090909 Sublime Speech To Joint Session Of Congress: Health Care Reform, Actual Distribution Of Government Spending & Finally What Obama Said & What He Really Meant About "4-Year Insurance Exchange"

090909 Sublime

Speech To Joint

Session Of

Congress:

Health Care Reform,

Actual Distribution

Of Government

Spending & Finally

What Obama Said &

What He Really

Meant About “4-Year

Insurance Exchange”

My title is my outline. So unless I discover something else fantastic, this Post includes (1) My Opinion, (2) Presidential Text, (3) MSNBC Keith Olbermann’s Critique following the Speech, (4) Graphs of Government Spending Re Obama’s Own Comments, & (5) 4 Year Insurance Exchange. For (2) & (3) I must wait until tomorrow.

OK, I found something essential, if not fantastic this morning – an overview:

Obama: Statistics show need for

overhauling health

WASHINGTON, Thu Sep 10, 12:10 PM

Trumpeting nurses' support for a health care overhaul while lamenting a worsening toll of uninsured, President Barack Obama kept up the pressure Thursday for congressional action.

"We don't need more partisan distractions", Obama said in remarks at the White House, speaking again on the issue just 14 hours after his Wednesday night address to Congress and a national television audience. "We have talked this issue to death. ... The time for talk is winding down."

The White House event was organized, with the American Nurses Association, to showcase the group's backing for Obama's drive to revamp the nation's health care system. Obama says his plan would give people, who have health insurance greater security, set up a marketplace for affordable access to coverage for those without, and reduce health care costs for all.

Seeking to sweep away a summer of gridlock on his top domestic priority, Obama plans to remain in the spotlight on health care repeatedly over the coming days, appearing at a rally on Saturday in Minnesota and scheduling another speech for next Tuesday.

Before a crowd of cheering nurses in an office building adjoining the White House, Obama said that too many people are being cut off from coverage.

"It is heartbreaking and it is wrong and nobody should be treated that way in the United States of America. Nobody!" the president said. He also cited new Census statistics, released Thursday, showing that the number of uninsured has risen to 46.3 million from 45.7 million in 2007.

Vice President Joe Biden also toured the morning network news shows, saying the fights over details like a GOVERNMENT-RUN OPTION obscured a real bipartisan consensus for change.

"I think the most important thing he did, he also debunked a lot of the myths out there, the idea of death panels, that we were going to insure undocumented aliens", Biden said of Obama's Wednesday night speech. "I've been in the Congress for a very long time, eight presidents. I believe we will have a bill before Thanksgiving".

Sen. John McCain, also interviewed Thursday morning, said he agreed that something needs to be done about health care. But he also said that if the administration wants to see legislation realized, it must reach out more aggressively to minority Republicans.
Tabacco: WHY! That’s like cheetahs seeking help in a hunt for prey from lions! The cheetahs will in all likelihood be the lions’ dinner!

"We need to do it, but it has to be bipartisan", McCain said.
Again, I ask, “WHY!”

Obama's speech spelled out where he stands on key issues on reform. While some of his explanations — notably on costs — were incomplete, he left no doubt he's taking ownership.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. snap poll of people showed that after the speech, two-thirds said they supported Obama's health care proposals, compared with 53 percent in a survey days before the president spoke. About one in seven speech-watchers changed their minds on Obama's proposal, but the audience was more Democratic than the U.S. population as a whole.
Tabacco: So why take the “Poll” that way in the first place!

Republicans said Obama came up short in his Wednesday night speech, even though he showered them with attention. Liberals seemed to take it in stride that Obama, trying to reach out to the GOP, signaled flexibility on the government-sponsored plan they want to create to compete with private insurers.
GOPers want NO REFORM at all! What would you expect from these OBSTRUCTIONISTS!

Under Obama's plan, insurance policies could not be canceled if people get sick. Insurers would not be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

For the millions who lack insurance — or have trouble getting it after being laid off or deciding to start a business — Obama's plan would set up a new marketplace in which consumers could pool together. Government subsidies would be available to make premiums more affordable. But individuals would be required to get coverage, and employers would have to contribute.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the plan entails too much government.
Tabacco: Translation – MORE DEREGULATION!

"Americans weren't looking for a new sales pitch", McConnell said. "They're looking for a new proposal".
Tabacco: McConnell is talking about that 7% Solution, but he implies they represent the MAJORITY. Where’s your National Poll, McConnell!

Biden said Obama went as far as he needed to for now to compromise on the PUBLIC OPTION.

There are Public Options and there are Public Options. They are NOT the same just because they are called "Public Option"!

"He laid out the underlying principles as to why there is a need for a public option", the vice president said. "He is willing to sign a bill, any bill, by whatever mechanisms you call it, that in fact guarantees that there is in fact a choice for people that is affordable."

Now, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is moving forward with plans to debate legislation by the end of the month. Baucus had delayed action for months, with Obama's blessing, hoping to broker a bipartisan deal. But Wednesday, he said he would press ahead with or without Republicans.

In Obama's speech, he said he will listen to all ideas but also added, in a clear reference to Republicans, "I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to improve it."

In an unusual outburst from the Republican side of the House chamber, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouted out "You lie!" when the president said illegal immigrants would not benefit from his proposals. Wilson later apologized for "this lack of civility".
Tabacco: I heard the “You lie!” part; I didn’t hear the partial apology! No judge warned the audience to “Ignore that outburst from that Extremist on the RIGHT!”

Biden appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America", CBS's "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today" show. McCain was interviewed on the "Today" show.
 
http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=608625&categoryId=14



Tabacco: Now for my Critique, which mainly consists of advice, not assessment. From my title you can see I was impressed by Obama’s Speech. He was “presidential candidate” Obama once again.

Speeches are nice, and good works are even better.  But if you make value judgments, based solely on speeches, good looks, amiability, intelligence and facility with English, you’re going to be disappointed often!

How easy it is to induce, dissuade, manipulate and cajole a Democrat! Never forget that lesson! Conversely, turning a Republican away from personal gain or a wild feline away from its prey once they smell blood is veritably impossible!

We must keep up the pressure from the Left to combat the pressure from the Right! Republicans are aware of Democrats’ tendency to fold under pressure and capitulate to whoever is applying the most pressure. Republicans only respond to financial pressure from those with outstretched hands containing bribes!

To my original points above I must also add the following comments:

Provision 246: Democrats assert that ILLEGALS would not qualify for benefits under Health Care Reform. Congressional Research Service ascertains Illegals would be eligible to receive Health Care benefits because Democrats do not include any policing in their legislation. GOPers are right on this one. You know they are because Democrats won’t do anything to upset Hispanic voters! So they include the wording but supply no method to ensure its workability. Therefore it would be a fraudulent assertion! That’s an old politician’s trick. Bush did it with “No Child Left Behind”. And Bush only had to under-fund it to defang that initiative and still reap all the glory!

 

 
Yes, Virginia, America has “Laws Without Teeth” too!

 
 
Heller Amendment: Voted down along Party lines 26-15. I haven't read it, but Tabacco supports it in Principle!

E-Verify: I include this government program because it is already up and running and it works. By expanding E-Verify (which Democrats attempted to kill without fanfare), we put some teeth in the assertion that “Illegals would be excluded from benefits from Health Care Reform. This is the easy way to ensure Democrats tell the TRUTH on this one! Or do you still believe Democrats are above that sort of thing!

E-Verify is now mandatory for government contractors. - CNN

Unless we tighten Hospitals’ ER policy legally, Illegals can still get treatment there, sign an IOU and go bye-bye!

Tabacco has compromised from Single-Payer to the Public Option! All those other Obama back-stepping moves (PUBLIC OPTION > PUBLIC OPTION WITH TRIGGER > PUBLIC OPTION ONLY FOR UNINSURABLES + TORT REFORM) and now a “4-Year DELAY For Insurance Exchange – Tabacco is NOT ON BOARD. And if we pass some of these “BACK-STEPPING MOVES”, I will continue to criticize Democrats ad infinitum and ad nauseam. Just because Democrats or GOPers say it’s “good for us” does NOT make it so! Remember NAFTA was passed under Bill Clinton with Jimmy Carter’s approval!

You see, it is an ABOMINABLE LIE that passing “ANY HEALTH CARE REFORM” is preferable to not passing any!

Want proof? Just look at Bush’s “Donut Hole” in Medicare! Obama isn’t even discussing reversing and correcting that ABOMINATION or the other Bush Medicare “Bequeath”: the government is prohibited from negotiating lower drug prices for Medicare recipients like myself!

Once it becomes law, your government is loath to reverse any legislation, including BAD LEGISLATION. Look also at the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

Other than these items, there is little criticizing I can do of the “Speech”. That was its intention! By remaining vague as to actual details, Obama insulated himself from criticisms from the “Left”. He even did a pretty good job of shutting down the “Right”. Did you see the GOPers breaking ranks, some applauding and the general consternation because of the way Obama’s Speech disarmed them and left them little room to wiggle?

GOPers came with their papers waving at first, an obviously pre-planned ploy. Of course we, the audience, had no inclination as to the content of those papers. But it was also obvious they were all the same. Could they have been copies of “Alice In Wonderland”!

Republicans use a different strategy. They pass legislation with lightning speed giving opponents little time to read the legislation or react, let alone complain about it or coalesce in a unified front.

Despite Obama’s persistence on “BIPARTISANSHIP” (the new 4-LETTER word), I insist we get 50 votes in the Senate – 50 Democratic votes – and bypass Cloture, Filibuster and Senate Etiquette. Negotiating with a “single” GOPer is not negotiating; it’s BACK-STEPPING! It would be no different if Democrats held 70 Senate seats or 80 seats! But I’d rather have cowardly Democrats in the plurality than incorrigible, bold, self-serving Republicans any day!

What have Democrats not ALREADY SURRENDERED that is left to negotiate with! Democrats surrender; GOPers hold their ground! Thank God, General George Washington did NOT follow that policy during the Revolutionary War!

We must caucus Senate Democrats and DAMN THE REPUBLICANS! Once a real Public Option in the new Health Care Reform Bill is up and running, nobody will give a farthing that Democrats acted in a unilateral manner! And Democrats can take all the credit when campaigning! GOPers now contend they helped pass Social Security and Medicare. One GOPer vote allows them to palm off that Lie!

Health Care Reform without a strong and immediate Public Option is Insurance Reform – NOT Health Care Reform. That would add to the Windfall, achieved by Insurance and Pharmaceuticals. But it would do little to cut costs. In short, such a Bill would be a Republican Victory and a Democratic FAILURE!

If we Democrats cannot win with this PLURALITY, we may never again get the opportunity. “Use it, or lose it!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-to-a-Joint-Session-of-Congress-on-Health-Care/


THE BRIEFING ROOM

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                                September 9, 2009


REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
ON HEALTH CARE

U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.

8:16 P.M. EDT


 
THE PRESIDENT:  Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people:
 
When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month.  Credit was frozen.  And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.
 
As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods.  A full and vibrant recovery is still many months away.  And I will not let up until those Americans who seek jobs can find them -- (applause) -- until those businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes.  That is our ultimate goal.  But thanks to the bold and decisive action we've taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink.  (Applause.)
 
I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and your support in these last several months, and especially those who've taken the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery.  I also want to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying time for our nation.
 
But we did not come here just to clean up crises.  We came here to build a future.  (Applause.)  So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future -- and that is the issue of health care.
 
I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.  (Applause.)  It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform.  And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way.  A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943.  Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.  (Applause.)
 
Our collective failure to meet this challenge -- year after year, decade after decade -- has led us to the breaking point.  Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy.  These are not primarily people on welfare.  These are middle-class Americans.  Some can't get insurance on the job.  Others are self-employed, and can't afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer.  Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover.
 
We are the only democracy -- the only advanced democracy on Earth -- the only wealthy nation -- that allows such hardship for millions of its people.  There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage.  In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point.  And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage.  In other words, it can happen to anyone.
 
But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured.  Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today.   More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you'll lose your health insurance too.  More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won't pay the full cost of care.  It happens every day.
 
One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadn't reported gallstones that he didn't even know about.  They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it.  Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne.  By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer had more than doubled in size.  That is heart-breaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
Then there's the problem of rising cost.  We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren't any healthier for it.  This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages.  It's why so many employers -- especially small businesses -- are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely.  It's why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally -- like our automakers -- are at a huge disadvantage.  And it's why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it -- about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care.
 
Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers.  When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid.  If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined.  Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem.  Nothing else even comes close.  Nothing else.  (Applause.)
Tabacco: That assertion struck me! Let’s see how valid it is!

This is a government figure chart. It invites me to make my own pie chart. So I did! Thank you, Mr. Obama!

  Guess what, Mr. President – NOT YET! And that’s using your own figures! Defense ($821.7 Billions) is the EXPENDITURE HOG, not Health Care ($784.2 Billions)! The way US presidents spend our borrowed Tax Dollar$ to fund Wars for Disaster Capitalists, it would appear that “Defense", not Medicare + Medicaid, will attain that honor. And NOBODY ever mentions NATIONAL DEBT, REVENUE NEUTRALITY, FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY or any other Talking Point related to government spending when promoting WARS FOR PROFIT!

 

 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_United_States_federal_budget

This Wikipedia gives government a false benefit re “Defense” by breaking it down into separate categories:

Medicare            13.34%
Medicaid            7.32%
Subtotal                20.66%

Defense                16.85%
War On Terror        4.75%    
Veterans Affairs        1.46%
Homeland Security    1.23%
Subtotal                24.29%

Defense wins again!

So what’s all this WAR SPENDING? How does America compare to the rest of the world? Not just one other country, but the rest of the world combined? A picture is worth 1,000 words, and Tabacco didn’t create this graph – I just copied it!

 
http://static.globalissues.org/i/military/country-distribution-2007.png

if you want to read the very interesting article,
http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending

Tabacco will stick with the pie!
 
Now, these are the facts.  Nobody disputes them.  We know we must reform this system.  The question is how.
 
There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canada's -- (applause) -- where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everybody.  On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.
 
I've said -- I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both these approaches.  But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have.  Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch.  (Applause.)  And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months.
 
During that time, we've seen Washington at its best and at its worst.
 
We've seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform.  Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week.  That has never happened before.  Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors' groups, and even drug companies -- many of whom opposed reform in the past.  And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been.
 
But what we've also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards their own government.  Instead of honest debate, we've seen scare tactics.  Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise.  Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge.  And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.
 
Well, the time for bickering is over.  The time for games has passed.  (Applause.)  Now is the season for action.  Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do.  Now is the time to deliver on health care.  Now is the time to deliver on health care.   
 
The plan I'm announcing tonight would meet three basic goals.  It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.  It will provide insurance for those who don't.  And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.  (Applause.)  It's a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge -- not just government, not just insurance companies, but everybody including employers and individuals.  And it's a plan that incorporates ideas from senators and congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans -- and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election.   
 
Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan.  First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.  (Applause.)  Let me repeat this:  Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
 
What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you.  Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition.  (Applause.)  As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most.  (Applause.)  They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime.  (Applause.)  We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.  (Applause.)  And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- (applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse.  That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.  (Applause.)
 
Now, that's what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan -- more security and more stability.
 
Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices.  (Applause.)  If you lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage.  If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get coverage.  We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange -- a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices.  Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers.  As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage.  This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance.  It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance.  And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves.  (Applause.)
 
Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still can't afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we'll provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need.  And all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections I already mentioned.  This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.  In the meantime, for those Americans who can't get insurance today because they have preexisting medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill.  (Applause.)  This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in the campaign, it's a good idea now, and we should all embrace it.  (Applause.)
 
Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the risk and go without coverage.  There may still be companies that refuse to do right by their workers by giving them coverage.  The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money.  If there are affordable options and people still don't sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for these people's expensive emergency room visits.  If some businesses don't provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors.  And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved.
 
And that's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.  (Applause.)  Likewise -- likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers.  There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still can't afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements.  (Applause.)  But we can't have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees.  Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part.
 
And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe -- (laughter) -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined:  consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance.
 
And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole.  Still, given all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months, I realize -- (applause) -- I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform.  So tonight I want to address some of the key controversies that are still out there.
 
Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost.  The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens.  Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible.  It is a lie, plain and simple.  (Applause.)
 
There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants.  This, too, is false.  The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You lie!  (Boos.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  It's not true.  And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.  (Applause.)  
 
Now, my health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a "government takeover" of the entire health care system.  As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare.  (Applause.)
 
So let me set the record straight here.  My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition.  That's how the market works.  (Applause.)  Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies.  In Alabama, almost 90 percent is controlled by just one company.  And without competition, the price of insurance goes up and quality goes down.  And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly -- by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest, by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage, and by jacking up rates.
 
Insurance executives don't do this because they're bad people; they do it because it's profitable.  As one former insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill, they are rewarded for it.  All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called "Wall Street's relentless profit expectations."
 
Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business.  They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors.  I just want to hold them accountable.  (Applause.)  And the insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would do just that.  But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange.  (Applause.)  Now, let me be clear.  Let me be clear.  It would only be an option for those who don't have insurance.  No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance.  In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up.
 
Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't like this idea.  They argue that these private companies can't fairly compete with the government.  And they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option.  But they won't be.  I've insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects.  But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.  (Applause.)
 
Now, it is -- it's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight.  But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left or the right or the media.  It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn't be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles.  To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it.  (Applause.)  The public option -- the public option is only a means to that end -- and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.  And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.  (Applause.)
 
For example -- for example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies.  Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan.  These are all constructive ideas worth exploring.  But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice.  (Applause.)  And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need.  (Applause.)
 
Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me, to members of this chamber, and to the public -- and that's how we pay for this plan.
 
And here's what you need to know.  First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future.  (Applause.)  I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.  And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize.  (Applause.)  Now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for -- from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy.  (Applause.)  I will not make that same mistake with health care.  
 
Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse.  Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care don't make us any healthier.  That's not my judgment -- it's the judgment of medical professionals across this country.  And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid.
 
In fact, I want to speak directly to seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue that's been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate.
 
More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years.  That's how Medicare was born.  And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next.  (Applause.)  And that is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan.  (Applause.)  
 
The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies -- subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but don't improve the care of seniors.  And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead.  (Applause.)    
 
Now, these steps will ensure that you -- America's seniors -- get the benefits you've been promised.  They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations.  And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs.  (Applause.)  That's what this plan will do for you.  So don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program.  That will not happen on my watch.  I will protect Medicare.  (Applause.)  
   
Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody.  We have long known that some places -- like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania -- offer high-quality care at costs below average.  So the commission can help encourage the adoption of these common-sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals throughout the system -- everything from reducing hospital infection rates to encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors.
 
Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.  (Applause.)  Now, much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers.  And this reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money -- an idea which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts.  And according to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of health care for all of us in the long run.
 
Now, finally, many in this chamber -- particularly on the Republican side of the aisle -- have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care.  (Applause.)  Now -- there you go.  There you go.  Now, I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs.  (Applause.)  So I'm proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine.  (Applause.)  I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas.  I think it's a good idea, and I'm directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today.  (Applause.)
 
Now, add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over 10 years -- less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.  (Applause.)  Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent -- but spent badly -- in the existing health care system.  The plan will not add to our deficit.  The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes.  And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year -- one-tenth of 1 percent -- it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.
 
Now, this is the plan I'm proposing.  It's a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight -- Democrats and Republicans.  And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead.  If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.  My door is always open.
 
But know this:  I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to improve it.  (Applause.)  I won't stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are.  If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out.  (Applause.)  And I will not -- and I will not accept the status quo as a solution.  Not this time.  Not now.
 
Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing.  Our deficit will grow.  More families will go bankrupt.  More businesses will close.  More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most.  And more will die as a result.  We know these things to be true.
 
That is why we cannot fail.  Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed -- the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town halls, in e-mails, and in letters.
 
I received one of those letters a few days ago.  It was from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy.  He had written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal.  He asked that it be delivered upon his death.
 
In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, his amazing children, who are all here tonight.  And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform -- "that great unfinished business of our society," he called it -- would finally pass.  He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material things."  "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."
 
I've thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days -- the character of our country.  One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government.  And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate.  That's our history.   
 
For some of Ted Kennedy's critics, his brand of liberalism represented an affront to American liberty.  In their minds, his passion for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government.
 
But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here -- people of both parties -- know that what drove him was something more.  His friend Orrin Hatch -- he knows that.  They worked together to provide children with health insurance.  His friend John McCain knows that.  They worked together on a Patient's Bill of Rights.  His friend Chuck Grassley knows that.  They worked together to provide health care to children with disabilities.
 
On issues like these, Ted Kennedy's passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience.  It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer.  He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick.  And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance, what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent, there is something that could make you better, but I just can't afford it.
 
That large-heartedness -- that concern and regard for the plight of others -- is not a partisan feeling.  It's not a Republican or a Democratic feeling.  It, too, is part of the American character -- our ability to stand in other people's shoes; a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise.
 
This has always been the history of our progress.  In 1935, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it.  In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress -- Democrats and Republicans -- did not back down.  They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind.  
 
You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem.  They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom.  But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited.  And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges.  We lose something essential about ourselves.
 
That was true then.  It remains true today.  I understand how difficult this health care debate has been.  I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them.  I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road -- to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term.
 
But that is not what the moment calls for.  That's not what we came here to do.  We did not come to fear the future.  We came here to shape it.  I still believe we can act even when it's hard.  (Applause.)  I still believe -- I still believe that we can act when it's hard.  I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress.  I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test.
 
Because that's who we are.  That is our calling.  That is our character.  Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
END                9:03 P.M. EDT

This is where I watched the President's speech.

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for

Wednesday, September 9


updated 11:34 a.m. ET, Thurs., Sept . 10, 2009

Guests: Rachel Maddow, Howard Fineman, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Valerie Jarrett, Elizabeth Edwards, Jonathan Cohn, Steve Hildebrand

KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST:  A president offering an interim plan to prevent bankruptcy due to health care costs that would morph in four years into an insurance exchange containing the public option, holding as he announced this, the door open for bipartisanship, still crediting his election opponent for part of the health care reform plan he tonight endorsed, insisting no one will be forced to change insurance, no abortions will be federally-funded, there will be no death panels—calling that a lie—insisting that there will be no coverage for those here illegally, and then greeted by Congressman Wilson of South Carolina shouting from the safety of the crowd, quote, “You lie”.  That’s the state of health care reform, state of American health care, the state of American politics on the 9th of September in the year 2009.

Our analysis begins now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OLBERMANN (voice-over):  With Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, staunch proponent of the public option in the Senate Health Committee; senior White House adviser, Valerie Jarrett on what the president sought to accomplish tonight; Elizabeth Edwards of the Center for American Progress, tireless public advocate for health care reform; Jonathan Cohn, the author of “Sick:

The Untold Story of America’s Health Crisis” on whether or not what the president outlined would really help; and Steve Hildebrand, the Obama deputy campaign manager in charge of field organization, the most senior campaign staffer to publicly express doubts about the White House’s leadership and prioritization in the current crisis.

And there are always “Worst Persons”.  Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is back and is a “Birther”.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  He cannot be the president by our Constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  I’m sorry.  I don’t think so.  I’m sorry.

REP. JEAN SCHMIDT ®, OHIO:  I agree with you, but the courts don’t.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  This is COUNTDOWN special coverage in the wake of President Obama’s address to the joint session of Congress on health care reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  I’m not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OLBERMANN:  Good evening from New York.

“I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.”

Our fifth story on the COUNTDOWN: That line from Obama’s second address to a joint session of Congress certainly to be remembered, whether in victory or in defeat, long after the current health care debate has been decided.

The president tonight urging lawmakers to enact sweeping health care reform, including a public option—what would be, he reminded both ends of the spectrum, only one part of his plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA:  To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA:  The public option—the public option is only a means to that end.  And we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.

And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  And yet, one of the president’s Republican friends identified by “The Associated Press” as Congressman Wilson of South Carolina, shouting, “It’s a lie” when Mr. Obama said the reforms he is proposing would not apply to those here in this country illegally.  Despite that, later, the president is still soliciting new proposals from anyone while simultaneously laying down the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA:  The plan will not add to our deficit.  The middle-class will realize greater security, not higher taxes.  This is the plan I’m proposing.  It’s a plan that incorporates ideas for many of the people in this room tonight, Democrats and Republicans.  And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead.

If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.  My door is always open.  But, know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it is better politics to kill this plan than to improve it.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  In the Republican response, the goal would seem to be delaying reform.  Congressman “Would-Be Lord” Boustany of Louisiana proposing that lawmakers chuck everything out and start over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHARLES BOUSTANY ®, LOUISIANA:  It’s clear—the American people want health care reform, but they want their elected leaders to get it right.  Most Americans wanted to hear the president tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and rest of the Congress that it’s time to start over on a common sense bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality.  That’s what I’ve heard over the past several months in talking to thousands of my constituents.

Replacing your family’s current health care with government-run health care is not the answer.  In fact, it will make health care much more expensive.
Tabacco: He knows that he is lying!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  Even though that’s exactly the opposite of what the president had said.

Time now to call in Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio.

Senator, great thanks for stopping by tonight.

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO:  Glad to be with you, Keith.  Thanks.

OLBERMANN:  Did you hear—did you hear what you needed to hear or wanted to hear from the president tonight?

BROWN:  Yes.  I’ve been here for a decade and a half—it’s the best speech I’ve ever heard to a joint session.  It was—it had a sense of history but a focus about moving forward.  It was specific as it needed to be.  It had a strong public option to keep prices down and to give choice and to keep insurance companies honest.  And he reached out—you know, he did reach out to Republicans as he had.

In our bill, Keith, as you know, in the Senate Health Committee, we incorporate 160 Republican amendments in.  This bill’s got bipartisan flavor to it.  But on the big questions, Democrats and Republicans have very different views—for instance, on the public option and a couple of other issues.

OLBERMANN:  The idea of the insurance exchange kicking in in four years, with where the public option would be contained, do you have a clear

idea of what that means, and also what that immediately offer of low cost -

essentially bankruptcy protection—what that—what that means?  The president seems to make those key, and yet I don’t know that they were as clear as they might be.

BROWN:  Yes, that was some new information.  I think he’s open to that idea.  I think we can probably do it faster than four years.  I would like to.  But I like the sort of, you know, the assistance in the meantime.  Part of that will be providing Medicaid.  The president has some other ideas, too.

But I think that’s an example of how he still wants—even though the Republicans have rebuffed him and sent out all this misinformation about illegal immigrants and death panels, he still wants to reach out to them.  But, you know, Keith, I think, in the end, I look back to Medicare, a whole lot of Republicans voted against Medicare.  They found out two years, five years, 20 years later, they were on the wrong side of history.

And I think a number of Republicans, in the end, Keith, are going to vote for this bill because they don’t want to face their children and grandchildren a decade from now and say, “You know, we were on the wrong side of history on this one.”

OLBERMANN:  Well, that certainly was the intent, I guess, of citing Congressman Dingell, a man who has grown old in the service of his nation, as his father did before him, and pointing out that his father before him in the House had proposed legislation certainly reminiscent of the currently proposed reforms, but he proposed it in 1943.  And two generations of Dingells have gone through that House without getting anything seriously done.  That is—that was great symbolism I thought, and absolutely pertinent.

BROWN:  And that’s exactly right.  When I hear what Congressman Boustany from Louisiana said after the president’s comments that we need to go slow and do this again, you know, 12,000 people every day are losing their insurance in this country; 390 in my state of Ohio and Cleveland and Dayton and Mansfield and Sidney (ph) and all over.

And, you know, understand that we’ve been working on this for years starting with Teddy Roosevelt and then through John Dingell and FDR and Truman and Johnson and Kennedy and Clinton—Kennedy, Johnson and Clinton, all up until now and we’ve had very long, extensive debates and hearings on this.

We’re ready to do this and we need to do it before the end of the year.  And we will.  We’re going to get a bill with a good, strong public option to the president before the end of the year.

OLBERMANN:  There were two things in here that I wonder how Republicans can go out and say they oppose if these are final aspects of the final bill.  Number one, being malpractice reform which was something that Dr. Boustany mentioned and for which the Republicans stood and cheered and cheered and cheered.
Tabacco: That’s the ABOMINABLE “TORT REFORM”! Apparently Republicans are attempting to NOT use that phrase now – I wonder why!

But the other one, I imagine that out in the great American middle or out in the great American left or out in the great American right, it doesn’t matter.  If you hear a president say that it will be illegal to deny insurance for pre-existing conditions, I wonder if you couldn’t get everybody in the country to vote yes for that in a plebiscite of some sort.

BROWN:  Well, yes.  You know, pre-existing conditions—when you get - you get sick, your insurance company cancels your insurance because it costs too much, discrimination on gender and race, and discrimination on people with disabilities, and geography and all that.  We can—we can get good, strong support in the country but Republican members of Congress are on a short leash with the insurance industry, and the insurance industry pulls that leash, Republican members of Congress sit back.  And so, that’s harder than it looks, even though the whole country—even the most conservatives support that kind of consumer protection on these insurance policies.  You betcha!

OLBERMANN:  To that last point, did the—I don’t want to waste your time with too many psyche questions about the Republican Party, but did they do themselves favors by showing the minority whip, Mr. Cantor, sitting there texting during the message or this remarkable comment from Congressman Wilson that the president—he said it’s a lie when the president said this would not—none of this would pertain to people here illegally.  Is that—did they hurt themselves, or is Congressman Wilson going to be hero tomorrow morning in certain parts of this country?

BROWN:  Well, he might—he might be a hero in certain parts of the country and certain neighborhoods.  But they’re playing themselves out of this week after week.  Every week, whether it’s opposition to the president of the United States, this one, like the other, in speaking to students, whether it’s making up stuff about death panels and illegal immigrants, whether it’s saying there’s a lot of Republicans here feed into that the president wasn’t born into the United States.

Those things and their behavior tonight really isolates the Republican Party, and it really has made them into a conservative southern white party that the rest of the country is leaving behind.  It’s too bad for the country they’re doing that but it’s really bad politics for them.  And they’re going to continue to pay for it.  Unfortunately, as I said, for the country and I hope they get off of that and come to the table and work with us.

OLBERMANN:  Well, I think that combat against that is the phrase, “It will be illegal to deny insurance for pre-existing conditions.”  That may change the entire playing field.

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio—always a pleasure, sir.  Thanks for your time.

BROWN:  Thank you.  My pleasure.

OLBERMANN:  For more on the president’s speech and its intent, let’s turn to White House senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, who’s been good enough to join us from outside the White House.

Thank you again for that.

VALERIE JARRETT, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR:  My pleasure.  Good evening, Keith.  How are you?

OLBERMANN:  I’m—I have some specific questions and I have a general question.  The president left the overall intent of this for last.  There were a lot of intriguing specifics and a lot of things that will sell well and extraordinary moments in the speech.  But the emphasis of this, the goal of this, if he’d to blow it down to a sentence was: this is a moral imperative?

JARRETT:  I think that’s exactly what he said.  And he says it was something about the character of our country that makes it so important for us to deliver on behalf of the American people right now.  For those who have insurance, they need additional safety and security and stability in the system.  For those who don’t, they need affordable health care and we have to reduce the cost for everybody.

It’s a very simple, distinct message.  And I think any American out there who was listening tonight knows where the president stands.  And I also think that by the nearly 30 standing ovations he received from Congress, we have a good sense of momentum there as well.

OLBERMANN:  On a subject of the public option, which the president wants to pin as about 10 percent or 15 percent of the reform here, it is contained—as I understood it from what he said and I will not say that I’m automatically right because I’m reading the president’s speech and his words may mean something else.  Correct me if I’m mistaken.  But I gathered that the INSURANCE EXCHANGE, which would contain the essence of the public option would not take place for FOUR YEARS.

Is there a trigger system involved in this?  Is there a phase in?  Or is there flexibility on that point?  What are specifics you can tell us about that?

JARRETT:  Well, sure.  Of course, it’s open.  I think what he said tonight was, also, he’s interested in other ideas.  His plan is—let’s take four years and make sure we put it in place and get it right, but that we have a safety net, suggested originally by Senator McCain in the meantime.
Tabacco: Obama leaves escape hatch for more BACK-STEPPING! Watch out Atlantic, here we come!

OLBERMANN:  And that safety net, where—anything more specific about that?  Or that is being built as we speak?  Because it seems that’s a new concept or at least a new—as you said, Senator McCain’s campaign to some degree on it, but it’s a new component or essential component to this final version of what the president wants, is it not?

JARRETT:  It is new.  And I think that what it shows is that the president has been listening over the months just as he said he would from the outside.  He’s received a lot of terrific ideas from Democrats, Republicans—everyone across the aisle and what he tried to do this evening was incorporate the best of what he’s heard, and he considers that to be a good alternative until we can get the exchange up and running.

OLBERMANN:  And the idea of that interim solution that emergency care would be to specifically focus on people who were threatened with bankruptcy because of the sudden onslaught of insurance expenses—or is it wider than that?

JARRETT:  It’s wider than that.  It’s people who currently don’t have coverage.  And there are many, many Americans—millions—who cannot afford coverage right now.  And so, if you lose your job or for whatever reason you don’t have the coverage, and you are in dire straits, you should be able to have a safety net.

I think, Keith, what he was talking about, going back to the character, is the importance in our country to make sure that we’re taking care of our citizens.  When you’re sick, you should not have to worry about going bankrupt and pay for your health care.  And so, until we have an exchange up and running, he’d like to have the safety net in place.

And there are a lot of great ideas that he received in the course of this process that we’ve been going through, and I think that he also said quite clearly, 80 percent—there’s an agreement on 80 percent across the aisle.  And so, let’s focus on just closing this out once and for all.  Let this be the time that we deliver on behalf of the American people.

OLBERMANN:  Is there—I think no one would ever look at the president’s attempts for bipartisanship on this as anything less than sincere and admirable.  Is there—even in the context of what he was able to achieve and address tonight—is there something over-prioritized about that if when he says, “Look, this is a lie, there are no death panels,” and he says, “Look, there is not going to be coverage provided for illegal aliens” or people who are in this country illegally, and someone to turns out to be Congressman Wilson of South Carolina shouts from the safety of the crowd, “That’s a lie”—is bipartisanship feasible when there’s this kind of almost blind reaction from the other side?

JARRETT:  I believe there is.  I believe what the president, such as President Barack Obama, we can certainly achieve that kind of bipartisan support.  And the fact that he was able to take an idea that came from his opponent, Senator McCain, and incorporate it is a very simple gesture and a way of showing what his character is all about.

And so, I think the measure of a person is whether or not they continue to reach out, they continue to listen.  And, Keith, most importantly, he’s focusing on what’s best for the American people.  And he’s going to debunk anything that he hears that’s nonsense—because the times are too important.

There are too many people who, each and every day, are losing their insurance.  They’re losing their jobs and they’re having to choose between paying rent, sending their kids to college, and paying their medical expenses.  And in this country, a country as great as our country, we deserve better than that.  And so I think his call tonight was a call to appeal to the better in all of us.  Stop this all this nonsense.  Stop all this terrible rhetoric and remember who elected you, who sent you to Congress.  The people of this country did.

OLBERMANN:  To that point, last question, something very important.  When the president said he will call people out who continue to spread lies about health reform no matter where they come from, did he mean that literally?

Will he be standing there reading a list of the people who are spreading this stuff the way so many others have had to do in the last six weeks?

JARRETT:  Well, I think the president is a man of his word.  I think what he’s saying very clearly is that let’s stop scaring the American people, particularly our seniors.  Let’s not do that.  They don’t deserve that.  Let’s have an honest debate about the issues.

There may be differences of opinion on substance and he said he welcomes new and exciting ideas.  But let’s just not try to scare people to keep the status quo because, what everyone has heard around this country is that status quo is no longer acceptable.  And he intends to move our country forward.

OLBERMANN:  Well, I hope he does the calling out because all of us

calling out at the same perhaps will get the job done.  Valerie Jarrett,

senior White House adviser -

JARRETT:  Thank you, Keith.  And we know we can always count on you to call people out, so thank you.

OLBERMANN:  I appreciate the way that was phrased.  Thank you kindly.

JARRETT:  Take care.

OLBERMANN:  Not all those who campaigned so hard for then Sen. Barack Obama have been so sanguine about his vision of healthcare reform.  His deputy campaign manager for field organizations, Steve Hildebrand, was the senior Obama campaign staffer who publicly questioned that vision in a full page ad in the “New York Times” today.  Let’s see if his opinion has changed.  He’ll join us for reaction.

And next, Elizabeth Edwards here on “COUNTDOWN.”

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  The author of “Sick,” Jonathan Cohn on whether what the president spelled out tonight particularly the four-year delay he proposed for an insurance exchange will constitute meaningful reform of the nation’s healthcare system now.  And a senior member of the Obama campaign staff to raise doubts about that - they join me.  First, Elizabeth Edwards next on this special post-presidential address edition of COUNTDOWN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  Why do so many Americans go without health care?  Why do so many go bankrupt paying for it?  Tonight, as in the past, we were told, blame the insurance companies.  But in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to run a countdown, if they are problem, what is the president actually going to do about them based on what he just told us?

Americans who cannot afford health care will not get health care.  They will somehow, though, be able to buy insurance.  There will be an exchange in four years.  Americans who do have insurance get to keep their insurance or go for some other alternative form of insurance.

Health insurance, in other words, for everyone which amounts to pretty good news for the people the Democrats told us were the bad guys, the insurance companies.  Is that a fair tradeoff?

We’re fortunate tonight to have with us, Elizabeth Edwards, now scholar and participant in the U.S. healthcare system, author of “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities,” and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.  Hello, my friend.  How are you tonight?

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, AUTHOR AND SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN

PROGRESS:  I’m doing all right.  Pretty pleased with the speech.

OLBERMANN:  Well, let’s expand on that.  What pleased you about it?  Was there a change in the president’s position?  Or were you just reinforced by this?

EDWARDS:  Well, you know, I was watching MSNBC earlier today.  Ed Schultz had done a survey, “Are you hopeful or worried?”  And I think 22 percent of the people were hopeful.  But 22 percent were worried.  And there’s always a little bit of worry when the press plays something up as a crucial speech.

And I think the president met and exceeds people’s expectations.  And those people who were worried listened to the speech and felt, I think ebullient about both the chances for healthcare reform and the direction in which the president seems to be leading the country.

OLBERMANN:  Do you think that encouragement stems from the imperative that he presented, that this is less about as much as it may benefit the economy?  He’s talked about how the deficit is, simply put, the question of insurance and health expenditures.  But that larger than that is this call to the memory of Ted Kennedy, that this is a moral imperative.

EDWARDS:  Well, I certainly think that was an enormously powerful part of the speech and may actually vault that speech into one of the greatest speeches to joint sessions of Congress that we’ve ever heard.

But I think that the big thing that happened was - and we’ve been

we spent the summer at the circus where we were hearing all sorts of nonsense.  And it was constantly this road show that was going on orchestrated to derail the healthcare reform.

And the president basically came back in as the adult in the room and said, “You know, there’s no more talk of, dare I say it, death panels or Nazis and we’re through with all of that nonsense.”

And now, we have to go about the serious business of addressing a real crisis both in the American economy and in American families and even in the American character if we’re going to continue to allow the kind of injustice, social injustice, that occurs in our healthcare system to continue.

OLBERMANN:  And not to waste more time on that reality of the circus, as you so aptly phrase it, always you aptly do.  This was, nevertheless, followed by the congressman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, saying either - I heard, “You lie” or the AP heard, “It’s a lie” on the subject of health care for people who are in this country illegally.

I’m wondering if the answer, as much as the president promised to call people out who do things like that, I think that’s great.  But I’m wondering if the answer of all of this is contained in one small sentence that he did not spend an awful lot of time on, but that he said it and made it a centerpiece of this bill might be the sales tool to cut through all of the other noise and to get the circus to leave town finally.

And that would be simply this - that it will now be illegal to deny insurance for preexisting conditions.  That would seem to be a universal message.

EDWARDS:  You know I have to tell you, over the past years as I’ve crisscrossed the country, not just campaigning politically but also, in conversations I’ve had with people in health care - and I spend a lot of time doing that - that is perhaps the number one issue.

People are afraid - most Americans do have insurance coverage.  But they’re afraid that when the time comes that some condition that is enormously important in their lives is not going to be attended to because it’s going to either be deemed a preexisting condition or deemed some reason for rescission.

So the kind of imperative that all preexisting conditions will be covered is I think enormously important to every American family.  As you pointed out earlier with Sen. Brown, that is an absolute winner across this country.

OLBERMANN:  And in addition to that, rescission would also be illegal, or as the president phrased it in a much more intelligible to people besides you way, no watering down, no denying of care when it is time to pay up.

I mean, this is the contract nature I would think that would appeal to people crossing party lines as well.

EDWARDS:  I think so.  You know - and the stories that he told about the Illinois man who was denied coverage in the middle of chemotherapy or the Texas woman, I think, that the sister of the Illinois man testified, that the Texas woman testified about just those kinds of insurance company abuses.

It’s one of the reasons why it’s so important that we have something that people, I think, think that exist but does not.  And that is national guidelines for what insurance companies can and cannot do.

Right now, you know, I think there’s been this threat of government control of your health care.  So I think Americans today think they have insurance company control of their health care.

OLBERMANN:  As you know, I lost my mom this spring.  My dad is sick.

EDWARDS:  So sorry.

OLBERMANN:  My dad is sick.  Fortunately, I think he’s going to be OK.  But I was in the hospital with him and in a rehab facility with him.  And I was thinking about this today when I was in there with him.  If I didn’t have the money to spread around where it was necessary, what in God’s name would I do?

EDWARDS:  I thought that was - in fact, you could see Nancy Pelosi having a little bit of trouble ...

OLBERMANN:  Yes.

EDWARDS:  ... containing herself when he said, you know, for a family to say, “The answer is out there.  I just can’t pay for it for you.”  And a child that they love or a spouse that they love not getting the care that they need, when you talk about a moral imperative, that’s something that Americans understand.  That’s one of the things that made this speech so incredibly powerful.

OLBERMANN:  Agreed.  Elizabeth Edwards of Center for American Progress, always a pleasure to speak with you and always a great point of pride to be able to say thank you, my friend.

EDWARDS:  Back to you, Keith.

OLBERMANN:  Take care.

EDWARDS:  So long.

OLBERMANN:  Is what we heard tonight real reform?  Or does it funnel money to insurance companies?  Is the delay too much?  Is that negotiable or is the big point that it would be illegal to deny insurance for preexisting conditions or cut off insurance when you need it?  Some answers from an expert on this - Jonathan Cohn, the author of “Sick.”

Late news on Sen. John McCain’s reaction to Mr. Wilson’s actions shouting “lie” at the president saying that Wilson should apologize and do so immediately at a full page ad in the “ New York Times” signed by volunteers and contributors to the Obama presidential campaign critical of his leadership on the subject of health care.

The senior campaign staffer whose name is on that ad - has his mind been changed tonight?  He will join us.  You’re watching COUNTDOWN on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  That four-year delay in an insurance exchange.  Jonathan Cohn, the author of “Sick,” tries to explain the details we heard tonight from the president.

Then, Steve Hildebrand, the deputy campaign manager for then candidate Obama, one of the signatories in the ad in the “New York Times” today - is he back on board with the president’s leadership on the subject of healthcare reform?  And we will need them as diversion tonight.

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, birther.  The editors who wrote a sports column about the backyard kidnapping, rape victim Jaycee Dugard ending with a reference to her having left the yard, get published in what is essentially her hometown paper.

And the, quote, unquote, “gentleman” from South Carolina.  Congressman Joe “It’s a lie” Wilson.  Hey, apologize, resign, leave the country.  It’s your choice, goober.  Tonight’s worst persons and the rest of our analysis of the Obama speech, ahead on COUNTDOWN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  The president spoke loftily and appropriately about the moral imperative of healthcare reform this evening, movingly of the letter he received from the late Sen. Kennedy, terrifyingly of the man who died because he did not report to his insurer gallstone that he did not know he had.

But on our third story on COUNTDOWN, what about the specifics, and where does the public option stand as of tonight, as of the president’s speech practically and as a priority?

The president did, in fact, pitch it tonight, but contained it within an insurance exchange that itself will not begin for four years.  He also said he’s open to better ideas, if any.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT:  The public option is only a means to that end.  And we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.  And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead.  If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.  My door is always open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  Let’s turn now to the senior editor of “The New Republic,” author of “Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Healthcare Crisis,” Jonathan Cohn.  Thanks again for your time tonight, sir.

JONATHAN COHN, AUTHOR, “SICK”:  Happy to be here.

OLBERMANN:  All right.  What seems to be the practical centerpiece of the president’s proposal tonight?  What is the insurance exchange?  Why will it not kick in for four years?  Is it a co-opt?  Why is the public option seemingly buried within it?

COHN:  The insurance exchange - this is the heart of all of the healthcare reform proposals, including the bill that’s have already gone through Congress.

This is basically setting up a marketplace where people who don’t already have access to insurance through their employers can shop around from among a group of plans and they can get any plan they want.

They can’t be denied because they have a preexisting condition, that sort of thing.  It’s really very similar to the way members of Congress get health insurance and the way most people who now work for large corporations.

Now, why is it going to take four years?  Well, you know, there’s a lot of pressure to keep the cost of this bill down.  If you want to get an exchange up and running right away and get everybody into it, it’s going to cost more.

On the other hand, if you wait three or four years and you slow down the implementation, well, that brings down the cost.  And this is basically a compromise that Obama and all of the bills that have already gone through committee - they all do the same thing.

There’s basically a compromised made so that they can keep the costs down because, frankly, to be quite honest, I think Congress doesn’t have the guts to raise enough money to do it right away so they’re slowing it down a bit.

OLBERMANN:  And the idea that he attributed to Sen. McCain, the short-term emergency funding program that would prevent you or protect you against, as he put it, financial ruin if you become seriously ill.  It didn’t seem to have much more detail to it than that.

Is there anything to infer from what the president said as to what this is?  Is it a long-term process or a short-term process?  Do you know anything more about it than what we heard from the president?

COHN:  Yes, I checked into that little bit on the way over here.  It sounds like what they’re talking about.  As you may recall, during the campaign, Sen. McCain proposed these high-risk pools which basically say that if you are somebody who has preexisting medical conditions and you can’t buy insurance yourself, they’ll create this special pool, this special class of insurance just for you and people like you to give you coverage.

Now, the downside is not much of a long-term solution.  Typically, these policies are very expensive.  They have pretty high deductibles.

You may have to wait a while before you get your preexisting conditions covered.  So it’s really not much of a long-term solution.  It is a band-aid, and that’s why, I think, you know, people like me criticized it as a long-term solution.

But is it better than nothing for the next three or four years?  Well, yes, probably.  It’s a little expensive.  But is that the most we can do for a few years?  I think there is a sense from the White House, from Congress that if they are going to roll this out pretty slowly, it is important that people see some benefits right away.

And I think that is important.  This is one way of giving them that.  This is one way of giving, you know, in effect what they’re calling a deliverable, a benefit people will see up front so that they know this plan is working, and that they feel like they’ve gotten some benefit from it.

OLBERMANN:  Understanding where this could have begun if the president had started with single payer and negotiated down to public option, rather than starting at public option and negotiating down from there.  Understanding it in that context, are you satisfied with what you heard from the president?  If that’s the final bill, is that good enough for the time being?

COHN:  You know, I do think it is.  I mean, look, my ideal bill would look a lot more like a single-payer system.  It would look a lot more like some of the systems they have in other countries that work really terrifically.

But I am also a political realist.  I understand we have the United States Senate with a lot of senators from conservative, small states.  We have some very powerful special interests.

And the fact of the matter is, these plans are not perfect, but boy, they make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people.  And we’re talking about getting insurance to tens of millions of people, you know, protecting these people from financial catastrophe, from medical catastrophe.

We’re talking about giving a lot of other people - people who are currently insured, making sure their insurance actually works for them.  And you know, there’s nothing to prevent us from coming back in a couple of years and building on this system and adding the parts that people like me, people like you, think are important.

Do I wish the plan were better or do I wish it looked more like a single-payer plan?  Absolutely.  Do I think that what we’re talking about now will make a dramatic difference in people’s lives?  Absolutely.

OLBERMANN:  Couldn’t say it fairer than that, as they say.  Jonathan Cohn, the author of “Sick,” many thanks as always.

COHN:  Thanks.

OLBERMANN:  Yes.  Mr. Cohn’s perspective is one thing.  Yours is another.  Mine is a third.  But what about the perspective of those Obama campaign staffers who took out a full-page ad in the “New York Times” today, critical of the president’s leadership and position on healthcare reform?  The senior-most of those staffers joins me next.  Is he converted back tonight?

And when Rachel you at the top of the hour, our special coverage in this critical night, the healthcare debate continues.  Among her guests, White House senior adviser David Axelrod, Sen. Boxer, Rep. Frank.

And ahead of that, a month ago she announced the president is a natural-born citizen.  Now, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt of Ohio has apparently changed her mind if she has one.  “Worst Persons,” including Congressman Wilson, ahead on COUNTDOWN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  Full-page ad in the “New York Times” decrying the president’s priorities and leadership in healthcare reform from hundreds of his campaign volunteers and donors.  The senior-most of those campaigners next on whether or not they’re all back in the fold tonight.  Are they mollified after what the president said?

And in “Worsts”, something in another newspaper, the worst sports column ever.

Plus, six weeks after denying that she is a Birther, Congresswoman Schmidt reveals she’s a Birther.  You’re watching COUNTDOWN on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  His winning campaign was run on grassroots support and groundwork.  But now those very supporters and ground workers today challenged the man they helped get elected.  Progressives told Barack Obama health care reform without the public option is not change we can believe in.

Our number two story on the COUNTDOWN, the president got an ultimatum

support the public option or we’ll support somebody else in 2012.

The question tonight, did he change their minds back?

One of Mr. Obama’s deputy campaign managers said he’s losing patience with the White House joins me imminently.  But first, as an overture to the president’s speech, the group Progressive Change Campaign Committee taking out this full-page ad in the “New York Times,” and signed by 400 Obama campaign staffers, 25,000 volunteers, 40,000 donors, all echoing the same sentiment.

“We did something for you, now you do something for the country.”

The group’s co-founder noted the president needs to do more than just express preference for the public option, quote, “He needs to draw a line in the sand and fight hard for it.”  This on the heels of former Obama campaign supporter protesting outside the White House, desiring bold leadership from the president.

One former campaign organizer telling “Politico” that the president drops the ball on health care reform, quote, “I would have to work for someone else who would support a public option in a primary in 2012.”

Joining me now, as promised, former Obama deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand.

Thank you for your time tonight, sir.

STEVE HILDEBRAND, FORMER DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER:  Absolutely, Keith.

OLBERMANN:  Did he do enough?

HILDEBRAND:  Absolutely.  He—I think tonight was a game-changer for this health care reform debate.  And I do think he really hit this out of the ballpark.  He explained in very clear terms what he stands for, what he believes, and the principles that he’s going to fight for, continue to fight for in this health care reform debate, so, yes, I’m very pleased, Keith.

OLBERMANN:  Did you have the sense going into this, as I did, that this was even larger than health care?  This was about where the president’s priorities, where his presidency would tilt, more towards citizens or more towards corporations and special interests, not that there seemingly was any doubt about that at any point up until the last three or four weeks, but that that somehow, that question was back on the table?

Was it on the table?  Has it been taken off the table tonight?

HILDEBRAND:  Well, I never had any doubt in my mind, Keith, that this president is squarely on the side of the American people, and not, you know, in bed with the special interests, as too many politicians are.

He is a very principled person.  He believes in the need for health care reform as deeply and as principled as anybody in this country.  He just has to fight hard to make sure that it happens.  He needs to invite the American people to take control of this debate.

To make sure that he calls on politicians and folks in the media when they tell lies about his health care plan and all of us, you know, who believe in him, who believe in his plan for health care reform, Keith, need to get really active.

People need to call Senator Ben Nelson in Nebraska, Senator Max Baucus in Maine.  Call Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in Maine—I’m sorry, Max Baucus in Montana.  Get on the phone and tell these folks we need health care reform that’s principled, that stands by the very ideals that President Obama laid out tonight in his speech.

OLBERMANN:  Steve, when he said—I asked Valerie Jarrett the same question nearly an hour ago.  You were integrally associated with this man.  When the president said he will call people out who tell lies about health care reform, do we take him literally at that?

Is he—are we going to see the president come up and shout back, or not shout back, but answer back?

HILDEBRAND:  Well, he is a person who—as I know him—cares a lot about political discourse.  One of the reasons he ran for the presidency was to try and change political discourse in Washington.  I don’t think that he’s going to be irresponsible in how he might call somebody out, but I do think he is going to make very clear what the truth is and what the truth isn’t.

And for those people who are distorting his plan and his ideals, he should be very forceful in pushing back, just as he did tonight.

OLBERMANN:  I was going to say, is that the—is that what we should expect, something like a simple statement about the death panels, that’s a lie?

HILDEBRAND:  Well, you know, I can’t—I don’t know for sure exactly how they, you know, would implement this.  I think, you know, they will make sure that, you know, the army out there knows the marching orders.

And to make sure that all of us, not just the president, but all of us who are fighting for health care reform behind his principles are also, you know, standing up and making sure that the truth is told.

OLBERMANN:  Steve Hildebrand, former deputy campaign manager on the Obama campaign, and tonight closer to back to the fold, if that phrase can be used in this equation.  Great thanks for joining us tonight.

HILDEBRAND:  Keith, I’m always in the fold with this president.

(LAUGHTER)

OLBERMANN:  Here we go.  All right.

HILDEBRAND:  Thank you.

OLBERMANN:  Thank you, sir.

Two days after its publication, it is already considered the worst sports column ever printed in an American newspaper.  Who wrote and who published, more importantly, an essay on what, while she spent 18 years of hell at the hands of a pedophile, kidnap and rape victim, would have missed in the world of sports, in the world of sports?

“Worst Persons” next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OLBERMANN:  In a moment a special edition of the “RACHEL MADDOW SHOW.”  First, we close with that happy reminder that the world keeps spinning despite some of its people.  Time for COUNTDOWN’s number one story tonight.  Tonight’s “Worst Persons in the World.”

Guess who the winner is?  The bronze to Congresswoman—yes, she’s still a congresswoman—Jean Schmidt of Ohio, whose smearing of Congressman Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania as a coward on the House floor was pretty much the high water mark for the Bush administration’s controlled society.  A tea party event Monday in Cincinnati.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  He cannot be a president by our constitution.

REP. JEAN SCHMIDT ®, OHIO:  Ma’am, I agree with you, but the courts don’t.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  If it were not bad enough that Schmidt is a mean-spirited, unhappy person who seems bent on spreading those emotions, she’s also a complete hypocrite.  In July, amid rumors that she was a Birther, she released a statement saying she believed the president was a natural born citizen of the United States.

So she was either lying then or she was lying at that fool at that tea party.  Either way, she’s a pandering, manipulative liar and she should resign from the House of Representatives.

Runners-up, David Bean, Todd Harmanson, Keith Sharon, sports editors of the newspaper, “The Orange County Register.”  At least once a career, no matter how good every columnist, every commentator will write something so bad, so inappropriate that the editor will just have to kill it.

Mr. Bean and Mr. Harmanson and Mr. Sharon failed to do this.  The usually thoughtful Mark Whicker, 22 years at that paper, went totally tone deaf.  He wrote a sports column about the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard, who had been held in captivity in the backyard of a pedophile since 1991.

The column begins, “It doesn’t sound as if Jaycee Dugard got to see a sports page.  Box scores were not available to her from June 10, 1991 until August 31 of this year.  She never saw a highlight, never got to the ballpark for beach towel night.  Probably hasn’t high-fived in a while.  She was not allowed to spike a volleyball or pitch a softball or smack a forehand down the line or run in a five-footer for double bogey.  Now, that’s deprivation.”

No, deprivation is being held prisoner for 18 years, raped repeatedly, forced to bear the children of a psychopath.  It is not, not knowing the Angels won the World Series during your ordeal.

The rest of the column was just a list of all the less likely sports results since she was kidnapped as an 11-year-old.  And somehow it got worse.  Remember where this woman was held in a family backyard and ball players who always invent the slang no matter what ESPN would have you believe, came up with an expression for a homerun that you might appreciate.

“Congratulations, Jaycee, you left the yard.”

Mark Whicker will take his lumps for this, deservedly so, it might cost him his job, he has tonight apologized and objectively so.  He wrote, “It’s impossible to unring a bell or to bring back a column that has already been transmitted.  In many ways the damage is done.  I’m hopeful that I can be forgiven for this lapse of professionalism.”

But you’re the guys reading this, deciding whether or not it gets published, and you say great.  You are in over your head, gentlemen.

But our winner, and speaking of that, Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, not only interrupting the president of the United States during his joint address to Congress and to the nation on this extraordinarily important subject, but interrupting the president of the United States to call him before the eyes of the world a liar.

It is bad enough that Mr. Wilson was factually wrong, Mr. Obama was not lying when he said health care reform will not pay to cover illegal immigrants.  That’s why section 246 of the bill is called, “No federal payment for undocumented aliens!”

Bad enough that Mr. Wilson lowered the level of discourse at a moment when the country hungers for a higher level of discourse, except that moron, Karl Rove, who laughed at this on FOX and thought it was really funny that Wilson said it.

But it also turns out that Mr. Wilson is himself not telling the truth here.  Not merely about the immigrants but about, yes, the lie that Mr.  Obama called out, death panels.  An op-ed column he wrote on August 27th, Wilson wrote that reimbursing doctors for counseling patients at the end of their lives, quote, “has been correctly highlighted by former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as a program which could lead to seniors being encouraged to seek less care in order to protect the government’s bottom line.”

No, sir, nothing in that bill leads American doctors to encourage seniors to seek less care.  As even Republicans have affirmed, end-of-life counseling leads to better care and patients who are less anxious, less scared, less confused.

In other words, Mr. Wilson, you lie.

Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, today’s “Worst Person in the World” in a landslide.

That’s COUNTDOWN for this, the 2,223rd day since the previous president declared mission accomplished in Iraq.  I’m Keith Olbermann.  Good night and good luck.  And now to resume our analysis of the president’s address to Congress tonight, ladies and gentlemen, here is Rachel Maddow.

Good evening, Rachel.  

Watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann each weeknight at 8 p.m. ET

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32778286/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/

Did you hear about the Texas Public School system that refused to allow its students to watch Obama’s speech to students, and then bussed those same students to a speech by private citizen, George W. Bush! Texas Politics or Texas Hypocrisy or Texas democracy or all of the above!


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