Sources: Expect Disappointed Progressives After Obama's Big Health Care Speech
Late last night, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)--a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus--issued a press release saying he had "grave concerns" that the White House is telling pro-reform groups that they will "cease supporting" the public option.
Though I can not confirm Grijalva's claims entirely, after a number of off-the-record conversations with congressional and advocacy sources, it's clear that many progressives are preparing themselves to be disappointed next week.
White House telling progressives to STOP running Public Option Ads, "It's just not worth it"
Low-level White House officials have reached out to certain reform groups that have staked their ground on the need for a public option, I'm told, and warned them not to spend any more money advocating for the policy--that it's just not worth it. That suggestion hasn't been heeded--at least for now. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Democracy for America raised over $100,000 to continue running this ad in Iowa after Congress returns from recess.
But a White House official told the New York Times "It's so important to get a deal [that Obama] will do almost anything it takes to get one," which strikes some as an all-too-apt description of the White House's mentality.
i know we are weary of anonymous sources... but it's not floating trial balloons this time. It's just not the type of thing someone would lie about, especially when the anonymous source is a progressive this time, and not just some white house staffer or rahm. Also TPM tends to be far more trustworthy in reporting our concerns, rather than rumor mongering. So this doesn't need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Anyway, back to the article, looks like it's the trigger, and the public option is their fallback, as slink's diary has pointed out:
Many believe that the administration--reportedly in fevered negotiations with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)--will put their efforts into securing a health care reform bill that calls for a public option as a fallback--to be triggered at a later date if and only if private insurers don't manage to rein in premium prices on their own.
What's the trigger? 47 million are uninsured already. I ask again. What the f#$%ck is the trigger? Does it have to be twice that many uninsured? Do twice as many people have to declare bankruptcy due to healthcare costs? Do twice as many homes have to be forclosed on? (By the way, the president's foreclosure plan has only helped 6% of their target it was reported).
Anyway, TPM's optimistic take on the rest of it. I do take this with a grain of salt. There's nothing to be optimistic about. The sky really may be falling.
House progressives have vowed to oppose such a scheme and some are renewing their insistence that they won't accept such a compromise.
If that effort fails, the thinking is that the "reconciliation" option--which circumvents a filibuster, and could allow Congress to enact a fairly robust public plan--could still be in play.
That said, the process is still very fluid, and much still hinges on what happens in the days leading up to the President's landmark health care address before Congress next week.
The leader of one major reform group said that they have received absolutely no communications whatsoever from the White House regarding the content of the President's speech or anything that would indicate from them a change in their position on the public option.
But that appears, for now, to be the optimistic take.
link: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
UPDATE: here, do something about it:
Sign the petition:
The MoveON petition reads: "President Obama, we're counting on you to fight for bold change on health care--including a strong public health insurance option. It's the key to breaking the stranglehold that private insurers have over our health care system."
While PCCC's is a bit bolder. "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...