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 What The President Always Maintained - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 8/19/09 — Wednesday, August 19, 2009 —  Q There are others inside and outside your base who think you've lost control of the argument and who wonder if the President has the political muscle to see this through.MR. GIBBS: Stay tuned. Q Well, I mean, would you -- how do you respond to the suggestion that you’ve lost control of the argument? MR. GIBBS: This is -- the argument is not over. The discussion is not over, the debate is not over, the legislative process isn’t over. Q You didn’t expect to have this back-and-forth within the party about the public option. MR. GIBBS: Again, contrived almost entirely by you guys. Q Why, why do you say that? MR. GIBBS: Again, because I said this this morning -- that this notion of changing the position on the public health care plan, or the public option, was -- Q Is absolutely wrong? MR. GIBBS: -- was not something that any of you all picked up on Saturday when the President said it. We did this this morning. None of you did that story. Q Why don't you say it flatly right now so we'll all write it? MR. GIBBS: Do you have your pen ready? Q Yes. Q What do you mean, what do you mean no one did that story on Saturday -- MR. GIBBS: "The President" -- Q Right here. Q -- when the President for the first time in public said -- or not -- MR. GIBBS: I missed yours. Q There was a lot of people that did this story. MR. GIBBS: I'll be happy to look that up. Nobody volunteered that this morning. Q So he's not going to cave at all? MR. GIBBS: No, I'm going to reiterate what the President has said all along, Helen. The President believes we have to have choice and competition. In a private insurance market where people are entering, they have to have the ability to choose among insurers that will drive down their costs and improve their quality. His preference is for a public option. If there are others that have ideas about how we can institute choice and competition, he's happy to look at those. Q Will he fight for the public option? MR. GIBBS: We will fight for whatever is best that brings about that choice and competition. That's what the President always maintained and that's what we've continued to say. Health Care | Legislation | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Health Care, Legislation, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:37:00 PM
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