Obama: Fate of My Presidency Is on the Line

In the face of Lyndon LaRouche's call for his impeachment, President Obama is now arguing the fate of his presidency depends on the passage of his fascist healthcare bill. Not only was this the implication of Dennis Kucinich's sophistical justification of his announcement of his support of Obama deathcare, but it is the argument Obama also made to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as reported in an article today by Glenn Thrust in Politico, entitled "Obama's Pitch: The Fate of the Presidency is on the Line."

According to Thrust, during his meeting in the White House last Thursday with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Obama told them the fate of his presidency hinged on this week's health reform vote in the House. Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), said, "We went in there already knowing his presidency would be weakened if this thing went down, but the president clearly reinforced the impression the presidency would be damaged by a loss." Added Serrano: "He was subtle, but that was the underlying theme of the meeting—the importance of passing this for the health of the presidency."

Thrust continues, "There's an unmistakable sense that the health care debate is fast moving past a discussion of the bill's merits, beyond the all-consuming anxieties of incumbents and into an existential battle to preserve Obama's presidency. The White House is raising the stakes so high, they are basically telling [House Democrats] that failure is not an option unless you want to sink the president, said health industry lobbyist Steve Elmendorf, a onetime adviser to Rep. Dick Gephardt, a former Democratic leader.

At today's White House briefing Robert Gibbs was peppered with questions from several reporters on this question:

Question: "Has the President said, "Listen, the future of my agenda is on the line unless we get this through"?

Question: "So' more of the same, he hasn't articulated any kind of personal stake and repercussions if this doesn't get through?"

Question: "In his conversations with members, to what degree is he stressing — is the President stressing the importance of passing health care to his strength as President, the health of his presidency?"

Question: "There's a report out there that says the President told some members that the fate of his presidency depends on passing health care reform. Is that true? Has he said that?"

Question: "Robert, when Dennis Kucinich announced his decision to vote for health care reform yesterday, he said that one of the big motivating factors was his concern about attempts to delegitmatize the President. Do you sense that?"

Question: "How much does passage of all of the other future issues that you've outlined here today hinge on success on health care reform?"

Question: "Robert, from the podium either indoors or outdoors you've taken the opportunity at times when the President has been misquoted or there's been a misimpression left about what the President has said in various conversations, and you haven't availed yourself of that opportunity today to say he has not told members in their conversations about health care that either the fate of his presidency or the strength of his presidency rides on this. Do you wish to correct that impression?"

To all of these questions Gibbs was either evasive or said that he did not know. In respect to the last question, he said: "No, I have not asked him." Finally he said "I don't think those are mutually exclusive," i.e., passage of the healthcare bill and the health of the Obama Presidency. Apparently what is good for Obama is good for the country.

As one high-level Washington, D.C. source put it: "Obama is living in the moment, he is existential, living day to day, not thinking of the future."