What a ride, what a ride. Health care-o-rama '09 has been absolutely insane and it's only going to get nuttier from here. Of course, AHIP's already shot themselves in the foot and the GOoPers have been exposed as the petty obstructionists they are, but there is still a lot to get through. Hell, it's just begun.
Which brings me to the diary's title. If the primaries and the general taught us anything, it's that Obama groks when very, very well. Preternaturally so. The man has roped a lot of dopes in his time, if you know what I'm sayin'. ("Yes, Cedwyn, I know what you are saying!")
I don't see any reason to expect anything different from him now. For one thing, he has consistently said that he would be largely staying out of the debate in Congress until they actually had a bill. This made heaps of sense; why should he expend himself when the final details weren't known? Then there's this delightful quote from Rahm on Sunday:
CNN Live Nation guy: Is the trigger good enough for the President?
Rahm Emanuel: The President of the United States will obviously weigh in when it's important to weigh in on that.
Delicious! And that's just the appetizer...
Now, I don't want to get all jedi-ninja-11th-dimension-mind melding chess here, but Obama has seriously been playing dumb and keeping mum. A lot of people argued that it was necessary that he keep a relatively low profile and not go making a fuss about refusing to sign bills without this or that or the other thing - not very useful when you're trying to entice people to your cause and/or string them along. Others insisted that he needed to come out with a bold, definitive statement.
I think both camps can take heart in this fantastic L.A. Times article.
Months ago, when President Obama made healthcare his top domestic priority and picked the White House team to make it happen, he selected individuals for just this moment -- not for the beginning or the middle of the campaign, but for the end of the fight.
Timing. Oh yeah.
The article gives a lot of great detail about just how involved these staffers have been with Congress. They've been working behind the scenes for months, massaging health care negotiations and trying to win over recalcitrant dems.
The goal seems to be ubiquity -- blanketing Congress with White House aides.
By her count, DeParle has met one-on-one with 135 people, part of a strategy she mapped out with Schiliro.
No one from the team is dictating to Congress. "We've been clear on some guardrails. We don't want to increase the deficit, things like that," DeParle said. "Otherwise we've given them some license to work within their caucuses."
Both Schiliro and Messina consult with committee chairs to identify wavering members who should get a phone call or personal meeting with the president.
They and Obama have been building dialogues and relationships for just this moment, when the pedal hits the metal and the details come to light. Obama hasn't been stalling or waffling or whatever...he's been waiting for the dealer to finish.
And with all of the wonderful developments of this week giving us heaps of momentum, this baby is ours to lose! So watch yourself some Grayson, grab your cell phone and keep a callin'!
Toll Free Numbers for House and Senate:
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-866-311-3405
Call your Congresscritters, call Reid, call Pelosi, call everybody! Tell them all they need to support the anti-trust legislation, the public option and the single payer bills and amendments.
Call the White House too! And remember:
"The key factor in all major legislation, particularly healthcare, is momentum," Pfeiffer said. "Healthcare is a boulder: You're either pushing uphill or downhill. We've reached the top, we're headed downhill now, and we want it to stay that way."
Okay, I tried to embed this super awesome video, but alas. It seems I have displeased the HTML gods. But you must watch it (and tip kafkananda mightily), lest you offend them too!