More heroics from the fearless folks at the White House:
An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "misspoke" when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option "is not an essential part" of reform. This official asked not to be identified in exchange for providing clarity about the intentions of the President. The official said that the White House did not intend to change its messaging and that Sebelius simply meant to echo the president, who has acknowledged that the public option is a tough sell in the Senate and is, at the same time, a must-pass for House Democrats, and is not, in the president's view, the most important element of the reform package.
That ought to get the public option back on track, because as we all know, nothing says "I'm a veritable fount of steely resolve" like refusing to provide clarity using your own name. It gets worse:
A second official, Linda Douglass, director of health reform communications for the administration, said that President Obama believed that a public option was the best way to reduce costs and promote competition among insurance companies, that he had not backed away from that belief, and that he still wanted to see a public option in the final bill.
"Nothing has changed.," she said. "The President has always said that what is essential that health insurance reform lower costs, ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans and increase choice and competition in the health insurance market. He believes that the public option is the best way to achieve these goals."
Wow. Them are fightin' words. Just the sort of tough talk that oughta bring Kent Conrad and Mike Ross to their senses. Then there's this:
A third White House official, via e-mail, said that Sebelius didn't misspeak. "The media misplayed it," the third official said.
Right...
Jesus H. Christ, Barack Obama and his pack of super geniuses can't even do a simple walk-back without coming off as a bunch of complete whimps who still don't know what the fuck they really want.
In.Over.His.Head.
And Remember: He's one of the smart ones...
Barack Obama has surrendered on the public option.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | August 16, 2009 at 01:38 PM
Wrong again.
Posted by: markg8 | August 17, 2009 at 01:14 AM
Dennis wasn't wrong Mark, you have misplayed what he said...
Posted by: An unnamed spokesman for Dennis | August 17, 2009 at 02:36 AM
Still a train wreck.
Posted by: donniedarko | August 17, 2009 at 07:38 AM
Neat trick for the Messiah,turning wine into water.
Posted by: PeterUK | August 17, 2009 at 07:54 AM
Mark-
Go listen to Big Kathy's interview and tell me I got it wrong. Obama doing a walk-back yesterday afternoon doesn't make what I said yesterday morning are error on my part.
In any event, it's hardly inspiring for the troops to have the White House issue thoroughly limp denials.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | August 17, 2009 at 08:00 AM
Here's what Obama was getting at though it's probably too "nuanced" for any of you. He was pointing out that everybody focuses on the public option bringing down insurance prices when in fact it's only a sliver of the bill that works to do that.
The new regs that will force real competition in the health insurance market: the exchange, (as opposed to the government protected monopoly racket we have in most states now) and the lower insurance company costs that'll come about from making their most egregious practices illegal, will necessitate they cut out of whole lot of actuaries who deny care and an army of file fudging nitpicking clerks who make patients' and doctors' lives miserable.
Plus paying for best practices for best medical outcomes on the provider side instead of fee for service will result in lower costs for insurance companies too.
It changes health insurance from a racket which is a cancer on American society and industry into what it is supposed to be, a true free market checked by protections for the consumer, the tax payer and business. Insurance companies will see their cost of doing business go down, they'll have access to 50 million new customers, so they'll be able to make money in competition with the public plan if they don't invest all our premiums in stupid stuff like mortgage backed securities full of Alt ARMs.
That's why the CBO says by 2019 only 4% of Americans will be covered by the public plan and 96% will be covered by for profit insurance companies.
Posted by: markg8 | August 17, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Mark, you are remarkably limber.
You manage to follow Obama's every contortion, no matter how difficult.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | August 17, 2009 at 01:05 PM