Obama Deploys Personal Presidential Touch in Health Care Push

AP

The final drive for health care reform is on, and President Obama has shifted into high-gear. But unlike the fired-up speeches he delivered recently in the suburbs of Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cleveland, for the past few days he's been in stealth mode - doing his work behind closed doors.

Yes, it's time for: The Personal Presidential Touch.

White House officials say Mr. Obama has met in the Oval Office, or talked by phone, with more than two dozen Democrats in the past three days. They say about half the lobbying sessions have been in person, half over the phone. The president has kept his public schedule light so he can twist as many arms as possible.

The White House calls it "time well spent" and says the conversations "are making a difference." The president, they claim, has already convinced at least a few Democrats to switch from no to yes on health care, and persuaded others to hold fast to their yes votes. Democratic sources on Capitol Hill tell me the president is doing an effective job of closing the deal.

A couple examples: When Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced his plan to support the bill he made quite clear it was the president who pushed him over the finish line. And Rep. Dan Maffei of upstate New York says the president was behind his decision to vote yes.

"He [the president] was very persuasive that this is not one of those things that we can come back next week or next Congress and do it better," Maffei told CBS affiliate WTVH in Syracuse, N.Y.

So how is the president doing it?

Well, the vast majority of the wavering Democrats are moderate to conservative, so sources say Mr. Obama is focusing on arguments that appeal to them - for example, stressing advantages for small business, like tax credits to help insure their workers. And he's using his prowess as a constitutional law professor to try to convince socially conservative Democrats that the bill bans federal funding of abortion, contrary to claims of anti-abortion activists. The president is also using the new numbers from the CBO -- that health reform would cut the deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next two decades -- in his sessions with fiscal conservatives.

There have been reports that the president is also giving some wavering Democrats his version of the "win one for the Gipper" speech -- stressing that he personally needs their votes, that if health care reform fails, his presidency will be severely weakened - and that the entire Democratic agenda will be imperiled.

CBS/Mark Knoller

I asked about that at today's briefing -- which was held outside in the Rose Garden on a beautiful spring day -- and Robert Gibbs was, well, evasive:

Question: "There's a report out there that says the president told some members that the fate of his presidency depends on passing health care reform. Is that true? Has he said that?"

Gibbs: "I have -- I'm not aware of that, but I can certainly check again."

I'm not holding my breath as I wait for him to get back to me.

The president did make one public appearance on health care in the midst of his closed door sessions -- an interview with Bret Baier Wednesday of Fox News. It quickly turned ugly, as Baier repeatedly interrupted, and the president was just as feisty in fighting back.

The bottom line: Mr. Obama is confident health care reform will pass, and he has no problem with the House using the "Slaughter Rule" to avoid a direct vote on the Senate bill. Americans are focused on what's in the bill, he said, not on the procedure for passing it.

Some may wonder why the president would agree to an interview with a network that he once accused of being "entirely devoted to attacking my administration." The White House says he did it because some moderate to conservative Democrats -- and their constituents -- watch Fox News, and he's reaching out to them.

One senior official told me: "It shows we'll go ANYWHERE to get our message out."

More Coverage of the Health Care Reform Debate:

The Hunt for Health Care Votes: Democrats to Watch
Dem Health Care Bill Pegged at $940B Over 10 Years
Washington Unplugged: Nancy Cordes on the Final Countdown
Dueling News Conferences
Obama Cancels Foreign Trip for Health Care Push
Pelosi: Health Care Bill "Best Initiative" for the Economy
GOP Plots Ways to Fight Health Care
Obama's Health Care Plan: What Do You Think?
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

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(CBS)

Chip Reid is CBS News' chief White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

[_One_American_]

Listen to what one of the founding fathers thinks about an over-reaching, unconstitutional government - just like the one we have right now:

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -- Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. -- Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. -- Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. -- Thomas Jefferson

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. -- Thomas Jefferson



You Liberal fools really think you are smarter that Thomas Jefferson?

When the second American revolution against tyranny begins - your false ideology will be the first casualty.

[iirishamerican]

What a great public speaker! Its to bad thats all he can do and has done. Bla, bla, bla, shake his finger, squint his eyes, bla bla bla. Everybody cheers and at the end have no idea what the heck he is talking about, and that is how he got elected. We need to vote out all incumbents for some real Americans that might not know all the lingo and jibberish but at least they would be looking out for the average person and they wouldn't know or even have time to be involved in all the sneaky, slimey ways to screw people over and even tell them how knowing most people wouldn't know it until it hit them in the face.

[bumpedoff1]

rahm emanuel runing around with a club.

[ll2owt]

good morning repugknuts. your daily briefing follows....The super moralistic, hypocritical, hardheaded, mind-numb, brain dead, non-thinking, nazi sub-ministers of propaganda bucking for a spot in the new world order, are now out of power and realize their dreams will NOT come to fruition. They can therefore, do nothing more than run their mouths about things of which they are totally ignorant.

[iirishamerican]

Sounds like you just described yourself.

[thinking-hurts]

We have called our representatives to no avail; it is now time to go to the Supreme Court, and to your state attorney generals.

[KIMBERLYSUF]

What's unbelievable is that you'd rather parrot other peoples lies than educate yourself.

[KIMBERLYSUF]

Obama has to please his supporters, who aren't many of the citizens of this Republic, his supporters seem to be ACORN, and SEIU unions. ACORN was probably involved with getting Obama elected,-- he shows favor to ACORN, and SEIU unions; this healthscare bill and other socialistic bills are lavishly applauded on the SEIU website. Both ACORN and SEIU have a history of corruption, even though the administration had to know they were corrupt, much of the first stimulus money went to ACORN. ---Spread the wealth. Our money must go to it's rightful owners, which seems to be the government, and much is already getting funneled to the gov. through unions. The symbiotic relationship between gov. and unions should be broken.

[hawker39]

There is an old saying, Money can't buy Love, which I believe is true
But money sure can BUY VOTES, and the worst part is, It's OUR MONEY
Mr. BO is using to buy them with !
I am an older man and I have loved & supported the USA - until NOW !
When BO & Ms Pelosi shove this through "NO MATTER HOW" it will be with
a very sad heart that I will lower my flag for the last time, fold it
correctly and move away from my beloved country.

[JayAdlerMusic]

Thirty years ago I worked in the investigative unit of the illustrious Pinkerton International and coincidently also was employed by the Burns International Security Services; both positions in sales and operations. I would then spend several years in home alarm designing. In private security work and for as long as I was in it you develop a nose or smell for things, hard to explain. This is my observation as to why Congressman are turning so rapidly for yes and particularly what appeared to be staunch holdouts for no going yes. Remember we are hearing third party accounts of what really is happening behind close doors. My sense is that the tactics of persuasion may be much more dire than is being reported. None of us was with the parties when the votes changed from no to yes or on the fence to yes.None of us was on the plane. It is my sincere wish that we do not become aware of anything resembling intimidation that does not conform to what voters would consider to be legitimate.

[luvg-d]

Another "transparent" BEHIND closed doors meeting with our president. How honest is that? Apparrently he could give a rip...... Bully!