Barack Obama will hedge on public option

[JohnBrowdie]

this won't do anything but piss off the progressives even worse.  they not only want a government option, they want it shoved down the republican's throats.  passing the reform is only half the goal;  punishing the opposition has perversely become a requirement.

he can't get the conservatives no matter what he does.  the blue dogs got this sh*t scared out of them during the august recess.  and while tossing in a bone about tirt reform may flip olympia snowe and/or susan collins, I don't know if that is going to get him through the senate or not.  he is losing moderate dems faster than he is adding moderate republicans.

Barack Obama will hedge on public option

President Barack Obama plans to give a strong endorsement of a public option – or government health-insurance plan – in his remarks to Congress on Wednesday night but will stop short of an ultimatum, leaving wiggle room for negotiation as the bill moves through Congress, according to sources familiar with his remarks.

In a speech meant to reset debate on the centerpiece of his first-term agenda, Obama can be expected to use language similar to his Labor Day remarks in Cincinnati, where he said: “I continue to believe that a public option within that basket of insurance choices will help improve quality and bring down costs."

Anxious to navigate treacherous divides in the Senate, the president will stop short of drawing a line in the sand, as many liberal House Democrats want. He will not demand that a public option must be in any reform bill he signs, the sources said.

Reaching out to Republicans and independents, the president will acknowledge a problem with medical malpractice litigation, suggesting that topic can be included in the debate on an overall reform package.

Obama’s speech will kick off a series of high-profile White House health-care activities, including a presidential rally for health care Saturday in the Midwest.

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[JohnBrowdie]

At the speech, first lady Michelle Obama will be accompanied by ordinary Americans who have suffered from the high cost of health care. The president can be expected to reference some of them in his speech.

ah, of course.  the utterly inappropriate employment of anecdotal evidence.  it never works, but politicians can't resist it.  poor little johnny's arm fell off, and the insurance company told him just to change his nickname to "lefty".  the bastards.  jane was diagnosed with breast cancer, but since she had breasts all her life, they denied her coverage as a pre-existing condition.  money grubbing murderers.

all tear jerking, heart rending stories of personal tragedy . . . that have no place in a discussion of  an alleged systemic failure of the entire health care industry.

[JohnBrowdie]

ah, of course.  the utterly inappropriate employment of anecdotal evidence.  it never works, but politicians can't resist it.  poor little johnny's arm fell off, and the insurance company told him just to change his nickname to "lefty".  the bastards.  jane was diagnosed with breast cancer, but since she had breasts all her life, they denied her coverage as a pre-existing condition.  money grubbing murderers.

all tear jerking, heart rending stories of personal tragedy . . . that have no place in a discussion of  an alleged systemic failure of the entire health care industry.

I know quoting yourself is poor form, but I told you so.  the tangentially related but utterly irrelevant "personal story" is one of the weapons of choice for people that are wrong on the principles.