Why White House Is Fighting the Public Option

I am getting tired of Rahm Emanuel trying to kill the public option. Emanuel told the Wall Street Journal the public option wasn't necessary for a health care bill. Emanuel told Charlie Rose the Senate won't pass a bill with the public option. Translation: the White House doesn't support a public option. The White House would be more aggressive for a public option if President Obama really supported it.

"I think the Senate's been clear what the prospects [are]," Emanuel said. "That doesn't mean in the House, they're not gonna come to the table and demand it."

Emanuel's political instincts are horrible. The latest New York Times/CBS News Poll has voters favoring the public option at 65 percent. Sen. Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several Congressional Democrats made it clear there will be no bill without the public option. To make matters more embarrassing: Sen. Sherrod Brown quickly refuted Emanuel.

Emanuel is "wrong, because of this: Not every Democrat right now would prefer the public option in the Senate ... but no Democrat in the end is going to vote against a procedural question to kill the health care bill," he said.

"The 60 Democrats will stay together on procedural questions and then, on final passage, some may vote against it because it's got a public option. But I don't see that," he said. Brown added that at least 50 Democrats in the Senate support the public option.

The poll numbers and congressional votes are against Obama signing a bill without a public option. To understand why the administration is taking such a bizarre course is because Obama wants a bill that is friendly to the health care industry. The White House held private meetings with health industry CEOs. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics sued and the White House made the log public. Health insurance CEOs Karen Ignagni, of America's Health Insurance Plans and Stephen J. Hemsley of UnitedHealth Group Inc had several meetings with the White House. Health insurance companies managed to get the White House to agree that all Americans are mandated to have coverage. This would increased customers for the industry. Bill Tauzin, of the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America got the White House to agree to veto any legislation that would give Medicare the power to negotiate prices or import drugs from Canada. Obama was gifing the health insurance and pharmaceutical with increased profits. This explains why the White House is pushing against poll numbers and Congressional Democrats.