Thread: Push For Healthcare to Continue

Obama to Continue Aggressive Health-Care Campaign in August

By HENRY J. PULIZZI

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama won't scale back his aggressive push for health-care legislation next month, keeping pressure on lawmakers to wrap up the overhaul by the end of the year.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday that the revamp's delay in the Senate hasn't affected the president's plans for August.

"Nobody in planning meetings decided that we should just take August off," Mr. Gibbs said. "It's safe to assume that for a long time we planned to continue the discussion on the issues that are important, be it the economy, health care, energy, education. That had always in many ways been priced in to the scenario."

Next Wednesday the president will travel to Raleigh, N.C., and southwestern Virginia to continue the campaign for health-care reform. That public sales pitch included a prime-time press conference Wednesday and a town-hall event Thursday in Cleveland.

Mr. Gibbs said Mr. Obama thinks he was successful at the news conference in laying out what is at stake if health-care legislation fails. "I think he understands, and I think our schedule denotes that he's gotta continually do this," Mr. Gibbs said.

But the president hasn't yet been successful in rounding up enough support among Democrats to push the legislation through the House and Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), said Thursday that the chamber won't vote on its bill until after the August recess, momentum-stalling news that opens the door for opponents to rally against the overhaul throughout the summer. It's unclear if the House will vote on its measure before the August break.

Mr. Obama met Friday with Mr. Reid and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.), to discuss specifics of the legislation and the finance panel's timing.

Mr. Gibbs said the president has talked regularly to members of the panel, including Republicans Charles Grassley of Iowa, Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Olympia Snowe from Maine.

"Whether we get a vote in August or not, we're still going to have to come back in September, reconcile legislation and in many ways go through the House-Senate process all over again," Mr. Gibbs said. "I think the president...will be satisfied as long as we feel like we're making progress toward an end."

"The end probably isn't going to happen one way or the other until sometime in the fall," he added. "Nobody thought we were having a signing ceremony before the beginning of the August recess."

Write to Henry J. Pulizzi at henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124844464719879161.html

Mr. Gibbs said Mr. Obama thinks he was successful at the news conference in laying out what is at stake if health-care legislation fails.





obama thinks alot of things.....including that he's "the messiah".



What's your point Gibsydoodles?

quote(Mr. Gibbs said Mr. Obama thinks he was successful at the news conference in laying out what is at stake if health-care legislation fails.)quote

If it fails many old folks live if it passes think genocide.


Now the left can kill at both ends, abortion and seniors.

I'd love to play poker with President Osama. He obviously doesn't know when to fold. The more he loses the more money he'll throw into the pot trying to save face.

I just don't understand. If we have only 46 million people uninsured, why change the whole deal. IF he is that worried about those 46 million, figure out a way to insure them. He is trying to remake our country and I don't like it.