Ok here we at-1030 am now and this story as usual has taken many turns because SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE FIRED AT WH. NO COHERENT MESSAGE AND ITS DAMAGING THE PARTY AND POTUS RIGHT NOW. IVE ABOUT HAD IT.-
This is breaking on ABC News. George Steph. reports Obama will argue for the public option in his speech Wed. He will not say scrape it. Gibbs made the statement today on This Week. The Vid and partial transcript below. Gibbs' tone is a bit chnaged. Still room to fold if you ask me but is clear Obama will argue for the public option to be in the healthcare bill. Progressives must keep holding firm and labor must not give him wiggle room tommroow at the AFL conf. But some decent news to report for once.
ABC
President Will Make Case For Public Option Wednesday Night
September 06, 2009 9:17 AM
....
I had a pretty spirited go around with White House Press Secretary Roberts Gibbs and the latest on this dilemma over the public option. The bottom line: Gibbs says the President will make the case for a public option in his speech to Congress on Wednesday but he won't issue a veto threat if it isn't in the final package.
Gibbs also said the White House is willing to draft its own health care legislation. Here's our exchange:
GEORGE: There has been some talk about whether the President will draft legislation is that what’s happening now?
GIBBS: "Well look, We have been looking a legislation for months. You have now several different proposals in the House and Senate that have made the way to the committee process. Obviously the Senate Finance Committee continues to work, so you are going to have ideas coming from a couple different directions and the president has take all those stands and pull them together."
GEORGE: So he will do that and put his ideas on the table?
GIBBS: Were going to certainly..People will leave that speech knowing where [Obama] stands and if it takes whatever to get health care done the president is ready willing and able to do that. We are closer George than we have ever been before."
http://blogs.abcnews.com/...
Gibbs on the President's Health Care Battle
UPDATE-
Like clockwork Axe goes on NBC and says yes pub option we still want but we can live if its not there. That is bull.
Yes news from ABC is better than what we heard a few days ago where wh was leaning towards chuking it in a major speech. however axe like clockwork is saying yes we want a pub opt but we can do with out it. so ususal clusterfuck on the issue. no clear stand for po to me. Yeah we think it is best but um we wont veto bill if not there!
http://cbs13.com/...
UPDATE 2-ON POLITICO NOW. WH ALREADY IN TROUBLE THIS AM. Gibbs says pres will argue for it, axe on nbc says not essential, ap spins it now axe has had to do a press correction! cant these people get in synche before u know talking?
The Associated Press, which often sets the agenda for how other news organizations cover Sunday shows, popped up a headline saying: "White House shifts on public health care option". The story's lead: "WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's top political adviser is backing away from having a government health care plan compete against private carriers."
Axelrod disputed that interpretation in an e-mail.
"In no way did I back off our position," he wrote. "I must have said half a dozen times that he thinks the public option is an important tool to bring about competition and choice that will help consumers. To say that it is not the whole of health insurance reform, in a country where 160 million people have employer-sponsored health insurance and would not even be affected by this, does not mean I am backing off!"
Indeed, Axelrod also told Gregory: "He said there must be an exchange where people can get insurance at a competitive price. He believes in competition and choice. The public option is an important tool to help provoke that where there is no competition. He still believes that. ... So we want to create a pool in which people who don't have insurance, and small businesses, can go and get insurance at a competitive price. And a public option would be a valuable tool within that group, that package of plans that would be offered, private and public."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/...
OK-TIME TO FIRE COMMUNICATIONS FOLKS AT WH RIGHT NOW . WE ARE LOSING BIG. STATEMENTS, RETRACTIONS AND CONFUSION IS NO WAY TO SELL HEALTHCARE. PROGS NEED TO DEMAND FIRINGS RIGHT NOW. WE CANT WAIT.