President Goldilocks

by digby

Depends on what the meaning of the word “campaign” is:

Obama said the public option “has become a source of ideological contention between the left and right.” But, he added, “I didn’t campaign on the public option.

Perhaps he didn’t have it at the center of his campaign, but his campaign documents certainly included it (PDF):

The Obama plan both builds upon and improves our current insurance system, upon which most Americans continue to rely, and leaves Medicare intact for older and disabled Americans. The Obama plan also addresses the large gaps in coverage that leave 45 million Americans uninsured. Specifically, the Obama plan will: (1) establish a new public insurance program available to Americans who neither qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP nor have access to insurance through their employers, as well as to small businesses that want to offer insurance to their employees; (2) make available the National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses that want to purchase private health insurance directly; (3) require all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees; (4) mandate all children have health care coverage; (5) expand Medicaid and SCHIP to cover more of the least well-off among us; and (6) allow state flexibility for state health reform plans.

I don’t think it’s actually necessary or possible for Presidents to stick to the letter of their campaign promises. Things change, art of the possible etc.

And since he never pushed very hard for it it’s been clear for some time that he and the rest of the leadership decided that it would be something they could safely bargain away because the liberals who wanted it would hold their noses and vote for the plan anyway. But that doesn’t mean that the liberals were wrong to assume he supported it. It definitely was in his campaign health care plan.

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