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.
After plans for the session had been reported, Reid and Pelosi released a letter of invitation to the president: “Our nation is closer than ever to achieving health insurance reform that will lower costs, retain choice, improve quality and expand coverage. We are committed to reaching this goal. We would like to invite you to address a Joint Session of the Congress on Wednesday, September 9 on health insurance reform. Thank you for considering this invitation to speak to the Congress and the nation.”
Obama plans to give lawmakers a more specific prescription for health care legislation than he has in the past, aides said.
Congress technically returns to Washington on Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day. But many members had planned Sept. 9 as their first workday, so Obama is seizing the first moment when he will have maximum impact.
Does that mean single payer is rescued? Will we get a “strong public option” now? Medicare for all?
Make the jump for the answer:
Bwahahahahahaha!
Did his anti-war speech prevent the war? Did his Greatest Speech on Race EVAH! end racism?
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Filed under: Barack Obama, General, Health Care Reform |
The Confluence 
What will he say? “I was for single payer before I was against the public option.”
BTW – He’s wrong as usual.
We spend 16% of our GNP on healthcare.
Well, I think it was 14% in 2003…since that’s when he was for singlepayer.
I should have said maybe it was 14%…
my point was the time diff.
Either way, Obama oozes fail.
Don’t you know that this video was “Spliced together” and these are not his actual words?
Oh and another thing…..
About that so-called “Anti-War Speech.” Is this the same one that no one actually “Recalls?” The one where he had to “Put his brilliance” on paper for the world to hear?
And now…..
ANOTHER SPEECH?
Mr. TelePrompTer must be screaming to the labor board right about now! What with no overtime and insane work hours it must be about ready to revolt!
Wonder if another telepromter will leap to it’s death?
:lol :
How does he live with his lies?
I’m sure he sleeps like a baby just like dubya. It’s who they are.
Exactly.
he’s a sociopath.
Right. Sorry — I forgot!
That he is!
Come on….he’s a “Chicago Machine Politician!” Lying is in their DNA. I actually think it’s a requirement to get elected here.
Did they drop the “felony conviction” part?
That usually comes after the election.
Cinie – LOL
Pulling out the big guns now, blowing past all the stops, gonna give a “Speech”. This is surely what we’ve all been waiting for, NOT.
This doofus is turning into the national elevator music. Always there and you can always hear it, but it’s just annoying at best.
LOL The elevator music president. TEMP.
He is the messiah after all, gotta be omnipresent.
Remember the McCain ad… that was a classic and got Axelrod in a tizzy…
Those McCain ads were really good. His ad man was a lot better than the competition for most of the race.
What do you want to bet that he still doesn’t offer anything specific? Has he ever committed to anything with the details all spelled out? Not that I recall.
That would require him to do something he has never done before – take a stand.
And another thing he has not done—-work.
He’ll probably harp on the “no more pre-existing conditions” since that’s all that’s really left. Nevermind that if you mandate insurance, the pre-existing conditions have to disappear.
Actually the pre-existing conditions DON’T have to disappear.
The insurance company can take your premium and not cover the pre-existing conditions.
Ok maybe “have” was a poor word, but it’s not a huge reform to say that pre-existing condition loopholes will go away when you’re mandating insurance.
Maybe if he gets Hillary to give the speech, we’ll hear specifics!
Newsroom / White House Reveals Obama Is Bipolar, Has Entered Depressive Phase
FUNNeeeee! LOL
Thanks
Explains the information gaps for years in his past
I vote “present.”
Obama is running towards one-term wonderdom.
All of his own doing of course.
Also, Obama wants to militarize our school system.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/08/fast-times-recruitment-high
Yep, we all knew about the militarizing of the schools. That’s what his education person in Chicago did there. Does wonders for recruitment in more distracting endless wars.
Where else are you going to go…
Already done in Chicago. Not news to those of us who actually paid attention during the primaries last year.
It’s Colin Powell’s idea, too.
I do not think militarizing schools in general is a good idea but since I have worked in Compton and other inner city school neighborhoods, I do know that the one thing military frameworks can give such schools is uniforms and discipline. In neighborhoods where the color of your shoe laces can be a life or death issue the uni’s offer some real protection and the discipline for kids who usually have no structure in their lives, can provide a sense of direction and a clear idea of what is right and what is wrong. Probably sounds like a bad thing to those of us from more liberal lifestyles but it can work for kids who are trapped in a chaotic hell.
Perhaps if kids with “no structure in their lives” could see where going to school might possibly make a difference in their futures, we wouldn’t have to militarize them to motivate them. However, it seems to me that by 4th grade or so, those bright, shiny, eager to learn eyes get dull and jaded, and another graduating class is lost. While parents bear responsibility, we have to become more aware of, and acknowledge and address, what the system and its larger society really teaches them.
Goddess is good.
I have a show opening next Wednesday and consequently cannot attend the bloviator-in-chief”s teleprompter recital.
Oh nooooos. I’m sure you’re all torn up about it. 🙂
Good luck on the show.
Thanks. It’s my art association’s Fotoseptiembre show, which I organized and (ahem) curated. (I.e., I bugged the hell out of people to get their work in and smashed a finger hanging it yesterday–just in case anyone ever wondered what “curated” really means.) I told the juror he’s either going to have a really good time or be extremely frustrated because the quality is uniformly high.
And a local luxury hotel is catering gratis because a rival is catering another show opening the same evening in the same complex–oh, yeah, I’m totally devastated.
Doing my part for “National Day Of Service”..I have decided to knit a pair of ear muffs for obama. It’s getting kind of cool in D.C. and those little ears should be covered.
Knit a muzzle.
Please.
Or a balaclava without a mouth opening.
roflol
What’s that gonna do to the sheep population? Shearing so close to the winter gonna be a problem?
I’m sure the little sheepies who have been following him around for the past year and a half are more than willing to give up their fleece for him. Hell, they’ve already given up their brains!
Ear muffs should be for you. Wear them when he speaks.
Have the democratic congress people lost their minds?
How do you sit there and listen to this telepromter preacher knowing he had pretty well destroyed the party. Knowing that he will probably cost you your job. The only thing I can think of is that he must have pictures and negatives on all of them.
After the last month at home, why aren’t they smacking him along side of the head for the damage he has done?
You can not fix all the elections and this congressional election will be closely watched.
When polls tell you that most of the people in America want all of you to go home and get new people in office why are you continuing to carry this bunch?
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
is this going to be one of those deals where they all clap and stand up and interrupt and drag this thing on even longer??
if so, then that explains everything…just talking at us would not be enough…he knows his tv ratings are in the tank…he needs the applause…
What’s going on here.
Click to access prek-6.pdf
This is crazy. Are the schools required to do this? Does anyone know any teachers that are doing this? Once again, it is all about him.
Axelrod should not put Potus infront of people where he strikes a patronizing tone, no matter what their age. Not good for his brand.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/09/obama-dumping-public-option
Unfortunately Hacker hasn’t really been fighting the watering down of the PO.
http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/20/bait-and-switch-how-the-%E2%80%9Cpublic-option%E2%80%9D-was-sold/
I wonder, if he will discuss the huge payoffs to the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Where is the transparency that he talked about during the campaign? All he does is lie, lie, and lie some more. All of this a smoke screen for what was done behind closed doors.
Guess that group was right about “wealthcare”.
Digby re: Obama’s plan to “stare down his own party”:
But Digby, K Street and Wall Street are what Obama cares about. Surprise! We tried ot warn you….
Better late than never.
im not looking to hear anything new from BO . he never takes a stand & just talks in circles.
And he lies.
But he does it very well.
Obviously. He has fooled millions of people.
OT, but OMG! Guess who wants to run for Ted Kennedy’s seat? Curt Schilling. He’s a Republican though.
As a SF Giants fan I am very familiar with Mr. Schilling.
May he burn in hell.
We seem to be stuck with him here in Boston. The guy never shuts up. He even calls into the sports talk shows.
Phillies Phanatic here seconding that motion.
Like Massachusetts is going to send a Repub to Washington. Save me a seat in the front row for that.
What new thing is he going to say?
He is on vacation the rest of the week and Congress is too. He has no time to consult with the Dim leaders and retool to see what the country would bear. No time to talk some sense to Repubs. (I read on politico that the WH is trying to get Olympia Snowe with some sweeteners. Big deal!) Blanche Lincoln said she is out (no public option for her). Jerry Nadler says “WH better not cut out public option”.
His speech will be boiler plate of mishmash.
How can he turn the Congress and country around with that?
Speech will be tuned out. I hope the repubs come back with a barnburner in their rebuttal after O’s speech.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/09/the_divisions_in_the_white_hou.html
In my mind, the die has been set, with all the back room deals with the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Difficult to bring affordability and the costs down, when so much has been given away to the corporate interests and with no plans for a public option, where is the competition going to come from? Drug companies don’t have to compete, so drug prices will stay high, which increases the health care costs tremendously. In the large HMO that I work for, drug costs are one of the major expenses. Where is the competition to keep costs down?
These are the 4 points (abbreviated) on health care reform that Centrist Ben Nelson mailed to his constituents…..
1. OK for pre-existing conditions
2. Employees can keep coverage when changing jobs or enroll in the new employer’s insurance
3. No Donut Hole
4. Cap out-of-pocket medical expenses
—————
No. 2 — what if the employee moves to another state?
Repubs love the “crossing state lines” thingy for insurance companies to be more competitive – but won’t the larger insurance companies just swallow up the smaller ones?
No. 4 — has this been mentioned before?
So much for ‘the good war’? White House stalls as US public opinion swings against Pentagon’s plans to escalate war in Afghanistan.
Tweet from Jack tapper
WH, Dept of Ed revise language about asking students to outline how they can “help the President”
http://bit.ly/svlM2
Another one of Obama’s “re-calibrations.”
Can’t say I’m surprised by this address to schools, there were indications of this “kids for Obama” tendency during the Obama campaign.
LOL – you’re so funny.
Prior to Obama’s use of “re-calibration”, I thought the term was used for machinery – NOT humans.
But since Obama is TOTUS, it was quite appropriate.
O has to cover all his ‘bases’ – he needs the kids, he is losing the adults!
I see many jokes coming down the road…O and his dual speeches – the kids the day before the congress
Which confirms to the wingers that they were right in the first place.
quite right. see “panels, death” for another example.
Help the President? WTF?! Why doesn’t he help them?
“Ask not what your President can do for you. Ask what you can do for your President”
THE WAR OF THE ROSES – HQ Trailer ( 1989 ) I miss you all (Dak, KatieBird, M, M, D, BB, B, J, WTV, Ralph, Cinie, RD, Honora, and the many, many others) 😦
I remember the line “don’t eat the fish!”
😆 Funny line…classic…
hi WV!!!!
🙂
Good to see you, WV…
healthcare reform is dying 😦
I can’t say what is going on publicly, albeit it was via a public medium that I got the clue, but as soon as some logistics are worked out, I will be full on, on the matter. I just need my full focus on some personal matters right now.
Send me good thoughts
Good to see you!
Thanks 🙂
Dear President Obama: Single-Payer or GTFO!
Whenever Obama opens his mouth, I throw up a little in my mouth.
I understand perfectly.
How tone deaf can they be?! His numbers are tanking, & repeated polls show people are tired of his damn talking. So what do they do? Send him out in prime time to talk some more?
Snooze me a river.
narcissim reflects denial…
Unless he’s a narcissist vampire, then he would reflect nothing. Sort of the same I guess.
So, is there any connection between his speech to the joint sessions and his speech to the school children, given the proximity?
Hitting all age groups?
Perhaps our congress critters will have to reflect: what is the president asking us to do…
yes, he is desperate for anyone that will listen…he knows his tv ratings for his ‘speeches’ have gone downhill…he is reduced to taking whatever audience he can get…the poor kids…they are trapped!
I have called for a pupil free day on the first day of school for all of my grandchildren. Think maybe we could study the Constitution, and perhaps touch on the Bill of Rights. Bake some Brownies and watch some Country Videos.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/02/sanford-vows-fight-to-remain-governor/
This Sanford guy is something else.
Sanford is loopy. Heads up, Mark: you actually did something wrong. Sarah just tried to be a public servant.
Very clever of the Rethugs, repeatedly calling BO a socialist. (As if!)
It gives him creds with the left and it gives him an out from pursuing a progressive agenda. Win-win from an Obama-Rahma point of view.
New post up, similar topic.
Everyone wants Obama to do something. Well this is what Obama does…it’s ALL he does. He says blah blah blah, and the in the tank Media will say now we MUST pass the hot mess health care bill since this was a slam dunk…er wait that was Powell’s speech buzz work…since this speech was so towering an achievement!!!!
The fact he’s rolling the dice on this big speech tells me it’s a done deal. He would never go out there if it was in doubt . imo.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/mainstreaming_the_crazy.php
I do not go to the tpm blog but when I saw this at newscred, I was very angry.
The obots really do not know history do they or do they just forget it.
His speech to school children is creepy and not an American ideal. You do not brainwash children.
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
Fox is covering the story about the White House/Dept. of Education curriculum guidelines regarding the upcoming speech.
The plans have already been changed. From automatically assuming that everyone will be inspired by him and want to help him, to a more reflective stance. People are reportedly pulling their kids out of class to avoid the lesson/?indoctrination.