Oof, today's White House briefing! It just ended. It is ridiculous, and sort of tense, like alligators wrestling for sex. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs suggests if perhaps there were two restaurants, each would be less expensive! This is a metaphor for healthcare. But people are like, yeah yeah, but is there going to be a "public option." Then Gibbs says: WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT SAY ON SATURDAY? NO NO NO NO, WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT SAY? I think he used the word "essential" someone volunteers! So if he did-GO FIND THE TRANSCRIPT. (Robert Gibbs shininess threat level, by the way: very matte!) YES, JAKE TAPPER? No we have not vote-counted, no really, we have NO idea if this thing will pass. (Um. Right. As if.)
Well is it a dealbreaker, if there is no public option? That's what we said in June, and July! But did the president say it was a dealbreaker in June to the AMA? So what the president is saying is that the public option is optional, and what are you going to say to Congress who will blow up over this? I AM NOT A MEMBER OF CONGRESS. IT IS A PREFERRED OPTION. But also: the President can't live without a competitive option! Warning to fish: RAHM IS FISHING OUT WEST. Sidebar! Why shouldn't tax payers feel like suckers? AIG is a ROYAL MESS. Also, Gibbs: "I am conversant on cookies but they're slightly different than what we're talking about now." NO LAUGHS, THE END. Back to healthcare. In the past Obama used to use the word "MUST" have a public option and now, now there is no MUST IS THERE? Now the word is "preferred." But he used to say "MUST INCLUDE" and now he does not! WHY is Obama not here to clear things up? WE DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING TO CLEAR UP, says Gibbs. Oh God then someone brought up Glenn Beck. Gibbs says Glenn Beck is not in his top 9000 choices on TV.
But there are upset liberals, who want the public option, and this is going back to square one? Well it's important to the President says Gibbs. But I guess "preferred."
Okay so now the press accepts that the public option is not a "dealbreaker." The final proposal has to satisfy "choice" and "competition" says Gibbs. So yes: back to square one.
Later there will be newspaper articles about this. And they will not make much sense because none of this does.
Actually, it all makes perfect sense to me. Obama can't go with a public option because he doesn't have the votes in congress. The "blue dog" democrats will never support it. And without their votes, IT CAN'T PASS.
So it's gonna have to be the "provider co-op" thing. That may not be as good, but what the fuck can he do?
That's life. That's politics. We'll see if at least the watered-down thing that passes is an improvement over the current mess. I suspect that it will be.
Oh. A realist, eh?
There are several ways this can go.
One is: the "loss of the public option" is a feint to energize the base and kick some courage into the Democrats in the Senate.
Another is: the Senate passes a version of health care without a public option, but then it gets restored during the reconciliation with the House bill.
Yet another is: a watered-down version with "provider co-op" is passed, we have a small victory, and the precedent is set to work toward more comprehensive reform.
Or else the whole thing goes down the tubes, in which case there is at least an opportunity to point fingers at the obstructionist Republicans who are up for re-election in 2010.
What is to be avoided, I hope, is the flinging of hands in the air and the crying of "Oh, we are doomed, I tell you, doomed!"
I think this is a call-to-arms for liberals, including Team Obama, who thought everything would be fine on this because there’s a Democratic president and Congress. This hoohaw â€" if there will even be one â€" over whether the public option is “preferred†or “essential†is a test to see how well The Left can support their guy. Up to now, Dick Armey and his army of shouty decoys have been outmaneuvering them at every turn.
Seriously, why didn’t anyone in the Obama administration think that the insurance companies and Big Pharma would mobilize a “grassroots†campaign to stop reform? And why has it taken them this long to realize that the only way to stop a “grassroots†campaign is with an actual grassroots campaign?
If they can’t figure out a way to get their one-time supporters talking about how insurers already make “Grandma-killing†decisions by denying coverage or how they force Grandma and Grandpa into bankruptcy so that Medicare will have to take care of them, the whole prospect for reform is doomed.
"the insurance companies and Big Pharma would mobilize a 'grassroots' campaign to stop reform? "
*sigh
Maybe that co-op thing won't be too bad. I would still LOVE to see a public option though.
The whole cluster fuck:
First class amateurism. World class arrogance.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Start providing medical care from your very own Dr. Taco Truck. Keep all the meds herbal so you avoid pesky regulation. I have seen a few good deals for the trucks on Ebay.
It may be time to start tracking the stock prices of the key players/firms/corporations in the "health insurance" market. If the stock prices go up, then we know the so called "non-profit co-op competitors" are just another branch of their operations. If the values go down between now and whatever laws are passed under the guise of "health insurance reform" then real change was made.
I'm going to go ahead and state the obvious: people are so fucking dumb.
TAKE THE FUCKING PILL.