If Obama’s Political Operation Can Pressure Senators, Why Not Liberal Groups?
Ever since it was reported last week that President Obama privately said he’s wary of outside liberal groups pressuring Dem Senators to back a public health care option, there’s been a bunch of debate about whether the President tacitly wants them to keep it up.
Here’s a bit of evidence that he does: Obama’s outside political operation, Organizing for America, is doing the same thing, pressuring Senators to back a public option.
Late yesterday, Organizing for America, or OFA, blasted out an email calling on supporters to deluge their Senators and members of Congress, Democrats included, with calls demanding that they support Obama’s “three principles for real health care reform”:
* Reduce costs
* Guarantee a choice of plans and doctors — including the choice of a robust public insurance option
*Ensure quality, affordable care for every American
Obama is reported to have said this about liberal groups: “We shouldn’t be focusing resources on each other.” If this is true, it raises the question of why his own political operation should do this, but outside groups shouldn’t.
But it’s also possible that OFA’s efforts show that the White House wants outside pressure on Senators. The groups are doing exactly what OFA is doing: Calling on constituents to demand Senators back a public plan. OFA’s activities make the meme that Obama wants the groups to muzzle themselves seem pretty far fetched.
Thanks to reader sgwhiteinfla for the catch.
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Perhaps they just want to open a little perceived room between themselves and the grassroots pressure to increase its effectiveness: “Look, Senator, we asked them to call off the dogs, but this is an important issue to our voters. Are you sure you want to vote against the bill/cloture?”
FDR famously told the activists of his day “I agree, now go out and make me do it.” That game works best when it isn’t publicly announced.
Thanks for the shout out Greg!
No prob, SG. Readers, pls don’t hesitate to drop links to your blogs into comments whenever you want. I’m hoping to do more linking to reader blogs.
I thought when Obama stated that he thought groups should back off that he was probably talking to some of the Senator’s that were being pressured. The reality is that nothing of any worth will be legislated without pressure.People who have received money from big insurance and big pharma shouldn’t even be allowed to participate in the debate. Any judge would have to recuse themselves from the question.
OFA called me last week and asked if they could put my signature on some petition calling for real health care in order to pressure congress. I told them no, because I had heard that Obama didn’t want people like me pressuring Congress from the left. I said that rather than chasing the signatures of no names like me via OFA, Obama could do more for health care by publicly calling out the industry owned crooks like Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln and asking people to call them, fax them, and bog their offices down.
This is a good story and Greg Sargent and Karen Tumulty are both magnanimous in crediting SGWhite for good catches. SGWhite would make someone a damn fine research assistant if we weren’t in such dreadful economic circumstances.
Greg,
It’s obvious to me what they are doing. They are loudly screaming “HEY, LIBERALS, PLEASE STOP BASHING MY CENTRIST PLAN, LIBERALS! THIS IS A COMPROMISE! NOT YOUR LIBERAL PIPE DREAM AND NOT THE FAR RIGHT WING PLAN OF BEN NELSON”.
They are simply reframing the debate so that the MoveOn position is the new left, instead of theirs. The Ben Nelson position is the new right, and Obama’s plan is Goldilocks.
It seems pretty clear.
I don’t think there’s some big mystery. I don’t think the WH has a problem with liberal groups pressuring Senators per se. Not all pressure from the left is the same, and not all tactics will work on all senators. I don’t think that the WH has a problem with HCAN, SEIU, Center for Rural Affairs, and some medical professionals meeting with Senator Ben Nelson. That’s different from Change Congress and PCCC running ads against Nelson.
For someone like Ben Nelson, which kind of pressure do you think will go further?
Some of the liberal groups that are claiming that they’ve made a difference probably weren’t that helpful at all. Some liberal groups have done their homework on what works best with these members of Congress; others clearly haven’t.
AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!
It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.
And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.
Progressive democrats the Tri-Caucus and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and request that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).
Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.
In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!
If President Obama has to declare a NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. STICK WITH HIM! He’s doing a brilliant job.
THIS IS THE BIG ONE!
THE BATTLE OF GOOD Vs EVIL!
Join the fight.
Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!
God Bless You
Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS