What I'm chewing on this morning: Is Obama Rolling Over On The Public Option? Is Mike Bennet's PO Push Just A Fundraising Angle Against A Popular Colorado Primary Opponent?
Yikes, the dots aren't connecting a very pretty image this morning. The New York Times today paints a picture of what Obama, Reid and Pelosi are putting online this evening ~ Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers’ Rate Increases and there isn't a peep about the Public Option.
What happened to all of this talk about how everyone is lining up to support a public option?
I sure expected to hear something about a Public Option being considered as a part of the new DEM HCR package. Since the growing momentum of the Public Option push of the last few days happenstanced almost 100K extra for Michael Bennet's campaign coffers, who can resist speculating on the relative sincerity of a few of these last-gasp PO pushers?
Frankly, I had never heard of Senator Bennet until word of his hot, hot Public Option letter started making the rounds. And now that Monday is here with no Public Option in the package, I am feeling a little ripped off.
Maybe, just maybe, Michael Bennet of Colorado (a well-connected political scion and, big Obama booster, who nabbed the appointment for Ken Salazar's seat) was sorta duping us all along --with the help of Obama and Reid-- for a little extra helping of Senatorial Campaign Cash against primary opponent Andrew Romanoff. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee reports that Bennet scooped up $80 thousand dollars in the last few days on the strength and good will of that letter and they are asking for more (this morning I had three new PCCC fundraising emails ....Yesterday, we asked you to show support for Sen. Mike Bennet, who is now being slammed by Republicans and conservative papers in his state...)
I might not have given the whole Appointed Senator Bennet-Colorado Primary-OFA-Letter With Shumer/Reid/Obama signaling PO Support Thing another thought if not for Sunday's Caucus Blog post [Democrats Target Independents in Colorado and Virginia] about the melding of the DNC and the OFA and supposedly wooing independents while actually appearing to interfer with DEM Senate primaries ~
Democrats are ramping up their efforts to woo those fickle independent voters, beginning by deploying volunteers from the considerable Obama campaign army now known as Organizing for America.
After collecting pledges for millions of volunteer hours, O.F.A., under the auspices of the Democratic National Committee, is starting its "You Fight, We’ll Fight" effort by asking people to help in two regions to aid vulnerable lawmakers — in Colorado, for Senator Michael Bennet, the Democrat appointed last year
...Just last week, President Obama traveled to Denver to stump for Mr. Bennet at a rally and a private fund-raiser.
I guess the question is whether Colorado independents may vote in the DEM primary ~
In an e-mail message sent last night to those volunteers, David Plouffe, the former campaign manager for the Obama campaign and guru to grassroots Democrats, wrote: "Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado and Congressman Tom Perriello of Virginia are two new members of Congress who have stood up for health reform and suffered vicious, deceptive attacks from the opposition. Now they’re both facing tough re-election fights, and they need our support."
Mr. Plouffe’s e-mail includes links for volunteers to follow to sign up, using the organizing tools familiar to those worked door-to-door for the Obama campaign in the 2008 cycle. They’ll be given lists of independent voters to telephone or contact.
...Senate and governors’ races. Both parties have been eying independents as they shift into high gear for the midterms. With this move, O.F.A. is also signaling how it intends to harness the millions of volunteers who fanned out across the country to elect President Obama and other Democrats
Plus, some comment rescues calling this move an unwelcome meddling of Washington DC into a State's affair ~
patientpatient, Colorado Springs: Mr. Bennet is facing a tough reelection fight only because he's a carpetbagger who didn't have enough sense to get to know the state outside Denver and the ski slopes before he was appointed. Anger at him is secondary to the anger at the national Democrats' attempt to pick a senator for the state. Arrogance at national level created this situation. National politicking will not solve it.
JP, Jersey City, NJ: making Organizing for America...an independant obama group...part of the democratic national committe may not have been a genius move insofar as the real independants in the group were concerned.
coach3rdbase, chicago: I wonder if Plouffe even gets it. he suggests that the attacks against his two candidates are because of their party. As an independent, I'm tired of a democrat that votes 92% of the time for whatever the leadership tells him/her to do and a republican that thinks it' in their best interest to vote against the democrats. The way that I see it ....the W.H. gives tax breaks, but then raises fees and taxes on "Big Business" and then we (the taxpayer) suffers; while at the same time...cutting deals with the bankers, oil companies, Pharma and everyone else....except cutting a deal with us common folk. When the White House and congress will exclude all union and big business contributions both monetarily and politically from their environment..maybe the American people will trust them. When we voted, this administration said that we will fundamentally change Washington. All I've seen is the same money and benefits going out to the same people and the middle class and poor will be taxed and priced into oblivion. There is no difference between either party.
Rick, Fraser, CO: I worked for Barack Obama's nomination and election in Iowa, Texas and finally my home state of Colorado. He said repeatedly how ours was a bottom-up, not a top-down movement. I am more than a little disappointed that he has chosen to interfere in our local senatorial primary by fund raising for Michael Bennet in his race against former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
Bennet is a very weak candidate who will surely lose in November, while Romanoff would have at least would have a fighting chance, given the hostile environment for which President Obama bears partial (although by no means full) responsibility. The president needs to focus on fixing national problems like health care, prosecuting the banking crooks, and ending the wars, not on micro-managing our local affairs. This our decision to make, not his.
President Obama needs to honor the spirit in which we worked for his election by staying out of our local affairs. Such Chicago-style (read: Rahm Emanuel) was not welcomed in New York or Massachusetts, and it is not welcome here.
Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers’ Rate Increasesa well-connected political scion and, big Obama booster, who nabbed the appointment for Ken Salazar's seatAndrew RomanoffDemocrats Target Independents in Colorado and Virginia