House and Senate Democrats who have been pleading with the White House to exercise some leadership on how to get closure on a health reform bill were effectively told it was up to them to pass legislation. President Obama seems to be redefining his function as providing a forum for national discussion, and Congress can take whatever they decide to the electorate.

Obama’s statement to supporters at a DNC fundraiser is here. The Q&A begins about 25 minutes in, and the first question asks about the strategy for moving on health reform.

The New York Times Prescriptions blog reports:

At the fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee later on Thursday, however, Mr. Obama said that once Congressional Democrats had worked out their differences and settled on a final bill, he would push for a vibrant, public debate over the health care legislation. He said he planned “to call on our Republican friends to present their ideas.”

“What I’d like to do is have a meeting whereby I am sitting with the Republicans, sitting with the Democrats, sitting with health care experts and let’s just go through these bills,” Mr. Obama said. “Their ideas, our ideas. Let’s walk through them in a methodical way, so that the American people can see and compare what makes the most sense. And then I think that we have got to move forward on a vote. We have got to move forward on a vote.”

Mr. Obama said that Americans were apprehensive about the health care legislation because there was too much misinformation that he would now work to clear up.

“They are certain that they would have to go onto a government plan, which isn’t true,” the president said. “But that’s still a perception a lot of people have. They are still pretty sure that they would have to give up their doctor. They are still pretty sure that if they are happy with their health care plan, that it’s bad for them. They are still positive that this is going to add to the deficit. So there is a lot of information out there that people understandably are concerned about.”

He continued, “That’s why I think it’s very important for us to have a methodical, open process over the next several weeks and then let’s go ahead and make a decision. And it may be that if Congress decides, if Congress decides we’re not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not. And that’s how democracy works, and there will be elections coming up and they will be able to make a determination and register their concerns one way or another during election time.”

At one point, as the president insisted that he would continue to fight for the health care bill, the crowd chanted, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”

It’s an interesting notion of leadership and democracy. We’ll lay out the case, call in the experts on [I suspect] national television, let the opposition take their shots, and then decide whether we want a bill or not to take to voters in November.

But what’s missing is any acknowledgment that Obama and the White House bear any responsibility for the contents of the bills and how the public perceives them. Many of the legitimate concerns and anger over these bills arise from the White House’s secret PHaRMA, hospital and AHIP deals, and the WH failure to fight for (or outright opposition to) sensible, popular measures like a public option, drug reimportation and Medicare bargaining, anti-trust immunity and so on. Who’s responsible for leaving the Senate bill with a serious affordability problem and an unsellable excise tax? And how does the White House propose to resolve House-Senate differences in ways that promote the public interest?

A well structured public forum to debate the merits of the health reforms may be just what the doctor ordered in a rational democracy. But the Republican have no incentive to play a responsible role in that Obama-staged drama. They’ll keep reading from Frank Luntz’ book of lies as long as it’s working for them. But maybe that’s what Obama is counting on.


Related:
LA Times, Anthem Blue Cross Proposed Huge Premium Increases
The Hill, Sen Landrieu says Gov. Jindal wanted the Louisiana Medicare bailout (and Nelson says his Republican Gov. wanted the Nebraska deal)
Politico, Al Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill