‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Sept. 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama appeared Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The full transcript of the broadcast is below:

MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, a country divided and the president facing tough issues that invoke passionate debate on both sides. Is there a way to get past the arguments and find consensus on healthcare reform, the role of government and the way forward in Afghanistan? Our guest, the president of the United States, Barack Obama.

Then the view from the other side of the aisle on the big challenges and hard choices. With us, the Republican leader in the House, Congressman John Boehner of Ohio; and the senior senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham.

Plus, our political roundtable.

(Videotape)

FMR. PRES. JIMMY CARTER: I think an overwhelming portion of the intentionally demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African-American.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: President Obama responds to the former president and blames the media for fueling the fire.

(Videotape)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA: This is, is catnip to the media. This debate that’s taking place is not about race, it’s about people being worried about how our government should operate.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: Insights from Washington Post columnist Gene Robinson and Politico columnist Roger Simon.

But first, the president of the United States. Friday afternoon I sat down with President Obama in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

DAVID GREGORY: Mr. President, welcome back to Meet the Press.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Great to see you.

DAVID GREGORY: This is a critical moment in the health care debate.  And you've been able to assess the landscape.  You've got a bill now that's working its way through the Senate.  You've spoken to congress.  As you assess the situation I wonder whether— you approach this with a minimum threshold of what you'll accept for reform? Or at this point have you said, "I've laid out my plan.  Take it all or nothing"?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know — I— I think that— my focus is on some core principles.  I have to have a plan that is good for middle class families who we know last year ended up seeing a 5 1/2 percent increase in their premiums, even though inflation was actually negative on everything else.  That have seen a doubling of their premiums over the last decade.  That are less secure than ever in terms of the insurance they can actually count on.  And more and more of ‘em can't get insurance because of preexisting conditions, or they changed jobs, or they lost jobs.

So it's gotta be good for them.  Now, the principles that we've talked about, making sure that there's an insurance exchange that allow people to buy in and get health insurance and negotiate as a big pool to drive down costs.  Making sure that— we have insurance reforms that make sure you can still get health insurance even if you've got a preexisting condition and cap out of pocket expenses and so forth.  Those core things that make insurance a better deal for American consumers.

Making sure that it's deficit neutral both now and in the future.  Making sure that its driving down— health care inflation so that we can actually deal with our long-term budget deficits.  Those are the core principles that are critical to me.

And I actually think that we've agreed to about 80 percent of that if you look at all the bills that are coming through all these committees.  The key is now just to narrow those differences.  And if I don't feel like it is a good deal for the American people, then I won't sign a bill.

DAVID GREGORY: Those narrow differences can also, in some cases, be very big differences.  And as you were president elect, last year, you said to the nation, "In light of the huge challenges that the country faces," you said— "we're going to have to make hard choices.  And not all of these choices are going to be popular."  What are the hard choices that you are now asking the American people to make?  And who are you gonna say no to — in order to get health care done?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well— I— I've already made some— pretty substantial changes in terms of how I was approaching health care.  When I was —

DAVID GREGORY: Like the public option.  You effectively said to the left, "It's not gonna happen."

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well what I — no, no, that's not true.  What I — what I've said is the public option, I think, should be a part of this but we shouldn't think that, somehow, that's the silver bullet that solves health care.  What I've said, for example, on — what's called an individual mandate.  During the campaign I said, "Look, if — health care is affordable, then I think people will buy it."  So we don't have to say to — to folks, "You know what?  You have to buy health care."

And — what — when I talked to health care experts on both the left and the right what they tell me is that, even after you make health care affordable, there's still gonna be some folks out there who — whether out of inertia, or they just don't want to but — spend the money — would rather take their chances.

Unfortunately, what that means, is then you and I and every American out there who has health insurance, and are paying their premiums responsibly every month, they've gotta pick up the cost for— emergency room care when one of those people gets sick.  So what we've said as long as we're making this genuinely affordable to families then you've got an obligation to get health care just like you have an obligation to get auto insurance in every state.

DAVID GREGORY: Are these the hard choices though?  Who are you saying no to?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, that — that — that — I mean, that's an example of — of a hard choice because— that's not necessarily wildly popular.  But it's the right thing to do.  You know, I — I have said — that it is very important that we take into account the concerns of doctors and nurses who, by the way, support our efforts.  And I— and that's something that doesn't get noticed much.

The people who are most involved in the health care system know that it's gotta be reformed.  But I've said that we've gotta take into account their concerns about— medical malpractice.  Now, that's not popular in my party.  Never has been.  But I've talked to enough doctors to know that— even though it's not— the end all be all of driving down health care costs, it's very important— to providers to make sure that— their— costs are going down.

So— I think there are gonna be a whole series of Republican ideas, ideas from my opponents during the campaign that we have incorporated and adopted.  And this is hard.  And— and— the— you know, one of the things I've always said is if this had— this had been easy, it would have been taken care of by Teddy Roosevelt.

DAVID GREGORY: But you're not really taking on, I mean, you're not saying to the left they've got to accept malpractice reform, or — or caps on — on — jury — awards.  You don't even think that that contributes to the escalating cost of health care.  What are you — what — what are you really doing to say to the left, "Look, you may not like this, but you gotta get on board and we gotta do this"?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, listen, I — I think I was awfully clear — and — and I'm surprised — David, maybe you haven't been paying attention to what both the left and the right have been saying about my speech to Congress.  I laid down some pretty clear parameters.  And what I said was we're gonna take ideas from both sides.

The bottom line is that the American people can't afford to stay on the current path.  We know that.  And that both sides are gonna have to give some.  Everybody's gonna have to give some in order to get something done.  We wouldn't have gotten this far if, you know, we hadn't been pretty insistent, including to folks in my own party, that we've gotta get past some of these ideological arguments to actually make something happen.'

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