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President Snowe: Public Option Must Come Off The Table

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:05:09 PM EST
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Via TPM:

"I talked to [President Obama] last week while I was in Maine and I talked to him on Monday as well," [Senator Olympia] Snowe said on MSNBC earlier today. "We talked about the public option. I was ... urging him if he could take the public option off the table in his speech this evening so it could provide, I think, a momentum of a different kind in moving this issue forward overall."

(Emphasis supplied.) So who was elected President last November, Obama or Snowe? Time will tell.

Speaking for me only

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    President Snowe: Public Option Must Come Off The Table | 31 comments (31 topical)

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    "A momentum of a different kind" (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Spamlet on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:11:12 PM EST
    Is that like change we can believe in?

    Call it a Snoweball (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by ruffian on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:33:34 PM EST
    rolling downhill

    Parent
    What a total screw up (5.00 / 3) (#7)
    by mmc9431 on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:21:11 PM EST
    If this bill keeps going down the tube, (as it appears) I'm glad they're putting it off for four years! Maybe with any luck, it will die before it ever gets implemented.

    I also hope they don't have the audacity to name this in honor of TK.

    Snobama? (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Dadler on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:26:13 PM EST


    I hate to think that somehow, the last (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by Anne on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:30:36 PM EST
    person who gets Obama's ear is the one who determines what the policy will be - at least until it starts all over again the next day, and then there's a new message, more equivocation and confusion - but it all does have that sense about it.

    If this goes to a trigger, it's all over.  Industry CEO's will be celebrating all over America.

    sos....DD (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by rise hillary rise on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:37:32 PM EST
    so this is basically what "health care reform" is gonna look like: a big fat wet kiss to the insurance industry.

    A "mandate" that every American must buy their product, regardless of how much insurers want to charge or the individual's ability to pay.

    A "subsidy" in the form of a tax credit for people who file 1040EZ forms because they don't pay enough in taxes to itemize deductions.

    A "trigger" that says if this doesn't cut costs in 5 or 6 years, then maybe we'll talk about a "public option" once again.

    I have the same sick feeling in my stomach as I did the night that Bush went on the teevee and said he wanted 90 billion dollars for his fledgling war in Iraq.

    late to work today (none / 0) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:08:46 PM EST
    and before I left home I saw Katrina Vanden Heuvel saying he would be talking about a public option.
    she sounded like she knew but maybe it was just wishful thinking.
    She is one individual (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by andgarden on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:11:07 PM EST
    that I find can be counted on to NOT know what she is talking about.

    Parent
    Even So (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by daring grace on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:19:45 PM EST
    Isn't that a fairly safe prediction?

    Don't we already know the president is going to talk about a public option? He's been doing that all along. I wouldn't be surprised if he reiterates he favors a public option.

    What would be a surprise (shock) is if he puts his full weight behind a PO being in the HR bill that finally comes to his desk.

    I haven't seen anyone predict that's about to happen.

    Parent

    LOL! n/t (none / 0) (#18)
    by ChiTownDenny on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:49:59 PM EST


    Parent
    Wonder wha t she means: (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:10:50 PM EST
    "Moving this issue forward overall?"

    Saw her on MSNBC today. (none / 0) (#5)
    by inclusiveheart on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:13:12 PM EST
    She seemed confident that her trigger would prevent any public option from being triggered.  She said it was just like the trigger in Medicare Part D that hadn't been triggered because according to her there is plenty of affordable choice in that plan.  She wasn't asked about the donut hole in Medicare Part D or about any of the other numerous flaws in that program.

    What kind of (none / 0) (#9)
    by lilburro on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:29:59 PM EST
    bullsh*t is this?

    I wonder if Obama asked her to make this kind of statement.  If so the pathetic nature of his Presidency is just astounding.  I guess it is also possible though that she is trying to put pressure on him to take it off the table and he does not want to.  

    Political suicide, here we come!

    Why on earth would he do that? (none / 0) (#26)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 05:23:53 PM EST
    We get nowhere if we don't comprehend the basic dynamics here.  He WANTS the public option, he's just not willing to FIGHT for it.  Good grief.

    Parent
    And you know this how? (none / 0) (#28)
    by dk on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 05:43:36 PM EST
    As for me, I don't think he asked her but, on the other hand, if President Snowe didn't exist, I'm pretty certain that Obama and the Democratic leadership would have had to make one up.

    Parent
    I know tihs because it's obvious (none / 0) (#31)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 12:04:48 AM EST
    He's talked and talked and talked and talked about it from the get-go as an essential part of meaningful health care reform.

    Parent
    Enough to make me sick (none / 0) (#12)
    by mmc9431 on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:33:57 PM EST
    Too bad I don't have health care insurance that would cover it.

    I get all warm and fuzzy when I see how well Obama works with Republican's! (snark)

    Maybe he should listen to WJC and forget about them. They aren't going to reelect him or help him maintain the majority in Congress.

    Honestly, with the fiasco he's created on (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by shoephone on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:38:40 PM EST
    health care reform, I think it's Democrats who aren't going to re-elect him.

    Bye-bama.

    Parent

    President Weiner? (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by nycstray on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:41:19 PM EST


    Parent
    Sign me up! (none / 0) (#19)
    by addy on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:13:07 PM EST
    He's one of the last remaining pols who don't make me spit in disgust.

    Parent
    If Obama can't stand up (none / 0) (#17)
    by lilburro on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:44:42 PM EST
    I can't either.  On Election Day.

    enraged

    Parent

    And they most certainly won't be (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by nycstray on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:40:16 PM EST
    voting for the bill.

    I thought we would get something in the way of HCR from him, but didn't expect much. This is getting a whole lot uglier than I could have imagined. Do we know where President Snowe stands on mandates (I'm getting all confused!)

    Parent

    Come on Obama, grow a spine, dude. (none / 0) (#16)
    by Angel on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 03:42:44 PM EST


    President Snowe also said . . . (none / 0) (#20)
    by nycstray on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:36:33 PM EST
     
    Baucus asked his "Gang of Six" bipartisan negotiators to report back with suggestions by Wednesday morning. "I made that clear, that the bipartisan effort will have more effect if there's agreement prior to the president's address," he said.

    But few appeared ready to do as Baucus wants and move before hearing from the president. "That's the cart before the horse, as they say in Maine," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican being courted by the White House.


    Link
    Maybe she would be willing to park her suggestion cart for awhile?

    The Republicans keep saying (none / 0) (#23)
    by MO Blue on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:50:31 PM EST
    F*CK you very much and the Dems keep bowing and scraping while thanking them for the abuse.

    Parent
    One of the few who gets better (none / 0) (#22)
    by oldpro on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:50:04 PM EST
    press than Obama.  

    Wonder if she's interested in making a play for her party's nomination?  Not that the base would ever let it happen but she could have some fun with the Governor of Alaska and the big boyz.

    Whatever comes out of this mess, Obama had  better be sure Snowe doesn't get the credit.

    So then, reconciliation. (none / 0) (#24)
    by s5 on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 04:56:32 PM EST
    Snowe doesn't want the public option. Fine. She's welcome to vote against it.

    More goodies for the Republicans (none / 0) (#25)
    by MO Blue on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 05:17:33 PM EST
    But today, the White House indicated that as a gesture of bipartisanship, President Obama would discuss malpractice reform.

    "The president is going to talk about the downside of what many doctors have told him is the practicing of defensive medicine, where doctors because they are worried about this order more and more tests in order to make sure that they don't get sued," Gibbs said on CNN. "That costs our system billions and billions of dollars every year."

    Gibbs called this "a big test, because the president is going to outline things that Republicans want to hear. I think the test for Republicans is to hear the message of millions and millions of Americans that are struggling with the high cost of health insurance.  Are they ready, willing, and able to come to the table and work with the president to get something done, or are we just going to stand on the sidelines without a plan? That's the challenge tonight for Republicans."

    link

    Gee, are the Republicans ready (none / 0) (#27)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 05:27:25 PM EST
    willing and able to "come to the table" on meaningful health care reform?  I wonder, wonder, what will the answer to that never-before-asked question be?

    Gibbs is on what planet?

    Parent

    who was elected president? (none / 0) (#29)
    by diogenes on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 08:07:28 PM EST
    Did Obama run with the public option first and foremost on his platform in 2008???  Maybe if he did then we would have had President McCain.

    also not elected for this (none / 0) (#30)
    by diogenes on Wed Sep 09, 2009 at 10:05:41 PM EST
    Obama did not run on a platform of mandatory individual coverage, in fact blasting Clinton for suggesting that.  It's a stretch, then, to say that he was elected to sponsor this set of proposals.

    President Snowe: Public Option Must Come Off The Table | 31 comments (31 topical)

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