The White House aggravated more liberal Democrats again yesterday with the suggestion (again) that President Obama is not wedded to a public health insurance option in a health reform bill.
You didn't have to check too many more liberal web sites to feel the visceral heat and angst coming from that side of the Democratic Party.
"All the trial balloons so far have sucked," wrote dotalbon on dailykos.com
"What's the purpose of these trial balloons? raged MPociask. "Who is Obama testing - the support of the left, or that of the right?"
It's second time in the last two and a half weeks that the White House has again raised the issue of a public option, and how it doesn't have to be part of a final reform package.
"I'm begining to think that Obama is completely spineless, politically speaking," added CincyCapell.
"I used to think that he was a politically Machiavellian, but looking at the way that he has so badly bungled Health Care Reform and failed to offer the leadership, arm twisting and vision required to pass this important issue I now have great doubts," Cincy added.
Heck, these are the people who voted for Obama. A tough crowd right now on health care for the Democrats, even inside their own party.
That's what makes this latest trial balloon all the more puzzling, because we just went through this during the week of August 17, when the White House spent the whole week backpedaling over stories that a public option could be thrown under the bus.
It now looks like President Obama will next talk about health care reform in public on Labor Day when he speaks at an AFL-CIO picnic in Ohio, his first public comments since August 20.
That will end up being a two and a half week silence in public on health care.
It's an interesting trial balloon in itself.
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