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Obama on Health Care Reform: 'This Is Our Moment'

November 07, 2009 3:14 PM

Abc_rachel_martin_090309_mn ABC News' Rachel Martin reports:

President Obama made an 11th hour pitch to Congress today, urging members of the House to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill. He made a rare personal appearance on Capitol Hill this morning and then later on in the Rose Garden, he repeated his message to Congress. “I reminded them that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation.  Most public servants pass through their entire careers without a chance to make as important a difference in the lives of their constituents and the life of this country.  This is their moment, this is our moment…This is our moment to deliver.”

But delivering health care reform, at least in its current form, is still an uphill battle. There’s no Republican support for it in the House and divisions within the Democratic caucus over abortion funding that could jeopardize it altogether. The President alluded to the opposition in his remarks in the Rose Garden. “No bill can ever contain everything that everybody wants,” he said, “or please every constituency and every district.  That's an impossible task.  But what is possible, what's in our grasp right now is the chance to prevent a future where every day 14,000 Americans continue to lose their health insurance, and every year 18,000 Americans die because they don't have it.”

The President again promised that the legislation would guarantee reform that’s “fully paid for” and would reduce the long-term federal deficit. Republicans aren’t buying it. There were protests again today outside the Capitol and GOP lawmakers railed against the bill as an “affront to freedom.” But it’s not just Republicans who oppose the House bill – some Democrats are on the fence. A major sticking point has been abortion funding. Some anti-abortion Democrats have said they can’t support the bill unless it explicitly prevents federal money from being used to offset the cost of abortions. Democrat Bart Stupak has proposed an amendment that would clarify the language in the bill and potentially get anti-abortion Democrats on board with the health care legislation. That amendment will come to a vote today. A full floor vote on the health care reform bill is expected sometime tonight.  Democratic leaders insist that when the time comes to call for a vote – they’ll have the 218 they need to push it through.

November 7, 2009 in congress, health care, Obama, Barack | Permalink | Share | User Comments (141)

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I can not believe that the USA has allowed this to go on. What has happened to the government we knew even 10 years ago. I think in 2010 it is really time for a change if not sooner. Want to make the people happy, get the impeachment process going.

Posted by: Jim Ross | Nov 10, 2009 12:21:51 PM

Obama should scare you. why in the world would anybody elect. him for the job then codem Palin about not having any exsperiance. she did run the largest state in the union and did a good job at it. Obmam has done nothing in his life but live off of the dole.Heck he is just another unemployed living ing gov, housing. He said judge me by the people I have around me and look at who that is most hate America or are communists,and one could arrgue is a petophile. obama will drag this country down and is already the worst presedent we ever had, sorry about that jimmy.

Posted by: dlamrine | Nov 9, 2009 10:16:28 PM

=================
Social Security is bankrupt.
Medicare is bankrupt.
Medicaid is bankrupt.
==================
This is our moment when we plunge the United States into fiscal disaster on a national scale that will send tsunami shockwaves around the Earth.

Posted by: N Waff | Nov 9, 2009 7:33:01 PM

In fact they booted Republicans OUT of one seat and replaced them with a Democrat.Posted by: tierra | Nov 8, 2009 5:22:54 AM
You forgot to mention, that Owens lied to the people in the 23rd by telling them he will vote AGAINST the HC bill and what does he do????? That will be the only time they will vote for a democrat.

Posted by: Lizzie | Nov 9, 2009 4:45:47 PM

I believe this President is trying to ruin the United States and he has the House of Representatives being led like lambs to the slaughter. I hope the health care bill dissolves in the Senate. I hope someone is going to stand up for the People of the United States.

Posted by: Alice | Nov 9, 2009 1:54:07 PM

Obama and his cohorts should enjoy their day in history because they'll be voted out of office in the upcoming elections. America is losing it's liberty, it's freedom that so many before us gave their lives for. Obama is turning America into a socialist state and it's awakened many angry voters.

Obama is clearly dismantling our country piece by piece. There is no transparency to his administration. This health care reform bill is not the ultimate fix all bill that people think it is. You have to be uninsured for 6 months to quality for the government insurance. But wait, if you're uninsured you'll be fined or possibly sent to prison. Health care needs to be fixed now yet the bill wouldn't give insurance coverage to anyone until 2013. While you may dismiss Palin's death panel discussion, there certainly is a Health Commission to be created, which is to determine which diseases and treatments will be covered and to whom these services will be provided. Do NOT believe the politicians. Read the bill for yourself!

Posted by: grannysunni | Nov 9, 2009 1:28:54 PM

Time for Obama to do something as president

Posted by: 5th hour history | Nov 9, 2009 1:19:25 PM

At our national parks there is a reason they stopped letting people feed the bears and letting them into the garbage. They get dependent upon the handouts, increase their population, they start demanding it then become violent to get it. What do you think is going to happen when the demand for these government hand-outs are no longer sustainable or can meet expectations? Yes it is their day to naively feed the bears to gain their favor and feel good about it. We may recall that the public housing projects ended up badly. So will this ill conceived endeavor.

Posted by: TX_MBell | Nov 9, 2009 12:54:07 PM

Shouldn't America be about giving people rights, instead of taking them away?
By taking the Socialist idea of uniform healthcare and putting it in a Democratic society is like spitting on the Constitution, and saying everything our forefathers fought for was in vain.
By taking away my choice, you are taking away the very essence of my American heritage.
And Obama if you truly cared about the people of the country you are blessed to represent, you would care less about what the media thinks of you, and more about what the people think of you. When a bill passes and your public rating goes down by five percent, that's a sign. when your egotistical self checks what people think of you on ABC, read this and know. Eventually the people will overcome.

Posted by: aconcernedAmerican | Nov 9, 2009 10:39:19 AM

True American, I hate to say it but you are probability on a watch list now.

Posted by: hkdakota | Nov 9, 2009 8:37:16 AM

Yes this is our moment, to take over 1/6 of the economy, to redistribute the wealth from those who earned to those who have no ambition. Yes this is our moment to finally socialize our medical care. Now on to crap & trade lets grab the brass ring away from democracy and socialize the entire nation !!!

Posted by: hkdakota | Nov 9, 2009 7:54:05 AM

Strange...I was under the impression that most Americans don't want this garbage?

Huh.

Posted by: RR GOP | Nov 9, 2009 12:55:44 AM

Yes We Can...
Yes We Can ruin America's healthcare system.
Yes We Can bankrupt America.
Yes We Can ruin the economy.
Yes We Can ...

Obama is nothing but a celebrity who likes to inflate his own ego. Our Moment?! If this wasn't another one of his ego-enriching publicity stunts, he wouldn't refer to it as such.

Posted by: Director of Homie Relations | Nov 9, 2009 12:34:21 AM

Obama said "this is our moment to deliver" Deliver the country into bankruptcy ,!!! Way to go Obama.
We have been attack by one terrorist and you haven't taken the time to visit the troops yet. George W and LAURA BUSH VISITED ON FRIDAY NIGHT WITHOUT THE PRESS. They also visited the wounded. , But Obama is waiting until he can have a lot of photo ops, so he is attending one memorial service.

Posted by: CW | Nov 8, 2009 10:25:16 PM

DID MR TRANSPARENCY READ THETHE WHOLE BILL...PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME.

Posted by: betty1122 | Nov 8, 2009 7:49:41 PM

On November 3rd, Fascist Hyena claimed that the previous day's Gallup poll found "Obama's approval among all adults has plummeted to a new low of 50%.”

I replied, “More garbage from Fascist Hyena. This is the ninth time Obama has been at 50% in the Gallup daily polls, and he has always surged back to 54% - 56% within a week. Let’s see if he pulls it off again.”

Well, Obama did indeed pull it off again. Today’s Gallup poll shows a 54% job approval rating.

Posted by: Numeros | Nov 8, 2009 2:29:47 PM

Protocol, A True American Citizen


I would urge you both to try and not be so frightened and intimidated by right-wing propaganda. That 'letter' was one of the biggest servings of pure baloney I've seen recently.

Posted by: Skip | Nov 8, 2009 2:28:23 PM

This is one sad day in history. A handful of people voted to destroy the liberty of their countrymen, liberty that had been paid for by the blood of our ancestors.

Posted by: Elle | Nov 8, 2009 2:19:59 PM

+1000

"Dear President Obama:

You are the eleventh President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others..."

I agree with everything you wrote A True American Citizen.

Posted by: Protocol | Nov 8, 2009 2:19:12 PM

Kudos to the Democrats and Catholic Bishops who stood their ground to stop
abortions from being federally funded.

Pelosi's bill would not have passed had she not folded on this issue.

Abortion rights advocates have called the measure the biggest setback to women's reproductive rights in decades.

Too bad for them.
Pelosi and Obama have a legacy to think of.

Posted by: fran | Nov 8, 2009 2:01:34 PM

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