In a surprising development, Obama's crew signaled today that they are prepared to dump the most unsettling -and unpopular- element of the ObamaCare plan- a "public option" designed with the apparent purpose of nationalizing the US health insurance industry through deployment of a government-run health insurance plan that they simply couldn't compete with over the long-run.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that government alternative to private health insurance is "not the essential element" of the administration's health care overhaul. The White House would be open to co-ops, she said, a sign that Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory on the showdown.
Obama's top spokesman refused to say a public option was a make-or-break choice for the administration.
"What I am saying is the bottom line for this for the president is, what we have to have is choice and competition in the insurance market," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
Sebelius spoke on CNN's "State of the Union" and ABC's "This Week." Gibbs appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation."This abrupt move appears to be tactical political decision, as the the raging ObamaCare debate has indeed involved into something resembling Obama's Waterloo... and this national insurance plan simply didn't have the votes in the Senate... never did... and never will. It is likely the White House decided to give up this administration priority to avoid a politically damaging defeat.
One alternative under consideration is a system of co-ops for the uninsured, a measure some GOP legislators said they were open to taking a look at... but it would be overseen by the government. But all-in-all, this is still a deeply flawed piece of legislation that a majority of Americans would rather do without.
As reported by Bloomberg:
“President Obama and his cabinet have read the tea leaves,” said Senator Richard Shelby Shelby, an Alabama Republican, on Fox News Sunday. The American people “don’t want a government- run program,” Shelby said. Shelby also said that the creation of co-ops, while “that would be government involvement” would be “a step in the right direction.”And it goes without saying that town hall patriots and other protesters against this ludicrous Obama power-grab scared their congressmen to death... some reported to be avoiding not just town-hall meetings... but their entire district as much as possible.
And thus... the Dear Leader got spooked by both the havoc he has created in this country- as well as the political consequences of a defeat on such a major element of his liberal agenda. After all, he's a survivor, and that outwieghs principle everytime in this WH.
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Update: Now Obama is backpedalling away from Sebelius' statements... and Michelle Malkin sees simply more political theatre- she never believed this in the first place. Obama's long been a proponent on single-payer system, regardless of what he's told you lately. This White House is looking confused, disorganized... and desperate.