IMO, the best way for President Obama to turn the debate on health care around is to...

[WI_DEM]

give a prime time oval-office speech--no more press conferences where the press can control the message. He should use the prime time speech to do the following:

1) Explain what a Public Option does and why he is for it. Make sure to explain that a public option would ultimately reduce costs because the insurance industry would have competition.

2) Explain the other items to be in a comprehensive health care bill including denying the rights of insurance industry to discriminate by using pre-existing conditions.

3) Explain that time and again (just on the economic bill) he has put his hand out to the GOP and accepted some of there ideas, but they just keep biting his hand and the reason is that the GOP doesn't want health care reform. So if we have to "we (democrats) will do it alone."

4) Take each argument that the GOP and insurance lobby are throwing around (letting granny die, etc) and debunk it.

I believe if he used the bully pulpit of the White House it would renew support for the public option and begin to put the GOP on the defensive (instead of the other way around) and you will also see the president's numbers in the polls go up again.

Go for it, Mr. President! This could be your "We Will Overcome Speech" (for those who don't know what I mean, Lyndon Johnson gave a great speech on voting rights before Congress and at one point exclaimed with arms in the air, "We Will Overcome!" with passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965).

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Amen! And you are not alone in thinking this! Please, Mr. Pres...

Speak to us from the Oval Office. Put these idiotic rants to rest. I wrote to the WH and asked him to do this.

[CrispyQ]

2. I've posted this before, but if I were Obama, I would

find a way to fund a 20 city event like the RAM event in LA this past week. Select 20 cities around the country & have med events like the one in LA. Then tell the People, "Single payer will be better than this, because it will be in your home town, at your local clinic, with doctors you choose."

The town hallers would have a hard time being heard if Obama did something like this. Not to mention, a whole bunch of them would be attending the med events.

But yes, you are right, he needs to tackle this bullshit straight on.