Over the weekend, President Obama finally insisted, in no uncertain terms, that Congress pass a health care reform bill that includes a public option. But if the House and Senate don’t each pass legislation before recessing, that might be a harder sell, and these days, the White House seems a bit less confident that they’ll meet their deadlines.
But if Democrats are going to get it all done before adjourning early next month, they’re going to have to prevail upon conservative members in their own party–many of whom are trying to slow down the entire reform project–that time is of the essence. Just how successful their efforts will be remains to be seen, but for now, they seem to be trying to divide Congress into pro- and anti- reform camps, characterizing Republican calls to delay as political gambits meant to kill the legislation, and asking those on the fence to choose their allegiances. The hope seems to be that, faced with the GOP’s naked political considerations, conservative and vulnerable Democrats will resist the urge to aid and abet the White House’s enemies on Capitol Hill and in the conservative movement, and support swift action.
To that end, the White House already has its whipping boys. Conservative commentator Bill Kristol, who helped Republicans kill Clinton Care is now advising Republicans to “[r]esist the temptation” for compromise, and “[g]o for the kill.”
That caught the attention of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who today said, “the familiar mantra of delay has been the message for many of those years to put off the needed and necessary reforms that have to take place in our health care system. You could just as easily have quoted a Republican strategist…who said to go for the kill and asked opponents to resist the temptation to be responsible.”
In an afternoon speech, Obama himself alluded to the words of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC). “Just the other day, one Republican senator said–and I’m quoting him now–‘If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.'”
Think about that. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America’s families, breaking America’s businesses, and breaking America’s economy.
And we can’t afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time.
Delay, in other words means defeat. Obama will omnipresent this week, pressuring Congress to get work done, with a particular focus on conservative Democrats and Democrats with cold feet. It’s hard to know what exactly he’ll say behind closed doors. Surely he’ll address the importance of the public option, and the need to settle on a financing scheme. But if today’s public appearances any indication, the political implication will be clear: To anybody who’s thinking it might be best to crawl toward the finish line, you’re either with me, or you’re with the right wingers.
