The Obama Administration sent out some of its top guns to the Sunday talk show circuit and appears to be signaling that it can accept a health care bill that does not have the public option included. The subtle shift in tone has been jumped on by the media and will cause some great angst for Obama on the left side of the aisle. From the Washington Post:
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius opened the door to a compromise on a public option, saying it is “not the essential element” of comprehensive reform. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Obama “will be satisfied” if the private insurance market has “choice and competition.”
The President himself engaged in some retreat on a public option in a town hall meeting out west.
“The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health-care reform,” Obama said. “This is just one sliver of it.”
The reaction from the left was muted in the Post article, but I believe Howard Dean’s comments will be reflective of the general reaction:
“I don’t think this bill is worth passing without a public option,” said Howard Dean, head of the grass-roots group Democracy for America.
Democratic Senator Kent Conrad said that the votes do not exist in the Senate for the public option, and dismissed any thought of inclusion of such an option in the final Senate bill:
“The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option,” said Conrad, one of six panel members involved in the talks. “There never have been. So to continue to chase that rabbit, I think, is just a wasted effort.”
I do not know if Senator Conrad’s vote count for inclusion of a public option is sixty or fifty one, but the Democrats still have the option of using the reconciliation process to pass a bill in the Senate with 51 votes. It is an option that could change the dynamic, although it appears that key Democrats are against that potential. Senator Conrad also spoke of not meeting the Presidential “deadline” for action of September 15th. It appears that the Senate needs more time to “deliberate”. The President will need to push this process, in my opinion, because if the bill gets delayed much beyond that date it is going to be so much harder to make any real change to the system. Tough sledding for the Obama Administration on a critical policy issue. Will the President get a bill, and if so will it be worth signing? I am not optimistic this morning.
Bill Manzi.com 
Your Honor,
Isn’t politics fun? The healthcare plan derived by the ‘Gang that couldn’t shoot straight’ Pelosi, Reid, Waxman and Baucus, the leaders of the great Democratic majority, have been unable to successfully achieve one of the prime Goals of the MOST HOLLY ONE, President Obama, even when the ONE went on a save the Health Care Bill Tour amongst the masses. Heck, Perdue can sell chickens better than Obama can sell Socialism.
But, we Astroturfers, unAmerican interuppters, who will be blamed for this failure, must remain vigilant, for as we know Barney Frank’s Trojan Horse Plan will now go in effect and a ‘take anything you can get’ legislation will be followed by a slow patient morphing until there is a single payer plan.
It is Ironic though, that Obama’s failure thus far is caused by the Democrats (this is not a typo)who feel they cannot vote for a single payer plan.
I am smiling.
Jules
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Jules:
Fat lady is sure warming up, but she ain’t singin’ yet.
At the current rate and without repair, the Medicare trust fund runs out of money in 2015. Gee, I sure hope you don’t get some very expensive, debilitating disease. In 2016 …
Now, you may have convinced me. I think we should end the rampant Socialism in our midst right now. Starting with Medicare and Social Security.
Now, I’m smiling too!
-FM
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Fred,
I guess if we are to eliminate socialism in our midst those two programs certainly qualify. What about the socialized medicine practiced at the VA?? Does that qualify for elimination? One quick point. Saw Dick Armey bragging about filing a suit to get out of mandatory medicare. Goes back to our earlier discussion about Republicans really wanting to kill these programs but not having the stones to do it. Armey would hope that many would opt out of medicare, leaving the less healthy and poor to populate the program, thereby killing it. Shocked that the Meet the Press moderator did not take him up on that.
Bill
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Mr. Mayor:
Yep, I guess if we want to end Socialism, we sure can’t let those that defend our so-called Freedoms practice it either. They should have to pay their friendly insurance companies, just like everyone else. I’m sure they’ll understand it’s for their own good, after all, you can’t defend capitialism and be a socialist at the same time.
Those artificial limbs are pretty expensive though, so for those of you whose boots will be on the ground, when you go off to war, make sure your private insurance is really good and up to date!
Part of my thinking on opting out of Medicare: just make sure it’s a one way street. If you opt out, you can never opt back in. That way, our patriotic friends will most assuredly get to take the full consequences of their actions. Hope their trust funds hold out.
I’ve mostly given up on the MSM asking real questions. When Katie Couric’s treatment of our friend Sarah counts as tough …
-FM
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OKAY, Guys, let’s get rid of Medicare and social security. Are you going to propose it Your Honor?
All these programs prove if you provide free programs you get public dependency like Jim and Fred who proudly feed off the system. Social security has been around a long time and Medicare never asked me if I want to opt out.
A point. Social Security is MY money taken from me by a federal Government. The SS I get is mine and my employer’s contribution.
Medicare is more socialistic. Dump them. I’ll watch. First I want a lump sum of my contribution of more than 40 years of work.
Wait. You have to do a thing. The way those programs are managed by the congress, they will be out of business soon.
Jules
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Comrade Gordon:
I believe we’ve already established that you’re the only practicing Socialist here.
-FM
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Fred,
No you haven’t.
Jules
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Comrade Gordon:
You mean you have other hypocritical Socialists in mind? Well, let’s out them now! Especially if like you, they require a buyout to stop being Socialists. Who do you think you are, a big, fancy bank or insurance company?
-FM
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Fred,
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Jules
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Comrade Gordon:
C’mon, man, you gotta keep up your end …
-FM
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Comrade Gordon:
Oh, I’m sorry. You appear to have fallen asleep on your keyboard.
Wake Up!
-FM
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Fred,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Fred,
Excuse me, I fell asleep waiting for a meaningful comment we can discuss. So I’ll
start; Lead by the brilliant Obama and his Chicago Gang, the Single Payer Healthcare has imploded.
Jules
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