Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) says President Barack Obama is so focused on health care reform that he’s willing to stake his presidency on it.
After a town hall meeting yesterday in Iowa, the Democratic lawmaker quoted Obama to reporters (audio clip at bottom):
The president (said), ‘I’m not going to kick the can down the road.’ And he said that and I said, ‘Well, that’s something I’m kind of used to from southern Iowa, you know. I know about kicking the can down the road.’ And he said, ‘No, if it makes me a one-term president, I’m going to, we’re going to take it on because the country is in need of us taking this on.’ I respected that very much.”
Boswell said the president made his remarks during a recent meeting with the centrist “Blue Dog” Democrats, of which Boswell is a member.
The moderate Blue Dogs have found (some would argue, placed) themselves at the center of the battle over health care reform, as proponents and opponents duke it out on Capitol Hill.
- I think if I haven’t already started crying, I will be soon. Because this great man, will stake everything he has, on this one thing, because it just is that important. I’m not sure they deserve someone as great as him.
