Obama: Health Care Reform Might Fail

(AP)  After insisting for a year that failure was not an option, President Barack Obama is now acknowledging his health care overhaul may die in Congress.

His remarks at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Thursday night sounded contradictory at times, complicating congressional leaders' effort to revive health care legislation as Democrats hunger for guidance from the White House. Even while saying he still wanted to get the job done, Obama counseled going slow, and bowed to new political realities. Democrats no longer command a filibuster-proof Senate majority, and voters and lawmakers are far more concerned with jobs and the economy than with enacting sweeping and expensive changes to the health system.

"I think it's very important for us to have a methodical, open process over the next several weeks, and then let's go ahead and make a decision," Obama said Thursday night.

"And it may be that ... if Congress decides we're not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not," the president said. "And that's how democracy works. There will be elections coming up and they'll be able to make a determination and register their concerns one way or the other during election time."

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

It seemed to be a shift in tone for the issue Obama campaigned on and made the centerpiece of his domestic agenda last year.

"Here's the key, is to not let the moment slip away," Obama also said.

Sweeping health legislation to extend medical coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans passed both chambers of Congress last year and was on the verge of completion before Republican Scott Brown's upset victory in a Massachusetts special U.S. Senate election last month. Brown was sworn in Thursday, giving Republicans 41 votes, enough to block the initiatives of the Democratic majority.

Now the health legislation hangs in limbo. Lawmakers are looking to Obama for a path forward, but he has not publicly offered specifics. His signals have been mixed. At the DNC event he said Republicans should be part of the process - something they've shown little interest in and that would doubtlessly drag out a legislative effort that many rank-and-file Democrats want to end quickly. The health care bill has become unpopular with the public and a political drag for lawmakers.

"The next step is what I announced at the State of the Union, which is to call on our Republican friends to present their ideas. What I'd like to do is have a meeting whereby I'm sitting with the Republicans, sitting with the Democrats, sitting with health care experts, and let's just go through these bills. ... And then I think that we've got to go ahead and move forward on a vote," Obama said Thursday.

"But as I said at the State of the Union, I think we should be very deliberate, take our time. We're going to be moving a jobs package forward over the next several weeks; that's the thing that's most urgent right now in the minds of Americans all across the country."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Friday that there is no meeting set yet for the president to talk over health care strategy with Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

"There's nothing on the block on this right now," he said. "But I think this just goes to the president continuing to want to hear ideas."

Bipartisan congressional leaders are planning to join Obama at the White House on Tuesday, but Gibbs reiterated that the meeting will be centered on how to create jobs and boost the economy.

Obama had also said Thursday night that "we've got to move forward on a vote" on health care. When asked what the president meant by that, Gibbs said only that White House officials are "still working with Capitol Hill on the best way forward."

Obama's comments came just hours after he met Thursday afternoon with Democratic congressional leaders, but the discussion focused mostly on jobs, and the leaders emerged with no announcement about a path ahead for health care. Rank-and-file Democrats are eager for them to settle on one by the end of next week, after which lawmakers will return to their states and districts for a weeklong recess where they'll likely face questions from voters on the issue.

Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, said Friday that the White House has not requested a sit-down on health care with Republicans.

"The president wants to start over on health care? Sen. McConnell's been saying that for months," said Stewart.

[Jason_Clearbrook]

Shows us what really matters to Pelosi, Reid and Obama...

Thanks!

[Jason_Clearbrook]

MIGHT? I think it SHOULD!!!

Start over, you Democrat bullies, and REALLY be bipartisan, and not just use the phrase as a dead punching bag!

Or, if you don't get the message, get ready to pay the piper in November. Reap what you sow!

This "bipartisan" commision is just Obama's attempt to get a rubber stamp on what was NEVER bipartisan on the part of the LIBERALS who thought their supermajority made them GODS!!! KILL IT already!!!

It is a GOOD thing to abort it!

[flsunjnky]

Ha Ha CBSisCommunist5, quit smoking is probably on the top of your list, why did you list it last?

[CBSisCommunist5]

List of OBAMA failures

cap and trade
health reform
gitmo
Iraq exit strategy
Quit smoking

[RoboBlogger]

Well, we can't blame the President for those failures. Most of it is due to the bickering between the Republicans and Democrats and the Interests groups. You want real change your gonna have to replace all those people up there that know how to manipulate the system to benefit themselves rather than the people.

[ky7474]

Those who voted for real change have been ready to stand and fight, but the leadership refuses to engage. Striking a deal with big pharma right off the bat was a clear indicator of things to come. We don't even know what the deal is. The vast majority of the country still wants major changes in this countries policies, we just need to find dedicated leaders that can get the job done.

[realist51]

It's to bad most of the people here have accepted the lose of health insurance reform. make a note this was not about healthcare reform. the nation provides the best health care nin the world but not the best way of administering the bills. in tern 50 million are with out coverage and don't pay for there service's when rendered the other 250 million do. most people don't get this or chose to forget this simple fact. here's what's going to happen now the democrat's are going to quit. instead of forcing the issue into the republican'ts camp and letting them show that they don't give a rats rump about the rest of us. the dems will cave. you will not see a new bill introduced buy the repubs ever. haven't done it in 16 years won't do it in the next 16 either.
It would have been somthing to see scott brown be the first republican to reach across the aisle instead of just becoming the 41st nay sayer. and in the next three years when companies that want to do the right thing by providing ins to there employee's can no longer afford to then the system will collapse. and so will the economy and our nation. a sad mark in the future history books of the world. maybe we'll get lucky and it will happen on december 21st 2012. in the mean time pat yourselves on the backs repubs you've won feel good about it you all did under regan and bush why not now.

[jgg000101]

just to clear something up: scott brown won because he opposed the healthcare bill. Massachusetts has a healthcare plan and the people know it stinks. Seriously, if you don't have health insurance but have a cell phone and cable tv, buy the former and get rid of the latter.

[the74blaster]

Its time to take a page out of the conservatives book guys. Its time to turn up the pressure of the Democrats to do exactly that.

Unfortunately Carl Rove's rule still applies in politics. Basically you keep repeating the same lies over and over again until it becomes accepted as the truth.

Where is the outrage? The people supporting the democrats need to scream so loud that the voices of the conservatives cannot be heard!

It is very clear the GOP is only concerned about spending money in foriegn lands so their rich base can profiteer off of the taxpayers. The GOP does not care about healthcare reform or the people who cannot afford it.

Afterall I would say actions speak louder than words!

[wjksea]

The school of hard knocks is what the old timers would day this generation needs and it will receive it sooner than later. The depression was postponed painlessly for many.

Someday when 99.9% of the several hundred million people begin tiring of eating the cake that the global non-democratic corporate plutocrats feed them there will be 99.9% of an outraged disenfranchised populous gasping for freedom under the oppression. The French revolution could be rewritten on american soil.

The greatest generation produced a generation that has for selfish gain written off this nation's posterity. There ain't no free lunch. There will be a price tag.

[msimamaji]

Yesterday, Scott Brown was sworn into the Senate. This weekend the tea baggers are holding their national convention. In California, Anthem Blue Cross is "celebrating" both events by raising their rates for individual policy holders by 30% to 39%. They also have informed their policy holders that they will raise their rates more frequently than once a year. And this is only the beginning.

I am not at all surprised, albeit I expected this to happen after the Republican victory in the 2010 election and not before. The reasons are really a "no brainer". Health insurance companies have spent a million dollars a day trying to defeat health care reform. They have fielded a small army of lobbyists. They have even funded the Tea baggers. Every single Republican and Blue Dog Democrat gets generous campaign contributions from health insurance companies and since this is an election year you can expect all sorts additional political campaign contributions.

In addition, health insurance companies are the new darlings of Wall Street. They have attracted untold thousands of new investors, who want a generous return on their investments. Plus, the CEO's of health insurance companies will what superlarge bonuses for defeating health care reform.

I can't help wondering how many Americans are going to find their insurance rates sky-rocket. I wonder how many will lose their insurance because their insurance companies decide that their illnesses are too expensive to treat. We have two choices: either we pass health care reform, or we will pay,pay,pay and pay - with no guarantee that we will have health insurance coverage if we get sick.

Which choice do you want to make?

[wjksea]

A few poor will be employed to defend the status of the plutocrats for a time. In the end, it all comes tumbling down. Dysfunctional socioeconomic ponzi schemes never last.

[starleo146]

you are right on that they will go up and up.Mark it down it is a done deal.

[ebrew3]

The Republican mantra: Health Care for me, but not for Thee...

[wjksea]

But so short sighted some arrogant self righteous beasts are. As the society collapses where do they plan to run to? The space behind the castle walls?

[Tiddah]

Dear irish american,

Why don't you do something constructive with your time like, log off your computer and put a sock in it. Leave the country if you don't like the president. Pres. Obama is 10x's the pres. bush was. At least we have a pres. that is willing to take political heat for those that are less fortunate. Healthcare is a right not a privilege. Just give it time, you'll see he'll be a great pres. Circumstances can change quickly, if health reform is needed it will happen-regardless of what the uninformed think. Change will happen and eventually everyone will see it is for the better.

One thing I know is that Democrats tend to be better at the economy and looking out for the middle class. Republicans are better at big business and wars. America gets who we need in times of crisis-you'll see.