Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Obama: Back and Forth and dog whistling

August 16: Obama Backs Away from the "Public Option"

Key Feature Of Obama Health Plan May Be Out
As President Obama finishes a western swing intended to bolster support for his signature policy initiative, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius opened the door to a compromise on a public option, saying it is "not the essential element" of comprehensive reform. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Obama "will be satisfied" if the private insurance market has "choice and competition."

August 18: Obama goes forth, not backing off from "Public Option"

Gibbs insists Obama not backing off public option
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs insists the Obama administration has not shifted its goals on health care reform or distanced itself from a government-run public insurance option.

He said in a meeting with reporters Tuesday morning that news stories suggesting that the administration was ready to abandon the public option as it battles to push health care reform through were overblown. The rash of reports began after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seh-BEEL'-yuhs) appeared to signal the president was open to health care cooperatives as an alternative.

Gibbs said there was no intention to indicate a change in policy. He said, "If it was a signal, it was a dog whistle we started blowing weeks ago."


Was the dog whistle the White House has been blowing a signal to the lapdog media to roll over and beg and not ask what is this administration up to, and does it even know what it is doing?

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