Barack Obama threatens to withdraw support from wavering Democrats

London Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | March 15, 2010 | Alex Spillius

[Schnucki]

The president will refuse to make fund-raising visits during November elections to any district whose representative has not backed the bill.

A one-night presidential appearance can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds which would otherwise take months to accumulate through cold-calling by campaign volunteers.

Mr Obama's threat came as the year-long debate over his signature domestic policy entered its final week.

Mr Obama is personally telephoning congressmen who are still on the fence this week, in between several personal appearances devoted toward swinging public opinion.

Yesterday he visited Strongsville, Ohio, home of cancer patient Natoma Canfield, who wrote to the president she gave up her health insurance after it rose to $8,500 (£5,600) a year. Mr Obama repeatedly has cited the letter he received from the self-employed cleaning worker to illustrate the urgency of reform.

Though Congress has already ignored several deadlines set by the president, March 21 is being treated by all sides the final target date, at which time all options would have been exhausted. The president has postponed an overseas trip by three days to see reform through.

Apart from arm-twisting by the White House, an advertising blitz that could cost £20 million by the end of the week, about the same level of a presidential campaign, has been aimed at about 40 undecided Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Most are conservatives who are worried that their support would cost them their seat in November, as the bill has become unpopular with a majority of Americans.

Others are anti-abortion advocates concerned that the proposals would not do enough to prevent government funding of abortions.

The US Chamber of Commerce has led a coalition of organisations opposed to reform, while pharmaceutical companies and Left-wing groups have joined forces to support reform and are urging

[HarleyD]

That probably should have read, "The president will refuse to make fund-raising visits during November elections to any district whose representative has not backed the bill." Now that's a threat.

[prairiebreeze]

Ditto your lamentations regarding GOP lack of determination.

[prairiebreeze]

The Democrats have been forced to unorthodox tactics after losing their filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the Senate in a Massachusetts by-election

What has happned at the Telegraph that they refer to impending tyranny in America as "unorthodox"?

Fercryinoutloud..

[Sun]

“The president will refuse to make fund-raising visits during November elections to any district whose representative has not backed the bill.”

Threat or promise?

I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.

[4Liberty]

“Barack Obama threatens to withdraw support from wavering Democrats”

Wait - “threatens”??

Wouldn’t that be a GOOD thing for the affected Rats?

How does this hurt them?

[4Liberty]

[4Liberty]

[WVNan]

You know, that might be a good line to put in every e-mail or fax we send. “If you vote for obamacare we will send obama to campaign for you.”

[Danae]

Threats where bullying doesn't work, its the Chicago Obama way. So.... just waiting for the Sestack shoe to drop.... so, who in the white House Broke federal law and tried to buy Sestack? Was it Rahm, was it Axelrod? Come on... who is it..? Someone is going to take the fall and Gibbsey has been asked about it 6 or 7 times, each saying he would get right on that.... only 7 days later to come back and say... 'I will get right on that'. Um hum. So, was it OBAMA? Forget Health Care Barry, its DEAD. Better start the cover-up... better start that dance of putting little fires out that add up to one big conflagration. You just don't know yet how big this is gonna get...

[blueyon]

The democrats must be shacking in their boots about this outburst from the child in chief