Dean: "looking forward to a good, strong bill...delighted...the president has reintroduced a bill."

[ProSense]

DEAN: Let me say—no, I don‘t think the White House is interested in the public option. Let me just say two things about this bill. First of all, I think this is an improvement. I think we ought to get this thing passed but it really does need some form of public option. I personally believe that Medicare expansion to people under 65 is better.

<...>

I‘m looking forward to a good, strong bill. I‘m delighted, frankly, that the president has reintroduced a bill. I do think the president ought to get some credit for coming back and not taking “no” from the “party of no” on this one. I‘m very, very excited and very pleased that he‘s come back.

I don‘t like everything about the bill but I‘m really pleased that he‘s come back and shown these guys that we‘re not going to quit, because the American people don‘t want us to quit.

OLBERMANN: Do you think this is based to some degree on the realization that every bit of polling done on this, the individual portions of all major reforms for health care do better than the bill as a whole? In other words, when you explain content to people, their interest in this thing suddenly shoots through the roof?

DEAN: That‘s right. And the Republicans have been very effective at basically lying about what‘s in the bill. All of these stories about how it‘s going to break the budget—you can say it‘s a $900 billion bill, but it‘s paid for and it‘s going to reduce the deficit by $900 billion. This saves us money because there are increases and a lot of cuts in waste areas, like how much money the insurance companies are getting out of the part D and so forth. So, you know, in the long—excuse me—Medicare advantage.

So, in the long run: A, I think the White House gets a lot of credit for coming back and not rolling over and playing dead on this. B, I do have some faith in the House and I think that they will provide, in reconciliation, a form of a public option, which is what we should have had and almost had, and we surely have enough votes for still in the Senate.

more

[quiet.american]

1. Have to admit, I was surprised, but "delighted" myself at Dean's remarks. nt

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Thump ... ...Thump Thump....

Thank you doctor Dean, but for some, the noise you heard is the sweat sound of a human head being run over by a bus.

Continue to support Health Care Reform, and once it passes we will work to make it better. Please, stsay away from busses.

[freddie mertz]

3. He also said the WH was "not interested" in the public option,

Same interview link:

DEAN: Let me say—no, I don‘t think the White House is interested in the public option.

Just for the record.

[dkf]

4. Kind of obvious.

I'm glad he pointed it out.

[freddie mertz]

5. Yes. It's not he is drinking any smurf-colored Kool-Aid here.nt.

[jefferson_dem]

22. The "Kool-Aid" metaphor is resurrected once again.

Yay!

[ProSense]

7. Neither is PNHP.

The anti-public option folks should be happy, or is it that people just love complaining?

Dean's statement is innocuous.

[dkf]

8. Pnhp?

Who dat?

[slipslidingaway]

10. Bait and switch: How the “public option” was sold

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/20/bait-and-switch-how-the-%E2%80%9Cpublic-option%E2%80%9D-was-sold/

"by Kip Sullivan

The people who brought us the “public option” began their campaign promising one thing but now promote something entirely different. To make matters worse, they have not told the public they have backpedalled. The campaign for the “public option” resembles the classic bait-and-switch scam: tell your customers you’ve got one thing for sale when in fact you’re selling something very different.

When the “public option” campaign began, its leaders promoted a huge “Medicare-like” program that would enroll about 130 million people. Such a program would dwarf even Medicare, which, with its 45 million enrollees, is the nation’s largest health insurer, public or private. But today “public option” advocates sing the praises of tiny “public options” contained in congressional legislation sponsored by leading Democrats that bear no resemblance to the original model..."


When Jacob Hacker and the EPI introduced the pubic option back in 2007, Dr. McCanne of PNHP said that Hacker plan would give all other plans a run for their money, excluding Medicare for All, and he welcomed the debate on the best way top move forward with HC reform.

The rest is history as the "Health Care For America" plan became THE plan that was marketed to the people and discussion of any other option was pretty much shut down.

[TomCADem]

20. Where are the votes? Nelson, Lieberman?

Look at the Senate. Do we have the votes in the Senate for a public option, particularly with the millions being spent to defeat it. Yet, we blame the White House?

[slipslidingaway]

21. Tell me who the leader is? Plus I'm not talking about the insurance

industry bailout bills with a watered down PO or even no PO.

The industry has spent millions fighting for HC reform, but they want it on their terms...
individual mandate with little or no competition in the form of a public option. Those ideas were put on the table by the insurance companies before the current administration had even been elected.


Here is what I said to Frenchie Cat months ago ... watch what the administration is doing, not what they are saying!

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/slipslidingaway/86

How do you win a fight if you silence the harshest critics of those who hold power....

Please do not tell me that you are fighting the entrenched interests when you invite them to the discussions and private meetings and exclude those who have been fighting the For Profit companies for decades.


President Obama calls on Karen Ignagni of AHIP to speak on HC reform.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=328837&mesg_id=328837

Imagine if P. Obama had called upon Dr. Maria Angell to speak at the WH summit instead of Karen Ignagni, members of Congress might be pleading for a public option.

Dr. Marcia Angell not invited to attend and therefore not called upon to speak, Conyers asked that two single-payer advocates be invited to attend....Dr. Quentin Young and Dr. Marcia Angell - his request was denied.


Watch the first few minutes of this testimony from Dr. Angell who was not allowed to attend the WH summit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQNphM6xUsE

"The reason our health system is in such trouble is that it is set up to generate profits, not to provide care..."

[TomCADem]

23. Once again, the myth of a magical PR strategy

The fact of the matter is that the deck is heavily stacked against health care reform. To think that somene will come in with some magical PR strategy, and everyone in Congress would support it is fanciful. Do you think Bart Stupak will suddenly become pro-choice? Ben Nelson will become progressive? Finally, Fox News, the U.S. Chamber, Freedom Works, and the Republican Party would stop telling lies?

[TomCADem]

19. I Think the White House Is Interested In Passing A Bill

Of course, President Obama could parade around with a bill filled with talking points designed to appeal to the base like the Republicans.

[dflprincess]

26. Yes it is

The problem is Obama just wants to pass a bill with "health care" in the title and doesn't give a damn what's actually in the bill - just so long as it does nothing to break the deals made with pharma and the insurers - it doesn't even have to have anything to do with us getting real access to care.

[Clio the Leo]

6. Kick. NT

[DevonRex]

9. K&R. Good for Dean. nt

[jesus_of_suburbia]

11. I'm glad that the whitehouse is coming out more forcefully.

I think they got the message.

[Cha]

12. Yes, The White House is

not going to quit, Dean. They want what is best for the American People, too, and are using their best strategy to get it done in spite of all the negative doomsdayers.

[CTLawGuy]

13. UNDER THE BUS

Under the Bus!

Under the Bus with Howard Dean.

ROFL!

[Cha]

14. kick

[TomCADem]

15. K&R - "I think we ought to get this thing passed"

That is the bottom line. Many folks read the Dean's proposed improvements, and claim that Dean is a "kill the bill" type, which is the exact opposite of Dean's position.

[hulka38]

16. ProSense, you claimed on my thread that the KO conversation was Dean's endorsement of Obama's bill.

I think we can agree that that would be newsworthy. Do you expect to see headlines tomorrow stating Dean's endorsement of the current Obama bill?

[TomCADem]

17. Look at Sunday News, Liberals Only Get Air Time If They Attack Obama

Are there ever liberals on Sunday news? Rarely, unless the spin is that liberals are abandoning the President. You are persona non grata, but if you rant about the President, Fox News will give you a prime time slot. Are you making common cause with Grover Norquist? Presto! Fox News is there. But, if you are supporting the EPA's efforts to regulate green house gases, you aren't seeing daylight.

[Cha]

18. +1

[karynnj]

24. I don't think the mainstream media ever saw the rift between Dean and Obama, you did

So, this is a Democratic leader backing the Democratic President on Keith Olberman. To them, there is no real startling news there. Now, back in December when he spoke negatively - that was news, because, to them, it was unexpected.

Consider any similarly significant Democratic leader who you are less invested in. Do you think there would be headlines if Gore or Kerry spoke in favor of an Obama position on climate change? Both have thought that Obama is not doing nearly enough (or anything) on the smart grid, which they both feel is at the center of any solution. that is as cose an analogue to Dean and the private option. The headlines are when they even politely raise an issue and differ with the President. (As Kerry is heading the Senate effort and Gore is a Nobel prize winner international advocate, both on that issue, are more note worthy than Dean on the public option.)

The fact is you have the link. It is 100% known what Dean said on the show. Why not argue from what was said. The idea that it only matters if it made headlines in papers is silly.

[mochajava666]

25. If Dean is encouraged, that's great news.

He is one of the few in Washington that knows what is going on inside the beltway and also knows the health care debate from a progressive point of view.

I think Dean is also right in that he thinks the White House isn't interested in a public option, but we can still get the necessary 50 needed to pass the public option in the Senate.