In the face of declining polling numbers, daily Democratic defections, and unfavorable rulings from the Senate Parliamentarian, the White House has devolved into all out panic mode. Politico reports:
President Barack Obama is delaying his trip to Indonesia and Australia by three days in hopes of finalizing a health care deal — and will scrap plans to bring along First Lady Michelle Obama and his two daughters, according to senior administration officials.
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By postponing his trip, Obama effectively gives the House some breathing room, preserving the hope that members will be able to depart the Capitol for their Easter break two weeks from today with a deal in their pockets.
Two things to remember about this latest development:
1) This just proves, again, how desperate the White House is for the House of Representatives to pass the Senate health care bill before the Easter recess. The Obama administration knows the American people hate Obamacare and that after a week listening to their constituents back home, there is no way the House will take up the Senate bill again.
2) President Obama has made many other attempts at influencing outcomes with his presence. He went to Copenhagen in November to lobby for the 2016 Olympics to come to Chicago, returning there again a month later to obtain a global climate treaty. The President also campaigned for Creigh Deeds to be governor of Virginia, Jon Corzine in New Jersey and for Martha Coakley’s campaign to become junior senator from Massachusetts. We fail to see why he believes his presence at the health care negotiations might have a different impact.
