Legal Commentary

Obama to Bloggers: Keep Pressure on Re: Health Care

By Jeralyn

President Obama held an invitation-only telephone conference with bloggers today urging them to keep the pressure on Congress regarding his health care plan.

It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," the president said during an invitation-only conference call. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."

He even took questions: [More...]

Peppering the president with questions were some of the progressive community's most prominent netroots voices from Jonathan Singer of MyDD to John Amato of Crooks and Liars. As in interviews and public statements past, the president stressed that the White House had already made major steps toward achieving reform, including bringing key stakeholders in the private sector to the table. Repeating his statement on Monday criticizing the posture of some of his Republican opponents, Obama accused those who sought to delay the bill as trying to kill the prospects of reform and, by extension, his presidency.

Sounds like blogger history was made. While we've had teleconferences with Congress and candidates for President, I can't remember one being held by the sitting President. Congrats to those who were invited to be on it. So far I see McJoan at Daily Kos, John Amato at Crooks and Liars and Jonathan Singer of MyDD and DDay at Digby's.

Memo to President Obama: If you hold a blogger call on criminal justice issues, I hope you'll remember to include TalkLeft.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 20, 2009 (boomark / email).