Obama Forcefully Makes Case at Capitol

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN AND CARL HULSE

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times President Obama meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill on Saturday.

President Obama, in an extraordinary session with the Democratic caucus just a day before a climactic vote on major health care legislation, made a forceful case for health care reform on both policy and political grounds.

In closing his remarks to House Democrats, Mr. Obama told them they were on the verge of making history.

“You have a chance to make good on the promises you made,” Mr. Obama said. “This is one of those moments. This is one of those times where you can honestly say to yourself: ‘Doggone it, this is exactly why I came here. This is why I got into politics. This is why I got into public service. This is why I made these sacrifices.’ ”
“Every single one of you have made that promise not just to your constituents but to yourself,” he added. “This is the time to make good on this promise.”

Finally, Mr. Obama declared, “We have been debating health care for decades. It has now been debated for a year. It is in your hands. It is time to pass health care reform for America, and I am confident that you are going to do it tomorrow.”
President Obama is exhorting House Democrats to approve historic health care legislation, telling them that it is the right thing to do even if it does not win Democrats political points.

Mr. Obama opened by quoting Abraham Lincoln. “I am not bound to win but I am bound to be true,” he said.
The president acknowledged that the debate had been wrenching.
One of his chief messages was that if Republicans are so strongly opposed to the legislation, could it really be true that Democrats will suffer politically if they adopt it?

“I notice that there has been a lot of friendly advice offered all across town,” he said. “Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Karl Rove — they are all warning you of the horrendous impact if you support this legislation.”
He continued, “Now, it could be that they are suddenly having a change of heart, and they are deeply concerned about their democratic friends. They are giving you the best possible advice in order to ensure that Nancy Pelosi remains speaker and Harry Reid remains leader and all of you keep your seats — that’s a possibility.”

Mr. Obama chuckled at himself, and lawmakers in the audience laughed.
“But it may also be possible that they realize that after health reform passes and I sign that legislation into law, it’s going to be a little harder to mischaracterize what this legislation has been all about,” he said.
To big applause, Mr. Obama noted that it would give small businesses tax credits to help provide insurance to employees, that parents whose children have pre-existing medical conditions would be able to get coverage, that insurance companies would be barred from revoking policies through “recissions” even though premiums have been paid.

Of the Republicans, he continued, “Maybe they know that this year for the first time, young people will be able to stay on their parent’s health insurance until they are 26 years old, and they are thinking that that just might be popular all across the country.”
He also referred derisively to the false Republican charges last summer that the legislation would create “death panels” to deny treatment to elderly Americans. “They also know what won’t happen,” Mr. Obama said. “They know that after this legislation passes and after I sign this bill, lo and behold, nobody is pulling the plug on Granny.”
He continued: “It turns out that in fact people who like their health insurance are going to be able to keep their health insurance, that there’s no government takeover. If they like their doctor they will be able to keep their doctor, in fact they will be more likely to keep their doctor because of a stronger system.”
And he noted that the bill was a compromise measure including many Republican ideas, even though Congressional Republicans are all opposing it. “This piece of legislation is built on the private insurance system that we have now,” he said. “This bill tracks the recommendations not just of Democrat Tom Daschle, but also Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker.”
He added, “This is a middle-of-the-road bill that is designed to help the American people in an area of their lives where they urgently need help.”
Lawmakers said they recognized the momentousness of the event. “A little history being made here,” said Representative Jim Cooper, Democrat of Tennessee.

Πηγή: NY Times