Robert Reich wants Obama to go after healthcare industry lobbies like LBJ did

[Better Believe It]

Historical note: LBJ beat them.

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The healthcare war has officially begun
Will Obama stand up to lobbyists and insurers to give Americans a needed public option?
By Robert Reich
Salon.com
June 12, 2009

Wednesday the American Medical Association came out against a public option for healthcare. The President has reaffirmed his support for it. The next weeks will show what Obama is made of -- whether he's willing and able to take on the most formidable lobbying coalition he has faced so far on an issue that will define his presidency.

The last president to successfully take on the giant healthcare lobbies was LBJ. He got Medicare and Medicaid enacted because he weighed into the details, twisted congressional arms, threatened and cajoled, drew lines in the sand, and went to war against the AMA and the other giant lobbyists standing in the way. The question now is how much LBJ is in Barack Obama.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/06/12/reich/

[DJ13]

1. LBJ was known to be a real prick. Sadly Obama doesnt have that going for him.

[backscatter712]

9. I wish we had an LBJ in the Senate.

He was Majority Leader before he became President, IIRC.

Unfortunately, we don't have an LBJ. We have a Harry Reid...

[QC]

14. Yeah. Obama's all-consuming need to be loved is giving me disturbing flashbacks

to the Clinton years. Remember how Bill would trample his friends underfoot in his rush to embrace his enemies? "Maybe, just maybe, if I give them what they want again, they will finally love me."

What was old is new again, it seems.

[ClarkUSA]

15. Yeah, sure. When he signed the landmark credit-card reform bill, the banks loved it. Uh huh.

Also, when he signed the first federal emissions and mileage standards, the auto companies and Michigan senators loved that. And the Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street just LOVE his push to regulate the derivative industry. :eyes:

[AllentownJake]

17. That bill sucks

and I really don't see the regulation yet.

[ClarkUSA]

21. I disagree. "Obama signs sweeping credit card reform bill | Reuters" (link ->)

Credit card companies hated it, too. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE54L5S220090522

The derivatives regulatory push is being debated in Congress and hotly opposed by the Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051302393.html

[QC]

19. The credit card "reform" bill with no limits on interest rates? That one?

Yes, dear, I am sure they are furious about it. Just furious.

[ClarkUSA]

22. No, it's the one that restricts credit card interest rates and fees. (link to news story -->)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law on Friday sweeping reforms that restrict credit card interest rates and fees, marking a victory for Democrats trying to help recession-weary consumers and a setback for banks seeking to retain sorely-needed revenues.

The law is expected to hurt profits of major card issuers such as Citigroup Inc, Bank of America Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Capital One Financial Corp.... "With this bill we are putting in place some common sense reforms designed to protect consumers," Obama said at a signing ceremony at the White House.

"We're not going to be giving people a free pass and we expect consumers to live within their means and pay what they owe. But we also expect financial institutions to act with the same sense of responsibility that the American people aspire to in their own lives," he said.

Enactment marks the crest of a backlash against the card industry after years of rate and fee hikes and aggressive marketing programs that have angered consumers, analysts said... ]It also represents the first major financial regulation reform completed by Obama as he tackles a rewrite of the rules of banking and the markets to better protect consumers and investors, and prevent another credit crisis.

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE54L5S220090522

[OwnedByFerrets]

20. According to some of the brightest minds in

the political arena, LBJ would have gone down as one of the most progressive presidents, if not for the Vietnam War.

[angee_is_mad]

2. Once again, this isn't the 60s

and didn't the clintons try that route?

[QC]

3. No, the Clintons tried to make nice with the insurance companies.

Didn't work too well.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Unfortunately, it's more like the Republicans and DLC twist Obama's arm,

threaten and cajole him, draw lines in the sand, and go to war against single payer. d

That's all we've seen so far.

[cascadiance]

23. Kind of like the southern Democrats tried to twist LBJ's arm too in those days...

... before he signed the Civil Rights Act and in effect told them to get the F' out of America's party if they couldn't work all Americans!

Obama should do the same thing and basically at some point say ENOUGH's ENOUGH, and push getting public campaign financing laws passed, and in effect tell the DLC and the Blue Dogs to get the F' out of America's party if they don't want to stop representing "corporate persons" over the real American people!

Then if we can get the corporate types out now like we got rid of a big chunk of the racists out then, we could have a party that really works for the American people.

I can only dream! If only Obama would have the kahones to do so!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

24. This has been my major frustration with Obama

You can't negotiate with bullies. You can only stand up to them and tell them where to go and what they can do when they get there.

Remember: when the Democrats stood up with a united voice to protect Social Security, the Republicanites backed down.

Having Republican Lites in our party is NOT HELPFUL.

[Fovea]

5. That's okay

Sebelius only *looks* nice.
As I understand it, she has an important part of westar energy's endocrine system dangling from her rear view mirror.

[Thrill]

7. She was out in Nebraska today, pushing for a Public Option Plan

you're making the wrong ones the enemy.

[Fovea]

8. What?

My enemy is for profit medicine.
And I think I have an ally in K.S.

[Thrill]

6. Too many weak Democrats in the Senate.

Thats the reality. And many of the ones that are against this are from states where going against Obama won't hurt them. ND, SD, LA, Arkansas, and Montana. Notice, states that aren't likely to vote for him. Its no coincidence these are the states with the Democrats that are against the Public Option.

Reich should know this, having already worked in the Government

[Better Believe It]

10. What's your point?

You don't think President Obama should play hardball with the insurance/health care industry and "moderate/conservative" weak Senators like LBJ did?

If Obama doesn't, a strong public option won't pass.

That's the bottom line.

[Thrill]

13. No. I think he should and he will. But they really aren't the problem,

The real problem is the Senators from those states. I think its clear he is going to fight for a good public option. Judging by Orzag, Seibelius, and Romer all pushing his same talking points from Green Bay

[AllentownJake]

18. They aren't weak they are bought and paid for

[EndElectoral]

11. I like Reich. Obama should have placed him in charge of the adminstration's health care intiative

[QC]

12. Not in a million years. The moneyed interests would not have liked it.

Heavens to Betsy! Imagine, placing an actual liberal in charge of something!

[SuperTrouper]

16. I completely agree; especially the American Medican Association. I, as a physician

condemn them in the strongest of terms for sleeping with the enemy: the insurance companies and the pharmaceuticals and going hand in hand with them to derail Bill Clinton's attempt at healthcare reform...also being worse than prostitutes and ripping off Medicare and at the same time denouncing government-based health insurance (i.e. Medicare)

[Better Believe It]

25. For Sunday DU'ers