Senator says he asked Obama to back off public insurance option

[BadDonkey]

Source: CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The lead Republican senator in bipartisan health care negotiations said Tuesday that he urged President Obama this month to make clear he would accept a bill without a government-funded public insurance option.

"I told the president then that he needed to make public whether or not he could sign a bill that didn't have a public option in it," Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said on Radio Iowa. "He didn't have to take a position against a public option, but would he sign a bill that wouldn't have a public option in it, and I thought a statement from him would be very helpful."

Grassley and the five other bipartisan negotiators met with the president on August 6 to discuss their efforts toward a health care bill that can pass the Senate Finance Committee in September, when Congress returns from its August recess.

On Saturday, Obama said the "public option, whether we have it or we don't have it, is not the entirety of health care reform."

Then on Sunday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said a public option is "not an essential element" of overhauling the health care system.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/18/health.care/?iref=polticker

[tularetom]

1. I guess what GrAssley says isn't that important after all

Looks like Obama and the Dems have resuscitated the "public option"


So he can stop gloating.

[Name removed]

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[No Elephants]

37. Yes, but only after Obama tried it Grassley's way and Democrats went ballistic.

That's troubling because Obama knew what we wanted long before August 6.

[tabatha]

2. After his recent performance, Grassley cannot be trusted with anything.

[Name removed]

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[L0oniX]

32. You dumb motha fucka ...what do you want on your pizza ...asscarrot!

[No Elephants]

38. Please, don't hold back like that. It's bad for you. Say how you really feel.

;)

[timeforpeace]

3. Maybe that's why Obama said "whether the public option is in the plan or not" over the weekend.

[CreekDog]

13. If that's why the adminstration said what it said this weekend, that's very upsetting

it certainly looks like we are willing to negotiate key parts of the progam in exchange for a Republican asking us to.

[Name removed]

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[CreekDog]

28. idiot

:eyes:

[No Elephants]

39. Well, either way, we certainly learned a lesson, didn't we? More than one

really.

I will never again assume that electing lots and lots of Democrats--as many as can be reasonably expected anymore will actually mean something. The Republicans will control when they are in the minority and out of the Oval Office, almost as much as they did when they were in the majority and had the Oval Office, except maybe for the keys to conference rooms.

I will never again trust that, because someone tells me what "must" be in a bill in order for it to work that he or she won't come back later and tell me it's not a sine qua non after all, but an unimportant sliver, whether it's in the bill or not.

I will never again assume that a polite message from me will be effective without any threats.

And so on.

When I think about it, I should be kind of grateful that Grassley is such an unseemly, braggadocious ass, instead of a half way honorable human being who would keep that to himself.

[Name removed]

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[Zenlitened]

4. The Senator is a Republican, and therefore his opinion means nothing.

Why? Because Republicans have convincingly demonstrated that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute.

America faces enormous and urgent challenges. Yet Republicans continue their same old policies of noise-making, phony outrage, complaining and flat-out lying.

As a result: Republicans don't matter.

And they have only themselves to blame.

[Name removed]

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[Zenlitened]

40. Darn. Judging by all the deletes, I missed quite a trollfestation.

What's the matter, right-winger assholes? Truth hurts? Well, you've got no one to blame but your own ridiculous selves.

The Republican Party has shown itself to be worthless at best, downright DANGEROUS to America at worst.

That's just a plain fact. And by now everyone knows it.

Republicans Don't Matter.

Get used to it.

[Cleita]

5. Rachel did it best tonight. She asked Kent Jones what kind of pizza he

wanted. First they started with pepperoni. He didn't want it. Rachel ran down a list of choices until they got to the cheese. He didn't want it. He didn't want the tomato sauce either. He really didn't want pizza at all. She compared it to the Republicans saying that they wanted health care reform. However, they didn't want single payer, then they didn't want a public option and finally they didn't want coops. Actually, they really don't want health care reform so for chrissakes Mr. President just don't ask them what they want anymore and get what we need for the people. Health care is not a commodity. It's a necessity and a human right.

[laughingliberal]

10. I saw that! It was perfect! n/t

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[katkat]

6. why the F does Obama listen to any of the Repigs, is he nuts? n/t

[Name removed]

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[rcrush]

31. You sir are awesome.

[Historic NY]

7. Hey Grassley go home.

[Name removed]

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[CoffeeCat]

34. Noooooooo...

Grassley is from my state of Iowa.

We don't want him "home".

How about retired and living on a small island inhabited by Kimodo Dragons?

[Old Codger]

8. Bipartisan

My ass...................FEM

[Name removed]

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[Gormy Cuss]

9. Sen. Insurance Company Shill should shut up.

Grassley has always been about protecting his donors rather than constituents.

[laughingliberal]

11. Yeah, that's why they put that (R) after his name n/t

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[bkkyosemite]

36. You mean his bribers

[uberblonde]

12. So Chuck is a puppetmaster?

I guess that makes Obama Pinocchio.

[Name removed]

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[avaistheone1]

29. Grassley is Ghastly.

That man is an f'ing jerk. He doesn't care about anyone's health care except his own.

Grassley says to hell with the rest of us.

[HughMoran]

30. He did. You welched. Game. Set. Match. G'bye Grasshole

Game on.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[bkkyosemite]

35. I saw him on TV today i just read this and I just called and left a very angry message for him. He

does not speak for me nor the majority I said. In his interview today out near the Iowa fair he said if there is a public option then everyone will take it and it will become government run healthcare. He never said what the problem would be with that and the interviewer of course did not ask.

So I called and answered that question for him. His as he calls it contributions from the Insurance industry is the reason for not wanting a public option. And I said contribution is not what I call it. You are not listening to the majority of people in this country. You do not represent the majority. yada yada yada.....I was angry to say the least.