Obama Says Seat Brown Before Passing Health Care

[spookyturtle 9,466]

WASHINGTON (Jan. 20) -- President Obama today firmly rejected the suggestion that Senate Democrats try to pass a final health care bill before the newly elected Republican senator from Massachusetts takes his seat.

"Here's one thing I know, and I just want to make sure that this is off the table: The Senate certainly shouldn't try to jam anything through until Scott Brown is seated," Obama told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview. "People in Massachusetts spoke. He's got to be part of that process."

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The president's comments, his first since Brown's upset victory on Tuesday, effectively scuttle one of several options the Democrats were considering as they try to save their health care reform bill from political death.

Obama said he would continue to press for health care reform and hinted that he was open to scaling back the current pieces of legislation into provisions that could gain enough support -- that means from Republicans -- to pass.

"I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements of the package that people agree on," he said, citing insurance market reforms, cost controls, and aid to small businesses for providing health coverage as elements that he wanted to see maintained. He also indicated support for the House passing the Senate bill unchanged, though he acknowledged that many House Democrats had problems with the Senate version.

Reflecting more broadly on the Massachusetts election, the president said that "the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office." He added, "People are angry, and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."

As for regrets during his first year in office, Obama suggested he had lost touch with the American people, saying it was "a mistake of mine" to focus so much on policy rather than "speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values." The result, he said, was that the public felt a sense of "remoteness and detachment" from leaders in Washington.

http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/obama...h-care/19324653

[Pooky 3,786]

Damn right! And if the Dimocrats do try to ram the Bill through without Brown being seated, VETO IT!

At last, some smart thinking by the President (or his team).

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

Damn right! And if the Dimocrats do try to ram the Bill through without Brown being seated, VETO IT!

At last, some smart thinking by the President (or his team).

good decision by obama. it woulda looked shady otherwise.

[justashooter 430]

1.) He added, "People are angry, and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."

2.) As for regrets during his first year in office, Obama suggested he had lost touch with the American people,

3.) it was "a mistake of mine" to focus so much on policy rather than

4.) "speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values."

5.) The result, he said, was that the public felt a sense of "remoteness and detachment" from leaders in Washington.

1.) blame the economic crisis on the republicans, even though it was the democrats that caused it.

2.) can't lose something you never had.

3.) you mean ramming through socialist structure and lots of spending programs that people you owed favours to can skim cash out of?

4.) telling people what their core values are is not the same as listening to them talk about it.

5.) that's another way of describing failing poll ratings.

[NickD 203]

1.) blame the economic crisis on the republicans, even though it was the democrats that caused it.

2.) can't lose something you never had.

3.) you mean ramming through socialist structure and lots of spending programs that people you owed favours to can skim cash out of?

4.) telling people what their core values are is not the same as listening to them talk about it.

5.) that's another way of describing failing poll ratings.

Still kind of forgetting, since Reagan, our medical future is determined by the insurance companies rather than your doctor. Nobody can really put a finger on what's going on, Medical cost have risen drastically in the last 25 years, incredibly drastically. Could be the industry is spending more time fighting with insurance companies that providing health care. No one really seems to know the source of the problem nor will admit to it. Democrats can't come to a conclusion either about either pro-life or pro-death for the unborn. Not a question of whether it's right or not, but should it be covered by a national plan.

In my estimation, all congress has to do is to go back to the pre-Reagan days, looks up the regulation laws and reinstate them. Healthcare was not an issue back then!!!

[Sofiyya 1,687]

He's still blaming Bush and he's still depending on the same sorry advisors. He hasn't learned a thing.

[Craneman 2]

Still kind of forgetting, since Reagan, our medical future is determined by the insurance companies rather than your doctor. Nobody can really put a finger on what's going on, Medical cost have risen drastically in the last 25 years, incredibly drastically. Could be the industry is spending more time fighting with insurance companies that providing health care. No one really seems to know the source of the problem nor will admit to it. Democrats can't come to a conclusion either about either pro-life or pro-death for the unborn. Not a question of whether it's right or not, but should it be covered by a national plan.

In my estimation, all congress has to do is to go back to the pre-Reagan days, looks up the regulation laws and reinstate them. Healthcare was not an issue back then!!!

Could be that doctors and hospitals are charging way too much money.

They will keep you alive until your money or insurance runs out.

[NickD 203]

While the US Constitution kind of infers a majority of 2/3's or 67%, the senate in their supreme wisdom, defines a "super" majority at 60%. Or let's just say 60, they could make that 59 or 58, but due to their current law, would require 60 votes to change that. Not about to happen as each must vote they way their party heads tell them to. Fine, but who is exactly running this country? Some guy in China? Or maybe that secret hotel society they keep on talking about, but certainly not the American people, we just bounce back and forth between republicans and democrats. Was said Bush could get anything he wanted with only 53%, but Bush never was in charge, Rove was.

It was quite a shock to me when studying the USC civics test with my wife, as to how screwed up this country has become, but yet they say the most important part of becoming a USC is the right to vote. Vote for who? Our most important goal was to end our very long relationship with the USCIS controlling our lives in just about anything.

Know both diehard republicans and democrats, just my opinion, sue me, but both groups are idiots. And it seems like 40% of this nation is of the same opinion, but not quite yet a majority.

Do any of you feel that you are being properly represented? I sure in the hell don't.

[SMOKE 1,426]

"People are angry, and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."

wow, that is the dumbest & most arrogant thing he has said to date. the people are so pissed at the republicans & their policies, they elected a republican in the most democrat dominated state i the union.

[Joseph & Ana 0]

Credit where its due. Obama's right about sitting Brown before proceeding.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

"People are angry, and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."

wow, that is the dumbest & most arrogant thing he has said to date. the people are so pissed at the republicans & their policies, they elected a republican in the most democrat dominated state i the union.

Obama is still out of touch.

[The_Dude 1,142]

1.) blame the economic crisis on the republicans, even though it was the democrats that caused it.

Based on what i might ask? The economic crisis we are in is the result of a lot more than clinton, bush and Obama. Nice try to pin this on Obama though, too bad your full of sh!t.