Obama on Health Care Bill: "I Own It"

(CBS)  This past week was a crucial one in the young presidency of Barack Obama. With public support for health care reform and his administration in decline, he decided to regain control over the debate with a speech before a joint session of Congress.

With concessions to intransigent Republicans, reinforcement for wavering Democrats, and even a few specifics for skeptical citizens, the president hoped to resuscitate plans for an overhaul of the medical system.

And when 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft spoke with him Friday at the White House he seemed confident he had succeeded.

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Transcript of President Obama's 60 Minutes interview

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STEVE KROFT: Before you made this speech there was a sense, clearly in the press and among people in Washington, that this program was in trouble.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Right.

KROFT: That the healthcare reform…

OBAMA: Right.

KROFT: …healthcare reform was in trouble.

OBAMA: Right.

KROFT: Do you think you changed some minds? Do you think you picked up some votes this week?

OBAMA: Well, here's a conversation I had with one of my advisors early on in this process: he said, 'I've been in this town a long time. I think this is the year we're gonna get healthcare done. But I guarantee you this will be pronounced dead at least four or five times before we finally get a bill passed.'"

KROFT: You're not getting much support from the Republicans and you've got some problems with people in your own party. Do you have enough votes to get a healthcare bill passed right now?

OBAMA: I believe that we will have enough votes to pass not just any healthcare bill, but a good healthcare bill that helps the American people, reduces costs, actually over the long-term controls our deficit. I'm confident that we've got that. Now, you're right.

So far we haven't gotten much cooperation from Republicans. And I think there're some who see this as a replay of 1993-94. You know, young president comes in, proposes healthcare. It crashes and burns and then the Republicans use that to win back the House in the subsequent election. And I think there are some people who are dusting off that playbook. In terms of the Democratic Party, they all understand we have to make this happen. We're not gonna get a better opportunity to solve our healthcare issues than we have right now. And that's why I'm confident that in the end we will get this done.

KROFT: One of the things that you said when you ran for president was that one of your talents was to be able to get people in a room with divergent opinions who were…yelling and screaming at each other. Get them to sit down and come to an agreement. Have you tried that on healthcare?

OBAMA: Yeah. Well, we tried very early on.

KROFT: Why hasn't it worked?

OBAMA: Well, I think right now, you've got just a political environment where there are those in the Republican Party who think the best thing to do is just to kill reform. That that will be good politics. And then there are some people who sincerely wanna see somethin' done, but have very different views and what I've tried to do is to make sure those in the latter category who don't just wanna kill something but actually wanna get somethin' done, that we are bringing them in and as open to their ideas as possible.

So for example, you know, tort reform. That's not something that historically has been popular in my party. But on Wednesday I specifically said that I think we can work together on a bipartisan basis to do something to reduce defensive medicine. Where doctors are worrying about lawsuits instead of worrying about patient care.

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[Sanning]

I find it interesting that most people who speak out in disagreement towards the current administration are assumed to have agreed with the last one - that is not necessarily the case. I would warn people to concentrate on issues as opposed to "taking sides" - that is the only way to true democracy, which, I am sorry to say, we have not really seen in this country yet.

[thenakedtruth]

Dream on Joe NY.

You dont even know what socialism is. If public health care means "Socialism" then every single industrialized country besides the United States is "socialist" and by the way guess what..They all spend FAR less per person on health care and .... not a single one of them has anthing like the 45 million uninsured that we have. As a result they have SMALLER deficits not bigger ones and practically no povety to speak of AND more civil liberties. Well is that what you mean by "Socialism" Joe?


I hope I did not violate the rules of engagement here.

[thenakedtruth]

A previous post that I wrote has apparently been deleted. I have read the rules of engagement and can´t figure out what was wrong or insulting. I mean it was spirited; the only real invective however was reserved for certain figures of the right wing media who engage in far worse attacks on primetime television EVERY DAY. So are why are we not allowed to do unto others as they have reapeatedly done unto us?

I am not protesting against CBS and how they run the forum; I am all for civility; it is just kind of frustrating when the other side is allowed to do whatever they want, generate their vicious sound bites all over the place, stir up destractions like this whole congressman Wilson rubbish when they want to destroy Obamas message... but we progressives are abandoned and exposed with neither shield nor sword--where are the progressive O´reileys, Limbaughs and Becks fighting fire with fire? Why is only the right allowed to use the power of ridicule and attention getting confrontationalism?

Where precisely is the line in this forum that we should not cross?

[thenakedtruth]

A previous post that I wrote has apparently been deleted. I have read the rules of engagement and can´t figure out what was wrong or insulting. I mean it was spirited; the only real invective however was reserved for certain figures of the right wing media who engage in far worse attacks on primetime television EVERY DAY. So are why are we not allowed to do unto others as they have reapeatedly done unto us?

I am not protesting against CBS and how they run the forum; I am all for civility; it is just kind of frustrating when the other side is allowed to do whatever they want, generate their vicious sound bites all over the place, stir up destractions like this whole congressman Wilson rubbish when they want to destroy Obamas message... but we progressives are abandoned and exposed with neither shield nor sword--where are the progressive O´reileys, Limbaughs and Becks fighting fire with fire? Why is only the right allowed to use the power of ridicule and attention getting confrontationalism?

Where precisely is the line in this forum that we should not cross?

[gboyd41]

just checking in to see how it's going with the health care system "I own"-Your President

[txladee]

There is no reason to apoligize.He speaks the truth.The president is wondering why everyone is in a bad mood.He is the one making us
angry...trying to push his ideas and agendas on us. Haven't we stated clearly that we do not like his health care plan?

[6591Hou]

I'm not sure which is worse - if you didn't agree with Bush then you were declared unpatriotic, if you don't agree with Obama then you are labeled a racist.

And please don't bother trying to say that one side is being worse than the other, anyone who read the message boards here or other sites saw plenty of Bush-bashing from day 1. Disrespecting the president has been a popular form of entertainment ever since the internet came into being.

The lack of civility in our public political discourse is a great reflection of the fact that our two-party system is full of politicians and not statesmen (Please don't admit it if you don't understand the difference).

The goal is supposed to be to ensure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - not to score points on some political scoreboard against opposing parties in a game that never ends. The two-party system has lost it's focus, it's direction.

[gboyd41]

6591Hou-probably the most accurate statement I have read on any board.

[southpawmom]

Are you kidding me keystonebull? A liar? You are confusing our current President with the one who flew off in January. If you are all so worried about our freedoms and our rights in this country why are you all so complacent when it comes to the Patriot Act? READ THAT. Not just what Fox News tells you but really read it. That would make our founding fathers roll over in their graves.

Americans have all develop ADD and we all want a quick fix; we are addicted to a quick fix--it doesn't exist.

Just experiment with looking at issues from different perspectives--there might be something that makes sense to you that "the other side" is saying--be independent enough to try it.

[keystonebull]

Obama should resign. Everyone knows now that he is a liar and a big one at that. I don't think anyone believes anything he says. Resign Obama and maybe we can get someone we can believe in. Obama is full of Pelosi.

[wardogos]

So much for Freedom & the pursuit of Happiness