Obama agenda: Mr. Roboto, health care
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009 9:18 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Barack Obama
Mister -- er, President -- Roboto? At the DSCC, DCCC fundraiser last night, President Obama "blasted Republicans who have criticized his administration's efforts on healthcare reform, stimulus spending and financial regulatory reforms," The Hill reports. "The president dismissed those who say he is not changing the way Washington works, laughing at critics who question whether or not change is possible. 'Can't do it. System overload. Circuits breaking down,' Obama said, mimicking a robot. 'It's so predictable. So this is exactly the moment when we need to fight the hardest. This is the moment when we need to band together."
Roll Call has more: "President Barack Obama praised Congressional Democrats on Thursday evening for their 'tenacity and fierce urgency' in helping him bring about sweeping change during his first six months in office. But, he said, much more remains to be done… ‘We can see some light along the horizon but we’ve got a much longer journey to travel,' he said, according to pool reports. 'And this is when it gets hard. Ironically, in part because the economy has stabilized somewhat.'"
Video: GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander tells MSNBC the emphasis needs to be on getting individuals private health coverage.
Pegged to last night’s fundraiser, the
New York Times notes that while Obama doesn’t accept lobbyist contributions, the DSCC and DCCC accept them -- so long as Obama isn’t in the room. “The practicality of Mr. Obama’s pledge to change the ways of Washington is colliding once more with the reality of how money, influence and governance interact here. He repeatedly declared while campaigning last year that he would “not take a dime” from lobbyists or political action committees. So to follow through with that promise, Mr. Obama is simply leaving the room.”
Meanwhile, there are several reports noting the concerns about passing health-care reform. The Washington Post: “President Obama's hopes for quick action on comprehensive health-care reform ran headlong this week into the realities of Congress, as lawmakers searching for the money to pay for a broad expansion of coverage discovered that it wasn't easy to find and descended into partisan -- and intraparty -- bickering.”
"The high cost of securing health insurance for all Americans, the top domestic priority of President Obama, has Congressional Democrats scrambling to scale back their proposals or find ways to trim tens of billions of dollars a year from existing health programs."
Politico: "President Obama's campaign for health care reform by this fall, once considered highly likely to succeed, suddenly appears in real jeopardy."
