Jockeying for position

Lawmakers do not like to publicly associate themselves with lobbyists these days, but many of them have been publicly lobbying recently.

There are many questions heading into President Barack Obama’s Wednesday address to Congress on healthcare reform, but the biggest one is: How will he address the public option that many Democrats have insisted on?

Conservative and liberal Democrats fear that Obama will not say what they want him to say. But in the days and hours leading up to the speech, lawmakers are not being shy about letting the White House and public know what they want.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a centrist, says he only favors a public option that would come into existence if the private insurance market fails. Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), who voted for the House Energy and Commerce Committee bill, indicated this week that he opposes a public option. And Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Tuesday criticized the proposed public option, calling it a “distraction.”

But liberal Democrats demand it. The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Obama last week on the issue, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has simply said a healthcare bill cannot pass the lower chamber unless it calls for a large government role.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), a proponent of the single-payer approach and the public option, was especially blunt in a Tuesday press release: “It is too soon to give up on the fight for true health reform. Wednesday night will either mark the beginning of the battle or the sad start of a retreat. Only the president can decide which.”

Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who has delayed releasing his bill for months, issued it on the eve of Obama’s address. The move is a clear attempt by Baucus to stay relevant before the president delivers his address.

The White House was not pleased with how Baucus went about it. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that it is “not surprising” that K Street lobbyists had the proposal before the president. The Baucus plan does not include a public option.

Gibbs added that it was not surprising that “the special interests have gotten a copy of the plan that I understand was given to committee members [on Tuesday].”

Throughout 2009, Obama has been very careful not to throw elbows, seeking to convince liberal and conservative Democrats and perhaps a few Republicans to back his healthcare vision. Plan A has not worked. It is unclear if Plan B will either. But unless the president starts to pick sides in this fierce policy debate, healthcare reform will be a casualty of the 111th Congress.

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