Axelrod Refuses To Say If Obama Will End Antitrust Exemption For Insurance Companies (VIDEO)

During an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, senior Obama adviser David Axelrod refused to say directly whether or not President Obama would sign health care reform legislation that would end the antitrust exemption for insurance companies, something Obama teased in his radio address yesterday.

Pressed repeatedly by Stephanopoulos, Axelrod continued to dance around the issue, finally saying "we'll see what Congress does."

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Comments

[billobasher]

Liberals do not understand. Single payer will NEVER get through Congress. It is a waste of time to even bring it up.

[Marcospinelli]

"Single player will never pass Congress", according to who and why?

That's got to be the stu.pid.est line ever put forth to kiII bills and movements, and sadly it's one of the more effective. Why? Because it's aimed at losers. It's aimed at insecure and easily discouraged people who continually vote against their own best interests out of fear.

Single payer is legislation, like any other, that requires a campaign to be created behind it to explain and sell it.

We have a catastrophic problem facing us and single payer happens to be the most effect way to solve it. It's actually the only way to solve our problem, and the most democratic of all solutions.

Single payer is the least expensive, most efficient method of delivering affordable quality medical care to everyone.

The alternative is denying sick people medical care so other people, very rich people, can enjoy profits.

If you think that's what most Americans think the US is about or want the US to be about, you're nvts.

[billobasher]

Obama's approval rating has risen to 57%. How can this be? I thought Glenn Beck was leading a "groundswell?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html

[Marcospinelli]

That 57% believes Obama the propaganda it's fed daily by very expensive public relations disinformation campaigns that confuse them into believing that, 1) Obama supports a public option (he does NOT), and 2) Whenever he mentions his equivocal support of "a public option" ("but it's not the only way to get choice and competition" -- How much did we pay for that buzz phrase, 'choice & competition'?), it's not the Medicare-like public option they want -- It's their tax dollars going to buy 29-47 million insurance premiums for other people with profit margins for private insurance up to 30%.

Polls are worthless in this.

Americans want and need affordable quality medical care, and don't give a d@mn about Obama's real bosses and interest: Helping Big Insurance & PhRma make obscene profits.

[laurenlv]

Yea, about three years ago that guy Axelrod tried to sell me a total piece....

[AnimalLover6]

OMG. Our Congress is so bought that they can't even back anti-trust laws.

[SunnyDaySam]

Would someone please tell me why any industry, especially the insurance industry, has an 'Antitrust exemption"?? If that isn't 'socialism' , nothing is. These guys deserve nothing special.

[vascopyjama]

It's very simple really, they bribe (sorry lobby) our elected officials. Most of the rubbish happening in Washington wouldn't even exist if we had election reform and banned lobbyists.

[october2009]

I'm sorry but you're looking at the wrong issue... The root of the problem is that the Federal government has too much power, money, and control of our economy. That's the magnetizing force that attracts all the bribers (lobbyists).

By the way, how can you "ban" lobbyists?

What makes you think that if the government made lobbying illegal, that there wouldn't be secret backroom deals being made?

Plus, no matter what the government makes "illegal" it doesn't stop it from occurring.

Sorry, but you have to ask yourself, why do people feel inclined to bribe our government?

The simple answer is that our government has way too much power, and power corrupts.

If we had a limited constitutional government like our founders created, we wouldn't be in this mess.

[Alexander2791]

Unfortunately we cannot ban them since they are so powerful. They even serve as advisers to the government! What a JOKE!

[weatherwaxx]

Obama can't end this singlehanded. CONGRESS has to do it. And WE have to prod Congress into acting on behalf of the people who are footing the bills - the US taxpayers.

Why don't our newscasters have the information base that most kids should get in high school civics class?

Democracy isn't a spectator sport. Here's some contact info.

WHITE HOUSE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
202-456-1111 Between 9am-5pm Eastern Mon-Fri

SENATE: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

[Palemoon]

You are right, it takes Congress acting. But remember how President Clinton stood up to Gingrich and company when they threatened to shutdown government? He let Gingrich shutdown government and Clinton, to his credit, didn't back off of threats to veto. What happened as a result? The GOP suffered so many losses that Gingrich resigned.

Now is when we need President Obama to show some backbone the way President Clinton did.

[Tyrione]

It's not the White House's job to end it. It's the job of Congress to end it in legislation and then the job of the White House to sign that into Law.

[Pennsanic]

I'm just a bill...
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee
But I know I'll be a law someday
At least I hope and pray that I will
But today I am still just a bill

[whitegayrepublican]

Thanks for that. I so miss the days when we were informed out of the cradle about American political process. Stephanopoulos I hope you're watching too. You might learn something NEW...who knows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ
(Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law)

[Alexander2791]

At this stage Obama need to get involved, but he won't because he is spineless and will not behave as a leader.

[vippy]

I just about had it with Obama and I did vote for him, I had great hopes and they are all slowly eroding.
Why won't he do the right thing? It is so obvious that the corporations run Washington. Why do we need senators? The president is bought also. We are never getting out of this current mess.
I was hoping the anti-trust exemption was Obama's ace in his sleeve against the greedy insurers.

[weatherwaxx]

Like everyone with the best intentions, the Prez is probably finding the course a lot more difficult than he expected. But still, the alternative was unthinkable. (And yeah, I DO keep saying that, because it is always a factor.)

[october2009]

Voting for the lesser of two evils... You're still voting for evil.

[edejan]

Why do these guys even go on the Sunday morning shows? All he did was repeat the same olf buzzphrases which do not add anything to the information we already know. We know the insurance industry profits have increased. We know we need a better healthcare. Blah, blah, blah...what we don't know is what he will not say...will the outrageous insurance industry exemption from antitrust laws be repealed???

[sak]

This is a no-brainer. If any industry should be required to abide by the anti-trust regulations, it is the insurance industry. They, after all, are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands each year when they refuse to insure a person, eliminate coverage of a person because of a pre-existing condition, or refuse to follow a physicians direction as to how a person should be treated. They deciide on whether we live, die, or live in angony.

Mr. President. Do something!

[max hp]

~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~ A PUBLIC OPTION ~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~

..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­. DON'T REFORM WITHOUT IT ..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­..........­...

Let our Congressional leaders clearly understand that lack of a condition-free Public Option in any successful Health Care Reform legislation will have negative consequences in the upcoming election.

Health Care Reform is MEANINGLESS without a strong condition-free PUBLIC OPTION, with clear unrestricted path to SINGLE PAYER.

A Public Option must be administered by the Federal Government.
A Public Option must be available to anyone who wants it, starting Jan 1, 2010.
A Public Option must be available to anyone, irrespective of Pre-Existing Conditions
A Public Option must be available to anyone at affordable rates.
A Public Option must be available to anyone whether employed or not.
A Public Option must be available to anyone whether his/her employer offers it or not.
A Public Option must NOT have any conditions placed on it by any private or for-profit entities.
A Public Option must NOT restrict anyone from opting in or out of it.
A Public Option must NOT be restricted from evolving into Single Payer.

A Public Option, and ultimately Single Payer, must be fully financed from federal taxes.

A Public Option must be made mandatory for ALL government employees, including Congress.

Don't bother to pass anything that does not have A CLEAR CONDITION-FREE PUBLIC OPTION.

~~~~~~IT'S WHAT WE WANT ~~~~ IT'S WHAT WE NEED ~~~~ IT'S WHAT WE CAN AFFORD~~~~~

..........­..........­..........­..........­... THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A PUBLIC OPTION ..........­..........­..........­......... **********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­**********­********

[EBDave]

Are you enjoying your vacation in dreamland?

[lemealone]

If Obanana wants to take the lead he would say he won't sign any legislation without such a provision defined.

[Palemoon]

The selling out of the grassroots continues, completely unashamed and unabated.

[nomobull]

how dare he not put words in the president's mouth.

[HowdyDoody]

My thoughts exactly. George S. can be a terrible interviewer. Remember the debate where he parroted what Sean Hannity wanted him to ask, about Bill Ayers? He keeps asking unanswerable questions, and now Huffpost says Axelrod "refused" to answer. Balderdash!

[S E Martin]

This is such a NON-story.