Hotline After Dark -- Don't Let The Perfect Storm Be The Enemy Of The Good

By Rachelle Douillard-Proulx & Abby Livingston

"World News" led with the Copenhagen climate change summit. "Evening News" and "Nightly News" led with health care reform.

WH sr. adviser David Axelrod made the TV rounds 12/17 p.m.

Axelrod, on whether reform is in danger: "No. ... We are where we were. We have got strong support in the Senate for health insurance reform. We have got a minority of senators who want to keep that from coming up for a vote on the Senate floor. And we're working to put together the 60 votes that we need to bring it to the floor. And I'm confident that we're going to get them ("NewsHour," PBS, 12/17).

Axelrod, on private insurers: "If they are winning, then nobody got them the message, because they continue to spend millions of dollars to lobby against this bill."

Axelrod, on some of Dean's comments: "There will be, contrary to what Governor Dean says, limits on what they can skim off for salaries and for bonuses and for shareholders. And if they pass those limits in the House bill -- and I think it will be true in the Senate bill as well -- they will have to pay rebates to the people who are their customers" ("Situation Room," CNN, 12/17).

After the jump, more Axelrod, and the liberal Dems continue to come out against the Senate bill, and Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) cuts Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on the Senate floor

Axelrod, on why progressives are going after the WH for this bill: "Let me say I think there's a lot of passion around this issue. And I don't disparage anyone. ... Ed Schultz is a very passionate person and I think he genuinely wants the best for people. I think Arianna [Huffington] does, as well. But the fact is, as the president said ... everyone can find something they'd like to tweak in this bill. It is so much better than what we have today. It holds out such a better future for Americans that we have to set aside the things that we don't like and recognize that this has enormous good in it."

More Axelrod: "It may be the last chance we get a shot like this. President Clinton said today that it would be an enormous blunder not to move forward with this bill. I think he's right. And he knows. He knows how hard this is to do. Seven presidents have tried, seven have failed. We've been at this for 100 years, trying to resolve some of the issues that will be resolved by this legislation" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/17).

LOYAL OPPOSITION?

Liberal pols discussed the WH and Senate moderation on the health care bill on cable 12/17 p.m.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY): "I don't think we should let the perfect be the enemy of the good, but if you look at who's been writing the bill the last several months -- Olympia Snowe, Bart Stupak, Joe Lieberman -- I would like David Axelrod, who has his heart obviously in the right place and we've gotten this far, so you can't criticize him for not having a good strategy -- to finally say, Look ... these are our values. We want them to be expressed in the final product, as well" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/17).

Dean went on the "Ed Show" 12/17 p.m.

Dean, on whether he's doing the "right thing" by challenging the WH so much: "My purpose was never to challenge the White House. ... I plan to vigorously campaign for President Obama in 2012. He has done a terrific job on the environment, restored the American name abroad. The health care bill is a disaster. And the reason it's a disaster is not because there are not some good things in it. There are definitely some good things in this bill. ... This bill, the fine print of this bill is what kills you."

More Dean: "We could slim this bill down, get a lot of the pro-insurance company stuff out of it, which is a lot of the bill. This could still be a decent bill."

Dean, on Axelrod: "I think he's good guy. I don't think it's an insult if somebody says they disagree with me or they don't think I have the facts or something like that. There has been a little subterranean games being played sometimes, but for the most part, the debate has not been about personalities and I would like to keep it that way. We are all on the same team. We are having a very public fight because we were promised something that we didn't get, which was a real attempt at health care reform with American choices."

MSNBC's Schultz: "You're saying kill the bill. There's stuff worth passing, but you are still on that page of kill the bill, right?"

Dean: "No, no, no. What I've said, what I've always said is, I wouldn't vote for this bill as it's currently [written]. ... If they can fix it, that's great. But if I were in the Senate and this bill came to the floor of the Senate, I would vote no. I absolutely would. But hopefully they can fix it" (MSNBC, 12/17).

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Pols and pundits weight in on cable 12/17 on Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) cutting off Lieberman on the Senate floor.

Axelrod, on Franken cutting Lieberman off during the Senate debate: "There's no doubt people are working overtime and very hard, that tempers are frayed, people are frustrated. But boy, it's worth sticking with it. I have a child with a chronic illness and I've dealt with some of these problems within the insurance industry. I know what it's like to pay these ... huge out-of-pocket expenses. ... We ought to put aside our differences now and do what's right for the American people. And I'm confident that at the end of the day, that's going to happen" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/17).

Salon.com's Walsh: "It was a direct shot. There is no doubt about it. ... It was such a fine moment, because ... nobody has done anything to Joe Lieberman. No Democrat has said anything formal to rebuke him. You have got the White House coming out and calling Howard Dean irrational, and declaring war on Howard Dean. I disagree with Howard Dean, let me be clear on that. But they are letting Joe Lieberman walk all over them. ... That was a very, very satisfying moment for a lot of liberal Democrats" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/17).

CNN's Crowley, on Dem floor tactics: "You know that phrase, mostly unions use it called "working by the rule'? ... And you do it because you know if you do everything exactly the way you're supposed to do it it's going to really irritate the bosses. So this is working by the rule. And this is the majority leadership saying fine, you want to read the entire bills on the Senate floor, you want to use every tool available to you to slow this down? Then guess what, we're going to work by the book, too. Ten minutes only" ("Campbell Brown," CNN, 12/17).