Under fire, Obama shifts strategy...

[Sam Spade]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26672.html

Aides to President Barack Obama are putting the final touches on a new strategy to help Democrats recover from a brutal August recess by specifying what Obama wants to see in a compromise health care deal and directly confronting other trouble spots, West Wing officials tell POLITICO.

Obama is considering detailing his health-care demands in a major speech as soon as next week, when Congress returns from the August recess. And although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself, the officials said.

“We’re entering a new season,” senior adviser David Axelrod said in a telephone interview. “It’s time to synthesize and harmonize these strands and get this done. We’re confident that we can do that. But obviously it is a different phase. We’re going to approach it in a different way. The president is going to be very active.”

Top officials privately concede the past six weeks have taken their toll on Obama's popularity. But the officials also see the new diminished expectations as an opportunity to prove their critics wrong by signing a health-care law, showing progress in Afghanistan, and using this month's anniversary of the fall of Lehman Brothers to push for a crackdown on Wall Street.

On health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

“We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition,” an aide said. “There are lots of different ways to get there.”

The timing, format, venue and content of Obama's presentation are still being debated in the West Wing. Aides have discussed whether to stick to broad principles, or to send specific legislative language to Capitol Hill. Some hybrid is likely, the officials said.

“I’m not going to put a date on any of this,” Axelrod said. “But I think it’s fairly obvious that we’re not in the second inning. We’re not in the fourth inning. We’re in the eighth or ninth inning here, and so there’s not a lot of time to waste.”

Obama's specifics will include many of the principles he has spelled out before, and aides did not want to telegraph make-or-break demands. But Axelrod and others are making plain that Obama will assert himself more aggressively — a clear sign that the president will start dictating terms to Congress.

"His goal is to create the best possible situation for consumers, create competition and choice," Axelrod said. "We want to bring a measure of security to people who have health insurance today. We want to help those who don't have coverage today, because they can't afford it, get insurance they can afford. And we want to do it in a way that reduces the overall cost of the system as a whole."

Also this fall, Obama wants to slap new regulations on Wall Street firms, a goal that is now considered a higher priority than cap-and-trade energy legislation in the West Wing. White House officials think the legislation will show voters, especially wavering independents, that he is serious about making the culprits of the economic crisis pay. It also helps that it doesn't carry a big price tag, like other Obama priorities.

The president also plans to send Congress a report on Afghanistan by Sept. 24 that is designed to build patience after two months in a row of the highest U.S. casualties since the invasion eight years ago. Aides say they recognize they need to show progress over the next 12 to 18 months, or risk losing the support of key Democrats in Congress, who already have balked at funding Obama’s 20,000-troop buildup.

But health care remains front-and-center in Obama’s fall strategy. “I understand the governing wisdom here in town as to where this is right now,” Axelrod said. “I feel good about where it is right now. I understand that there’s been a lot of controversy. I understand that there’s been a lot of politics. But the truth is, we’re a lot closer to achieving something than many thought possible. People look to the president for leadership on this and other issues. He feels passionately about this, and you can look for him to provide that leadership.”

Obama has been criticized for deciding to cede much of the debate to Capitol Hill -- or, as Axelrod put it, “allow Congress to consider the whole range of ideas.”

“History will judge whether this was right or it was wrong,” Axelrod said. “We feel strongly that it was right. As a result of it, we have broad consensus on over 80 percent of this stuff, and a lot of good ideas about how to achieve the other 20. Now, people are looking to the president and the president is eager to help lead that process of harmonizing these different elements and completing this process so that we can solve what is a big problem in the lives of the American people, for our businesses and our economy.”

White House officials say they are looking forward to "a break from the August break" -- a chance to take back control of the debate after a grim month where news coverage of the issue was dominated by vocal, emotional opponents at lawmakers’ town meetings, railing against the cost and complexity of the plans being debated.

So Obama and Democrats will return from vacation wounded, divided and uncertain of the best way to turn things around. Many Democrats, especially in the House, were spooked over break by the rowdy town hall meetings and flurry of polls showing independent voters skeptical of their leadership and spending plans.

The mood swing is hitting some top leaders hard: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), for instance, is trailing little-known GOP contenders in his re-election race now. The news swing has been no less brutal. There has been saturation coverage of the town halls and rising casualties in Afghanistan -- the latter leading to a big drop in support for the war.

All of this makes for a tumultuous -- and wildly unpredictable -- fall for Obama and his party.

Axelrod said he isn’t worried. “Part of it is born of long experience,” he said. “In Washington, every day is Election Day. I’d be lying to you if I told you I don’t look at polls -- I do. But I’ve also learned that you have to keep your eye on the horizon here and not get bogged down. I am not Polyannish, but I am also not given to the hysteria that's endemic to this town.”

[Frodo]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Good to see Obama would rather fight his own base than fight Republicans... 

[Marokai Backbeat]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Good to see Obama would rather fight his own base than fight Republicans... 

That was my reaction as well.

[Associate Justice PiT]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Good to see Obama would rather fight his own base than fight Republicans... 

That was my reaction as well.

     Well when a politician tries to please everyone, it's not surprising that stuff like this happens.

[War on Want]

Ugh, I'd support this change in strategy if it actually was trying to support a public option instead of you know conceeding to the fake Democrats and Republicans.

[Barack Hussian YO MAMA!!!!]

ugh o if obama really wanted to get a public option he should have tacked hard to the left and gone with the medicare for everybody route and then when everybody started freaking out he should have compromised with the public option/ private insurance option. that way he could have made himself look like he was trying to reach out to republicans and could accuse them of being overly partisan/ trying to block real healthcare reform. oh well I guess it's always easy to be the Monday morning quarterback.

[Beet]

If it were up to me, this speech would be extremely aggressive and he would say new things that he's never said before. He needs not only to give unassailable specifics, but also push to reframe the debate.

[You kip if you want to...]

If it were up to me, this speech would be extremely aggressive and he would say new things that he's never said before. He needs not only to give unassailable specifics, but also push to reframe the debate.

I just hope he tells us all why he insists on being bi-partisan when Republicans (Senator Grassley mainly, among others) are more or less openly mocking the Democrats and Obama's plan. I really wish Obama would shake this "keep it cool" image already.

[Edu]

Disgusting.

[anvi]

I agree with a lot of what Masshole and Beet are saying.  Just one caveat; Obama isn't changing his strategy because he wants to reach out to Republicans; he is changing his strategy because he doesn't have support for the full plan he wants from Senatet Democrats.  For all the fire and brimstone rained down at townhalls and voiced by Republican opposition, Obama didn't lose the public option because of Dick Army or Death Panelers or grumpy seniors who were misled about the bill or Chuck Grassley, he lost it because of Kent Conrad and Max Baucus.  And when you don't have the votes and it's down to chosing between a watered-down win and a complete failure, you have no choice but to go for the watered-down win.  Obama is not a kamikaze pilot, he is a politician who has one election left to win.  And if this whole thing ends in complete failure, again it will not be because Republicans won, it will be because House Democrats refuse a compromise bill.

[CultureKing]

This is the right thing to do. A big prime time speech could really help change momemtum, though personally I hope that he does not yet abandon the public option...

[Torie]

I agree with a lot of what Masshole and Beet are saying.  Just one caveat; Obama isn't changing his strategy because he wants to reach out to Republicans; he is changing his strategy because he doesn't have support for the full plan he wants from Senatet Democrats.  For all the fire and brimstone rained down at townhalls and voiced by Republican opposition, Obama didn't lose the public option because of Dick Army or Death Panelers or grumpy seniors who were misled about the bill or Chuck Grassley, he lost it because of Kent Conrad and Max Baucus.  And when you don't have the votes and it's down to chosing between a watered-down win and a complete failure, you have no choice but to go for the watered-down win.  Obama is not a kamikaze pilot, he is a politician who has one election left to win.  And if this whole thing ends in complete failure, again it will not be because Republicans won, it will be because House Democrats refuse a compromise bill.

My gosh, what a sensible post elucidating what would seem to me the obvious. Kudos sir. You were needed! 

Team Obama and the Dems got a touch of hubris from the last election. I suspect they are over it now.

[Torie]

This is the right thing to do. A big prime time speech could really help change momemtum, though personally I hope that he does not yet abandon the public option...

The public option is dead.

[CultureKing]

This is the right thing to do. A big prime time speech could really help change momemtum, though personally I hope that he does not yet abandon the public option...

The public option is dead.

I'm an optimistic democrat: I don't listen to reality.

[opebo]

As I've said before, there was no substantive change in January 2009.  Just the floor show was modified a bit.

[Democratic Hawk]

From another thread, here are a couple of posts [edited] I've made which pertains to strategy:

The question I have is, will Democrats ever want control of the White House again after this?  They get into power and then everything falls apart for them.  They should probably just let Obama sink in 2012 and then use the time to rebuild. 

It's but seven months into the Obama presidency. And this president needs to take control of his agenda. Isn't it the job of the president to propose and Congress to dispose? Right now congressional Democrats are proposing and disposing. The party is in grave danger of cannibalizing itself (not that's anything new)

This president was elected, in part, because many voters felt he could transcend the ideological chasm and be something of a consensus-building pragmatist. I accept that "bipartisanship" ain't easy given the dogmatoid nature of the Republican Party

The ideological 'coalition' which elected Barack Obama was Liberal 19.58%; Moderate 26.40% and Conservative 6.80% (52.78%) And it was support from sufficient enough conservatives in several states that made the difference between a win and a loss. Wouldn't it be more wise to maintain that 'coalition' and expand on it? The president is clearly struggling, approval wise, among Independents, which he carried 52-44

The President needs to be leading the Democratic Party -  and that means bringing together its disparate congressional factions, so that they can work through their differences and reach a consensus. Maybe, maybe, healthcare reform wouldn't have fallen into such disarray. That only helps the opposition. If there is one thing the Democratic Party is good at, it's scoring own goals . As for taking on 'special interests' and changing how Washington works, that is going to mean taking on some Democratic special interests

If there is one thing that stands in the way of progress - it's the full loaf or no loaf absolutist stance. Why do you think it has been difficult to achieve wider healthcare reform in the past?

There is too much to be done for Congress to be fiddling around like latter day Nero's. And any legislation has to, just has to, deliver on its objectives. Right now, the stimulus is perceived of, at best, as having fallen short of its goals - and there again more proposing and disposing from congressional Democratic leaders

"President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress on health care reform in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a senior official tells POLITICO.

Obama will receive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the White House the day before for a previously scheduled sit-down.

The last time a president addressed a joint session of Congress that wasn’t a State of the Union, or the traditional first address by a new president, was Sept. 20, 2001, when President George W. Bush spoke on the war on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks."

This should mean a bump in Obama approval ratings, unless he messes up badly. Obama usually knocks these kind of speeches out of the park, so I'm hopeful.

For reference, when Bill Clinton gave his big health care speech in front of Congress in '93, his approval rating went up 10 points. Keep in mind that the bump Obama likely will receive won't last very long, but it would stop the fall in approval he's experiencing.

For a start, the president needs to assert control of his agenda, instead of Congress doing much of the proposing and disposing. The Progressive Caucus chairs too many House committees relative to it's strength in the caucus. Many progressives think they can draft legislation for America as though the entire nation was as blue as their districts - well, it isn't

The Democratic majority in the House and Senate rests on moderate Democrats and the overwhelming support of moderate voters, not left-liberals from uber safe states and districts . And much of the Democratic success, of late, has meant having to run the right kind of Democrat who can, successfully, challenge and defeat right-wing Republican dogmatoids (certainly outside of the Northeast). Indeed, I lament the decline of more pragmatically-minded moderate Republicans

The biggest threat to much-needed healthcare reform lies in "absolutism" be it on the part of the minority Democratic left-liberals and the mainstream Republican right. In all fairness, to the progressives, of course, they have compromised on single-payer, which is more than I can say for the reactionary party, who all the while healthcare costs spiralled were more than content to do nothing; seemingly, oblivious, to any wider negative impact on economic growth, wages and job creation

The middle class are the backbone of the American economy and it is they who drive it through consumer spending. Given that median incomes have fallen is it any wonder the economy hit the crappers to the extent that it did?

And here's something else the Democrats need to get a handle on. They are going to have stop acquiesing to the environmental lobby so much because should the price of gas go through the roof, hurting the middle class, and the Republican solution is "drill, baby drill" it may well be advantage GOP

It was the Democratic Party, in the modern liberal era, which founded the mass middle class - in the wake of the 'Great Depression' and World War II - and they are under moral obligation, IMO, to champion it

The Democrats, now, at least, have a chance to get it right because, unfortunately, the Republican Party is not as discredited as it was back in 1932, far from it

Meanwhile, CNN reports that sources say that the White House is considering drafting a health care bill

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/04/cnn-national-political-correspondent-jessica-yellin-and-cnn-senior-political-analyst-gloria-borger/

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Shifting Strategy means no consultation with the right:

*********************************

Boehner: GOP leaders haven't met Obama for health talks since April

By Molly K. Hooper - 09/09/09 11:09 AM ET

The ball is in President Obama's court to reach out to Republicans if he wants a bipartisan bill on healthcare reform, House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) said Monday morning.

Boehner told reporters that the president has not invited House GOP leaders to the White House for meetings on healthcare reform since the end of April.

Earlier this year, GOP leaders sent a letter to the president in May stating that they would like to work with the administration to find "common ground" on healthcare reform.

But the administration responded with a tersely worded letter indicating that they had healthcare reform under control.

[Democratic Hawk]

Shifting Strategy means no consultation with the right:

*********************************

Boehner: GOP leaders haven't met Obama for health talks since April

By Molly K. Hooper - 09/09/09 11:09 AM ET

The ball is in President Obama's court to reach out to Republicans if he wants a bipartisan bill on healthcare reform, House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) said Monday morning.

Boehner told reporters that the president has not invited House GOP leaders to the White House for meetings on healthcare reform since the end of April.

Earlier this year, GOP leaders sent a letter to the president in May stating that they would like to work with the administration to find "common ground" on healthcare reform.

But the administration responded with a tersely worded letter indicating that they had healthcare reform under control.

Republicans, of course, are more interested in healthcare reform failing - for their own political gain - than they are in finding common ground with the president. At least, some of the rightwing dogmatoids are honest about that

They fear a public option because it could prove so appealing (that is affordable) to working class voters - aye, those on median incomes who have born the brunt of spiralling healthcare costs through stagnant wages, it could shift the tectononic plate of the nation's politics. In 1993, Bill Kristol was so petrified of it passing since it risked - for Republicans - reviving the reputation of the party that spends and regulates, the Democrats, as the generous provider of middle-class interests

Indeed there is one option for starters, which is 1) sure to raise your taxes; 2) increase out-of-pocket medical expenses, 3) swell the federal deficit; 4) leave more Americans without insurance and 5) guarantee that wages, for millions of Americans, will remain stagnant. And that option is doing nothing

It's difficult to conceive the spiralling costs of healthcare not having a wider detrimental impact on the economy; jobs and middle class well-being - given the fact it is they, who, as consumers, drive economic growth and job creation. How many American jobs have been lost, or offshored, as a consequence of spiralling healthcare costs to countries where employers either don't have the burden or aren't burdened to anywhere near the same extent?

Not to mention medical debt being the single primary cause of bankruptcies

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Good to see Obama would rather fight his own base than fight Republicans... 

That was my reaction as well.

And that is what continues to amaze me. The Democrats have 60 seats in the Senate and the Republicans are fighting enough to where they've killed the public option and could kill the whole bill. Imagine how hopeless the Democrats would be if they were the ones with 40 seats.