pot” and “kettle”?
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
From USA Today/Gallup Poll:
USA Today poll shows Obama below 50%
When he was inaugurated in January, Obama scored a job rating of 64% approve-25% disapprove in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll — a net positive rating by a formidable 39 percentage points.
As the year comes to a close, he’s still in positive territory, but not by much. The latest survey, taken Friday through Sunday, puts the president’s approval at 49%-46%. That is Obama’s narrowest margin of the year, with his approval matching his low point in early October and his disapproval matching his high point later that month.
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Perhaps The One’s obsession with a governmental take-over of healthcare may have something to do with declining ratings?
BTW – Given that Obama’s approval ratings have dropped below 50%, does that mean the majority of the country are “right-wingers”?
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 4:59 pm 4:59 pm
“From USA Today/Gallup Poll:”
That was the right wing blog Hot Air’s analysis of the USAT poll not the USAT
Posted by: Ryan C | December 15, 2009, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
Barak 0′Carter said “If we don’t get this done, your premiums are guaranteed to go up. If this does not get done, more employers are going to drop coverage because they can’t afford it. If this does not get done, it is guaranteed that Medicare and Medicaid will blow a hole through our budget. Those things are guaranteed.”
.
This is the same fool who said give me $787 million dollars to sprinkle around and unemployment won’t go above 8%. Now at 10% unemployment we have just one more piece of data that he is totally clueless. So, should we be “cautiously optimistic” that he doesn’t screw up our health care as bad as he had done our employment?
Posted by: gk | December 15, 2009, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
Whoops. I was very wrong.
That was from the USAT.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 15, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Headline: “Bush Closes the Gap”
From Public Policy Polling 12/9/09:
Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama’s declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they’d rather have his predecessor.
Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that’s somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country’s difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited.
The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore, which is good news generally for Republicans and especially ones like Rob Portman who are running for office and have close ties to the former President.
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Appears “Bush Did It!” is losing momentum…
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
“That was the right wing blog Hot Air’s analysis of the USAT poll not the USAT’
Does this change the polling numbers? Does that change the fact that Obama has experienced a spectacular fall?
As always, left-wingers deflect and attack the messenger.
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
“Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama’s declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they’d rather have his predecessor.”
During Russia’s transformation from communism to a more capitalistic economy there were many problems and issues and people sometimes encountered greater hardship then they had under the Soviet regime.
In response to that you saw a Stalin revival where Stalin grew more popular among the people, most of whom were well aware of his record.
That’s why Putin can run the country with an iron fist.
Hopefully Americans are much smarter.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 15, 2009, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
“Does this change the polling numbers? Does that change the fact that Obama has experienced a spectacular fall?”
With umemployment hitting double digits its amazing he’s still at or near 50%.
His poll numbers will be a reflection of the economy and people’s perception of it.
The GOP is counting on the economy still being a wreck because they have ZERO ideas.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 15, 2009, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
“In response to that you saw a Stalin revival where Stalin grew more popular among the people, most of whom were well aware of his record.”
Interesting analogy. We’re now headed in the opposite direction of Russia in the 90s.
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
“The GOP is counting on the economy still being a wreck because they have ZERO ideas.”
Standard left-wing talking point. Interesting that just last week Obama advocated the use of tax cuts to assist small businesses recover and hire more employees. Would appear to be a validation of the use of tax cuts to stimulate the economy rather than wasteful government spending.
Given The One’s dedication to distribution of wealth, growth of government, and massive spending, the economy will not recover to the extent it would otherwise leading to continued sluggish/flat growth and unemployment that will hover close to double-digits. 2010 and 2012 will be referendums on Obama and his policies. Not looking good for Democrats.
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
“Whoops. I was very wrong. That was from the USAT.”
Appreciate the intellectual honesty rather than cut-and-run (as is so often seen on this blog).
Posted by: tjp612 | December 15, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
To all of you entering the “Medicare age” be prepared! Medicare has NEVER been an option…Medicare is forced on anyone becoming 65 years of age! The only option you have then is to purchase a Medicare supplemental policy from Blue Cross, etc…just to cover your butt because Medicare covers almost nothing!!!! That is FORCED on ALL Americans reaching 65 years old!! AND THE PREMIUMS ARE TAKEN FROM YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK EVERY MONTH! AND OUR GOVERNMENT JUST RAISED THE PREMIUMS BEGINING IN JANUARY JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER PRIVATE INSURER!! I am over 65 and am paying almost as much for Medicare and Supplemental policies with less coverage than I was paying my private insurer with excellent coverage! Becareful what you wish for….the government is only there to take whatever money they can get from you whether it is your paychech taxes, gasoline taxes, clothing taxes, county tax, state tax, cigarette tax, alcohol tax, etc, etc, etc….the list is just too long…AND the taxes some people will have to pay on the $4600 cash for clunkers. I think the government should be named “Cash For Clunkers” because that is what they are ….. clunkers!!
Posted by: ross | December 15, 2009, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm
According to yesterday’s Rassmussen poll 56% do not want this bill to go through.
Also 46% now Strongly Oppose the plan, compared to 19% who Strongly Favor it.
Why should we continue down this road? Why are Democrats so insistent on this idea?
Demoncrats are like heroin pushers… once they get you addicted to Socialism you won’t want (or be able) to go back.
Posted by: Denbo | December 15, 2009, 7:13 pm 7:13 pm
from the wapo’s latest poll …
Even among those who presumably stand to benefit most from a major restructuring of the insurance market — the nearly one in 5 adults without coverage — there are doubts about the changes under consideration. Those without insurance are evenly divided on the question of whether their care would be better if the system were overhauled.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | December 15, 2009, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
Oh come-on Barack, I’m sure that, with your main thug Rahm and the goons over at MoveOn.org taking care of any opposition through threats and intimidation (like threatening to close down a major AFB in central Nebraska for SAC), you can be a little more than just ‘cautiously optimistic’! You don’t give yourself enough credit.
Posted by: Bill | December 15, 2009, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
through threats and intimidation (like threatening to close down a major AFB in central Nebraska for SAC)
__________________________________
Bill what’s the original source of this lie? Quote, source and date please . ..
Posted by: tierra | December 15, 2009, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
Lieberman claims that he is against the medicare buy in because of the economy. Funny how he has supported war and even war mongered in this same bad economy. I guess he prefers to see innocents killed on foreign land opposed to helping those in his homeland. Seems he really is a Republican after all.
Posted by: Lori | December 16, 2009, 12:02 am 12:02 am
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The way these lying politicians say the healthcare bill is deficit neutral is, for the first 10 year span, the government collects taxes for 4 years before services are offered, then deliver services the next 6 years.
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The “deficit-neutral” lie is a ponzi scheme on the order of Bernie Madoff. After the first 10 years the whole system imploded on it’s own costs.
Posted by: N Waff | December 16, 2009, 12:39 am 12:39 am
Can’t you people see — yet — that Obama is our enemy?
Posted by: tanarg | December 16, 2009, 1:06 am 1:06 am
Passage of health care, in it’s original form, and the basic same provisions hidden in the second attempt,would have been our cement shoes, sinking the US into socialism.
Thank you senator Lieberman, and all of those who put basic American principles number one in their duty to the US and the laws of our land.
Posted by: US731 | December 16, 2009, 12:10 pm 12:10 pm