(July 19, 2009 - Photo by Pool/Getty Images North America)
Fox News is reporting that the President is working on a healthcare proposal of his own to coincide with his address to the nation next week. Details are not yet available but it appears that the president is ready to enter the fray and make his true thoughts known.
Some will see this as a final hour attempt to salvage a fading ambition of liberal democrats, but anyone who has been following our clever cheif executive should realize that this was his plan all along. He allowed the debate to be waged in Congress rather than between the American people and the White House. Instead of town halls or marches on Washington, the battle was waged in small town between “constituents” and their elected representatives. It is actually quite a brilliant strategy if you think about it. Let Dems in Congress take the heat for promoting a contraversial measure and silently push for them to take the conversation as far left as possible. Then when all seems lost, the President can sweep in and offer a more centrist proposal that appears to be a compromise.
With Republicans like Olympia Snowe already discussing a “trigger” provision, which would call for a public option to kick in if private insurers dont meet federally regulated mandates, Obama will be seen as a unifier when he is able to get two or three msiguided Republicans to come on board. Again, everyone will once again forget that the Dems dont need any republicans to pass this thing. With Kennedy’s spot still vacant they need one vote to prevent a fillubuster but even that seems to be an afterthought as Congressional Dems have already said they would use the reconciliation path if needed.
So the next few days shoudl be interesting. Im sure the anticipation of Wednesday will be too much for many to handle. Look for a few of those questionable Republicans to emerge between now and then and call for a bipartisan approach to resolve the standstill. Id put my money on Snowe, Graham, and McCain. We shall see.
I always make sure to wear my bullet proof vest whenever I am on duty. I have a wife and kids to provide for. Safety first.