Obama rallies worried Democrats on healthcare reform
| Washington
With approval ratings for Democrats tumbling, President Obama called on the House majority caucus to look beyond the politics of the moment and fight for healthcare reform.
On a visit to the Capitol Thursday evening, the president told the House Democratic caucus that he understands 鈥渢he pain and anxiety and sometimes anger鈥� that voters are feeling.
鈥淣ow, believe me, I know how big a lift this has been. I see the polls,鈥� he said. But once voters see the bill signed into law, 鈥渢he American people will suddenly learn that this bill does things they like and doesn't do things that people have been trying to say it does.鈥�
Midterm prospects
Unlike senators, House members must face voters every two years, and the prospects for midterm elections are shaky 鈥� especially for the 48 Democrats in districts where the GOP's presidential standardbearer, John McCain, won in 2008.
Mr. Obama spent much of Wednesday working with Democratic leaders on a compromise deal for healthcare. Late on Thursday, Democrats said they were almost there. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on the brink of passing healthcare reform,鈥� said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after the caucus meeting with the president.
A key stumbling block is finding a way to pay for healthcare reform without taxing high-cost insurance plans 鈥� a feature in the Senate version of the bill opposed by labor unions, who want to protect benefits hard-won through collective bargaining. Aides close to the negotiations say there may be a compromise in raising more revenue through the Medicare payroll tax.
Welcome back
Democrats returned to Capitol Hill this week with accounts of voters worried about the economy and confused about the agenda in Washington, especially healthcare.
鈥淧eople are concerned about the costs, they鈥檙e befuddled by the complexity, and if they have insurance, they want to make sure they aren鈥檛 losing something, and all of those concerns leave a great deal of doubt,鈥� says Rep. John Spratt (D) of South Carolina, who chairs the House Budget Committee.
But he and others say they are encouraged by the president鈥檚 commitment to focus on jobs and to campaign for the healthcare plan, once it鈥檚 signed. 鈥淥nce it鈥檚 a done deal, and the text is out there and people can see what鈥檚 in it, they can see that there鈥檚 a lot more in it for them than they appreciated,鈥� he said.
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