House Progressives To Obama: No Public Option, No Support

The Plum Line:

In a letter that was delivered to the White House moments ago, the two leaders of the bloc of House progressives bluntly told President Obama that they will not support any health care plan without a public option in it -- and demanded an opportunity to inform him of this face to face.

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[windwalker1984]

The public option has to be a strong, Medicare type option open to EVERYONE or forget it.

O.bama laid out his version of a bill and it is for MANDATES FOR EVERYONE TO BUY EXPENSIVE, PRIVATE INSURANCE

The so called public option, under his bill, is dead on arrival. He said it would be small, as only those without insurance could join it. It would not receive any government subsidies to get it up and running but people buying private insurance thru the "exchange" would get subsidies.

There is nothing in last night's speech about regulating the rates the insurance companies can charge people for this mandated insurance.

O.bama's proposed bill will sell all of us into corporate slav.ery.

That is NOT health care reform it is a corporate give away. Wall Street understands this - that's why insurance stocks are up today

[windwalker1984]

It has to be a STRONG public option, similiar to Medicare, and it has to be available to ALL Americans, not just a few to be effective.

O.bama laid out his version of a bill and it is for MANDATES FOR EVERYONE TO BUY EXPENSIVE, PRIVATE INSURANCE.

The so called public option, under his plan, is dead on arrival. He said it would be small, as only those without insurance could join it. It would not receive any government subsidies to get it up and running but people buying private insurance thru the "exchange" would get subsidies.

There is nothing in last night's speech about regulating the rates the insurance companies can charge people for this mandated insurance.

O.bama's proposed bill will sell all of us into corporate slav.ery.

That is NOT health care reform it is a corporate give away. Wall Street understands this - that's why insurance stocks are up today

[Siebenstein]

themselves, sorry

[Siebenstein]

House Progressives should be organizing themsleves into a Third Party.

[Chubbster]

Progressives are a tiny, vanishingly small percentage of people in America. Not in Santa Monica, not in Cambridge Massachusetts, but in America.

[CTtransplant]

We all have - or know of – health care horror stories...things that should not have been allowed to happen.

Well, Our elected officials in Congress receive health care mostly paid for by us tax payers, yet many are trying to make it impossible for us to have an affordable plan of our own :

While many of us are struggling to afford medical insurance/medical bills.
While Congress people try to stop healthcare reform.
While Congress people accept large contributions from lobbyists to prevent health care reform.

Please sign these petitions - and by all means, spread the word! Thank you!
http://www.petitiononline.com/PubOp676/petition.html
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/keepthepledge?source=email&subsource=fwd
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4951/content.jsp?content_KEY=2793&tag=pod_auto-email1

[jsgaetano]

It's nice to see at least the House of Representatives understands that Republicans lost the last two elections.

[judesuper]

Thank you!

[lightningbolt]

Progressives must continue to stand firm. Any sign of weakness will be exploited by the republicans.

[Arrecho]

Subject: Tell Obama: We're Counting on You

Hi,

President Obama will give a major speech next week laying out what he thinks needs to be in the health care bill.

This is a critical crossroads. The president needs to hear that Americans are counting on him to stand up to the status quo and fight for real reform with a strong public health insurance option.

I just signed a petition telling President Obama I'm counting on him to fight hard for a bold health care reform bill. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/hcobama

[Christian]

White House advisers will likely insist that liberals mustn’t deny the president a historic victory and enable a defeat that could cripple the first African-American presidency.

If he is going to back the republican call to drop the PO, then I most certainly will not support a president that backs the banks and now backs the insurance industry. I voted for a democrat, hoping for a progressive democrat, not someone that wants to drive down the center of the road all the time just to make everyone happy. If Obama is too afraid to fight for his promises, how can he expect is supporters to stand behind him? Every democrat I know is speechless right now about what to think. His pragmatism is leaving us all standing on quick sand, not knowing where the solid ground is. Looks like we didn't elect a leader, we elected a manager.

[Chubbster]

"Cripple the first African-American presidency" Man, the race card is everywhere! His skin color is IRRELEVANT to the job. We are not in race card tokenism land anymore, Christian.

[Christian]

Hey, I agree, it was a quote from the article! Not mine.

[luv4o]

It is certainly not the Progressive Dems that will hand a lost the President it will be the Blue Dogs .......

[olderdem]

What about a compromise that includes a public option, available to all, but allows each state to opt out if they so choose? I suspect we would quickly find out how much support exists for the public option. Those low population states that seem to be controlling the outcome could opt out. Just like the stimulus package we would find out that most states would want it, despite the rhetoric.

Let the people decide.

[CydMiller]

This increases cost and inefficiencies

[Christian]

It is an idea, for only a few crazy states will op-out and that will not change the positive effects of an PO.

[Bystander]

Don't worry...BO has demonstrated that he will sign anything that Congress passes...unread. "Change we can believe in!" What a LOAD!

[Grunty1]

Projecting Dubya again?

[Bystander]

Don't forget to breathe, grunt.

[admiralsonasongbird]

we the progressive should put cash together cash and get our own TV station like foxnews, CNN, and MSNBC. With a Tv program for progressive like Foxnews is for rethugs, we can do accurate reporting on progressive issues and debunk the lies from the right wing.

[hrholmes]

try msnbc from 6-10pm, that's as close as you'll get. Air America and progressive radio has already been killed. I miss Randi Rhoades the most.

[RTIII]

We have Keith and Rachel.

Oh, and a few excellent comedians who do a better job than reporters do, like Colbert...
.

[Arrecho]

Who's Blocking Health Care Reform Now? Blue Dogs? Senate Dems? House Progressives? Or the White House Itself?

by Bruce Dixon

By the summer of 2008, Democrats had stopped pretending there was much difference between them and Republicans on foreign policy. Their candidates were younger and smarter, but they weren't going to stop the wars or bring more than a few of the troops home anytime soon or lift the Cuban blockade. Forget about that stuff, leading Democrats said. Where the Party of Change would deliver for sure, they told voters, would be health care. Voters listened, and delivered Democrats the White House, a crushing majority in the House and a filibuster-proof Senate.

The president's timetable called for passage of a health care bill in the summer of 2009, but it didn't happen. The White House blames almost everybody --- blue dog Democrats, a handful of right wing Democratic senators, Republican birthers and teapartyers, even the large number of Democrats who want single payer health care or its shadowy stand-in, the public option. But the games are wearing thin. Democrats are running out of time, room and excuses.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/03-11

[IzzyCA]

KEEP THE PUBLIC OPTION in health care reform.
Everyone around the country should be calling the White House. Spread the word to your friends.

The White House Comment Line number is 202-456-1111.

if you get a busy signal, keep trying. Thousands are calling!

email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/