WASHINGTON — White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod answered questions on health care reform after President Barack Obama’s joint address to Congress on Sept. 9. Axelrod drafted Obama’s address.
Reporter: Where does this leave you tonight, especially with the Republicans?
David Axelrod: I think there are a lot of people in that chamber that understand the gravity of this problem and understand that it is only going to get worse if we don’t deal with it now. We have an opportunity and we are making great progress. I have never been more optimistic during this process that we are going to get something meaningful done for the American people. This will bring stability and security to people who already have insurance and help people that don’t have insurance get it at a price they can afford.
R: Will it be bipartisan?
DA: We are willing to work with anyone who wants to work with us. I still believe there are people of both parties who want to get something done here. I believe there are people of good will in that chamber that want to get it done. I am not willing to say that some Republicans won’t be a part of this. I know the president is determined to get something done, and I think we will get something done.
R: Would the president support reconciliation for a final push on this?
DA: We want everyone who is willing to work with us on this — Democrats and Republicans — and we will work towards that. President Obama has probably spent more time talking to people in both parties than any president has on any major issue in recent times. I also think at the end of the day, this is not just a matter of process: It is a matter of progress. It is enormously important that we get something done, and we will get it done. We will do what the situation requires.
R: What was the message President Obama wanted to leave on the public option?
DA: The message is that he believes it is important. He thinks it will be a valuable tool in terms of creating competition and choice within the insurance exchange. But, it is one piece of the puzzle. It is a means to an end, and we should not forget what the end is. The end is to bring stability and security to people who have insurance by bringing in serious meaningful insurance reforms and to help those who do not have insurance get insurance they can afford, (and) to bring down the cost of the whole system so it is sustainable. These are the objectives we have to achieve, and there are many elements to it and many ways to achieve it. We shouldn’t turn this into a partisan ideological fight over one aspect of it and lose our
opportunity to make great progress.
R: What kind of obstacles are there going to be to get this passed by Congress — what does the president have to do to get this moving?
DA: I think there is a great deal of progress being made even as we are standing here. We have had a long and vigorous debate. That is appropriate for an issue of this importance and complexity. It has been a good and healthy debate in many ways, and in some ways not. All the ideas are out on the table now, and we need to pull the strands together and finish the job. I am optimistic — I think we are going to get this done.
~Leah Valencia
Editor’s note: Daily Lobo reporter Leah Valencia was one of several reporters questioning Axelrod after the address in Washington, D.C.
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