Mike Allen – Fri Oct 23, 7:53 am ET
Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care.
The California Democrat's count — coupled with a significant turn of events Thursday during a private White House meeting — points to an increasingly likely compromise for a “trigger” option for a government plan.
Administration officials have been telling POLITICO for weeks now that this is the most likely compromise because it can probably satisfy liberals — albeit only reluctantly and after many vent frustration and some even threaten to walk away from the bill.
This would clear the way for backers to sneak a limited public option through the Senate by attracting moderate Democrats and then to win President Barack Obama's signature.
Speaking to reporters Friday after a meeting of House Democrats, Pelosi said “no decision of that kind has been made" on which public option to pursue. "By no means is the count complete or has the decision been made," she said.
"We had a very congenial - is that the word for a caucus? - a very lively, friendly caucus this morning where we are continuing to count the votes on this,” Pelosi said. “A robust public option is the preferred way to go because it saves the most money - $110 billion. It's not the only way to go, and at the end of the day we will have a public option in this legislation to keep the insurance companies honest and to provide real competition. Again, it's good, better, best. We're having that debate."
Obama told Senate Democratic leadership at the White House Thursday evening that his preference is for the trigger championed by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) — a plan that would allow a public plan to kick in if private insurers don’t expand coverage fast enough, a top administration official told POLITICO. It’s also sign Obama is interested in maintaining a sense of bipartisanship around the health reform plan.
At that meeting, Obama did not sign on to a plan being floated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to include a different variation of the public option in the Senate bill — a plan that would create a national public plan but allow states to “opt out.” Reid now believes he can get 60 votes to bring a bill with that plan to the floor by breaking an expected GOP filibuster — and then secure the 51 votes needed to pass it.
But Pelosi’s vote-counting didn’t go as well in the House. There has been a flurry of rumors that a robust government option remains viable. But top House Democrats privately concede that is wishful thinking that ignores the power of moderate Democrats in this debate.
The House is now likely to include one of the two weaker versions in the bill that will be considered on the floor as Obama’s historic health reform plan chugs toward passage — possibly a version that would set rates for the public plan by allowing doctors and hospitals to negotiate them with Medicare.
Nadeam Elshami, deputy communications director and senior adviser to the speaker, said: "Speculation that a final decision has been made about the public option are not accurate. We continue to work with all the members of the caucus to build consensus."
A House Democratic official said: "The leadership did not tell progressives last night that the robust public option is off the table. The votes are still being counted."
The vote count is a disappointment to liberal members in the House, after two days in which Pelosi seemed increasingly confident she could secure the votes needed for the most liberal option. She had her top lieutenants polling members and even enlisted progressive leaders in trying to corral more support.
“Votes aren’t there,” a top official said. “The progressives are always more optimistic than reality.”
But the final outcome could be helpful to the crucial members of her caucus from conservative-leaning districts, who opposed the most liberal version of the public option, one tied to Medicare rates.
The speaker has proved herself a reliable vote counter, and she wants to release a bill that she knows can get at least 218 votes. Aides say the count was somewhat of a surprise but not completely.
The speaker plans to roll out the House bill with a big ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol.
That was planned for Tuesday or Wednesday and may still happen then. But aides say that disappointing first tally could delay the timeline a bit as they scramble to finalize the bill that will be considered on the House floor.
Source: Politico.com
Dear Concerned American:
Congressional Democrats and Barack Obama are on the verge of passing the most radical takeover of one-sixth of the U.S. economy ever undertaken.
The Obamacare "reform" plan not only imperils our economy, it will wreak havoc on your health and well-being. Imagine a government bureaucrat deciding whether you or a loved one getting a life-saving medical procedure!
Dick Morris, the chief strategist of the League of American Voters, has discovered that a key reason polls show some support for the Obama program is that young voters are ignorant of its dangers and costs.
Dick has a plan for us to reach young voters. We need to implement this plan soon and we need your financial support and membership.
Remember, Dick and the League was outfront on the importance of exposing Obamacare to elderly voters. We have won that battle — as most Seniors strongly oppose Obamacare.
Now we must fight to educate our young people.
Please help us do this and donate — Go Here Now.
And please read Dick's important column about this effort below.
Bob Adams
Executive Director
NEW FRONT ON OBAMACARE: THE YOUNG
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
As the healthcare fight reaches the Senate floor, we took a new national survey to figure out how best to battle against this proposal that would so deform our nation's vital healthcare system. We found out how to do it: Reach young people.
Our work, and that of the League of American Voters - with whom we are affiliated but have no financial relationship - have been aimed at the elderly in the past few months. As a result of these and other efforts, the elderly now oppose Obamacare by more than twenty points (31-54 in our poll). The survey shows that we have about gotten all the support from them we are going to get. Some of those over 65 are just masochists who will sit by and watch their Medicare and Medicare Advantage get shredding to bits.
But voters under 30 are a different story. The polling showed that they start off supporting Obamacare more than any other age group:
SUPPORT/OPPOSE OBAMA'S HEALTH PLAN
<30 30-49 50-64 65+
Support 58 43 42 31
Oppose 30 47 46 54
But, it turns out their strong 2:1 support for the program is based on an almost total ignorance of what it calls for.
After we read them (in the poll) a fair and unbiased description of the program, their support faded.
Here's what we read to them:
The healthcare bill, pushed by President Obama and the Democrats, would require everyone to buy health insurance or pay a fine for failing to do so.
People could keep their current insurance if their employer provided it and agreed to continue it. Insurance companies would be required to insure all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions. People would be offered subsidies to buy insurance if their household incomes were below $70,000 a year and if their insurance cost more than 8% of their incomes ($5600 for a $70,000 a year family). The program will cost one trillion over ten years.
This plain vanilla rendition of what Obama proposes had a startling impact! Voters under 30, who had approved of the plan by 58-30 before they heard the description, now backed it by only 55-40, a loss of 13 points!
Then we read voters a list of all the arguments pro and con on the bill. We alternated the arguments to be sure that nobody could see any bias in the poll. After the arguments, the views of all other age groups were largely unchanged. But people under 30 now said they opposed the bill by 43-45 - a mega-shift of 30 points!
So...our strategy will be to replicate this process, only in reality.
We will run television and radio ads and Internet messages aimed at young voters to educate them about this bill.
Will the Congressional Democrats listen? Without the support of the young, polls will reflect the massive unpopularity of this bill. With each drop in its approval, you can hear the liberals groan. If the polling shows approval dropping into the 30s - and as young people switch it will - we can defeat this bill on the floor!
Based on the same polling techniques I use to win elections, we have discovered Obama's vulnerable underbelly - his base of uninformed young voters. And we will hammer away — with your help.
This process won't be inexpensive. It costs a lot to reach young people, but with your financial help, we can do it.
Please GO HERE NOW and give as generously as you can. The healthcare you save might very well be your own!
Note from the League: We need to prepare a new TV ad and internet campaign exposing the dangers of Obamacare to young Americans. Help Dick Morris complete this plan. Donate today — Go Here Now.
Paid for by the League of American Voters. Contributions to the League of American Voters are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions from individuals and corporations are permitted by law and welcome.
It's Time to Melt Their Phones
Last week, we identified eight swing-vote Democrats in the Senate who need to be pressured to vote against ObamaCare. Many of you made phone calls to their offices urging them to vote against "cloture" on the heath care bill. Now we need to turn up the heat and melt their phones.
Starting next week, SCF will begin targeting these Democrats with web ads like the one shown here. We're going to drive hundreds of calls into their offices each day from people who live and vote! in their states. Nationwide contacts are good but nothing is more powerful than local phone calls from constituents.
Please make a contribution to the SCF today to help us keep these ads running strong. A $25 contribution will result in up to 40 personal calls into their offices. A $100 contribution will initiate up to 160 calls. The health care bill won't likely be on the Senate floor for a couple weeks but the backroom deals are being cut now.
Or Please Call and Fax Them Yourself… Continuously!!
Congress.org - Elected Officials
United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202)-225-3121
(202) 225-0100 - Speaker of the House Pelosi
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
http://speaker.house.gov/contact or http://www.speaker.gov/contact
and visit: www.house.gov/writerep
If the web contact form doesn't work, use this email address: AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov
Also, check in regularly with PetitionPelosi.com - Petitions Always Changing, fighting Pelosi’s liberal and unconstitutional bills and actions.
And while you are at it, call the White House at 202-456-1414 or 1111 and tell President Obama you have had enough!
1.) Junk this entire “ObamaCare” game and start over on real HC reform, so just leave HC alone.
2.) Abandon Cap and Trade and the whole global warming hoax and make us energy self-sufficient while slowly moving us to some sensible practices that help the environment
3. Stop the Spending in Washington… Just STOP including what is left of the Stimulus Money. You admitted yourself yesterday that the 35,000 jobs created were about all that was going to happen. No more stimulus and no more bailouts!
4. Skip the whole Copenhagen trip in December. Stop selling your country out. DO NOT SIGN the Copenhagen Treaty!!!!!!!
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