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Breaking Barack Obama: Obama laughs

by Mark Silva

Breaking Barack Obama.

The mere mention of it makes Obama laugh.

A Republican memo has circulated behind the scenes suggesting that people perceived as a "check and balance'' on Obama will do better in next year's congressional elections than those supporting the president. And if the Republicans can stop the president's push for healthcare reform, Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina has said, "it will be his Waterloo... It will break him.''

Obama, interviewed for the Today show today, laughed at the senator's remark, read back to him by NBC News' Meredith Vieira.

"It's typical,'' Obama explained, suggesting it encapsulates the entire Republican debate on healthcare legislation that the Democratic leadership is promoting. "This is not about, 'do we need a little more time to get this right, to be constructive... This is all about politics... That describes exactly an attitude that we've got to overcome.

"What folks have in their minds is, that somehow this is about me, it's about politics and about the ability to win back the House of Representatives,'' said Obama, reminded that indeed he does have a lot riding, politically, on the success of the reforms he is promoting.

"This is absolutely important to me, but this is not as important to me as it is to the people who don't have health care,'' he said. "Yes, absolutely, I am deeply invested in getting this thing done, but this isn't Washington sport, this isn't about who's up and who's down, this is about solving an enormous problem for the American people.''

Tim Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chairman, circulated an email today warning that "special interests and opponents of health care reform in Washington have made their priority clear: attack President Obama at any cost. On Friday, GOP Sen. Jim DeMint told a special-interest attack group that if they're "able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him...''

"Their plan is simple: oppose health care reform as a political ploy to weaken the president and defeat his entire agenda of change,'' Kaine writes, complaining of some "slash and burn politics'' at work in this debate.

"A private memo distributed by the Republican National Committee calls for like-minded advocates to help defeat President Barack Obama's health care proposals by delaying its consideration,'' the Huffington Post reports today. "Much of the material mirrors the speeches and presentations made by conservatives both inside and out of elected office to date. Obama's plan for health care is deemed an "experiment" and a "risk" that could bankrupt the country and dangerously change the doctor-patient relationship.

"In particular, the 12-page memo makes the case that it is a Republican priority to slow down the consideration of health care reform before it can become codified.''

"The Republican National Committee will engage in every activity we can to slow down this mad rush while promoting sensible alternatives that address health care costs and preserve quality," the memo declares.

It highlights internal polling conducted from June 15 to 17, in which 56 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who was a "check and balance" on the president's agenda. Thirty-five percent said they preferred a candidate who would help Obama.

"Every Republican should stand up for health care reform that controls cost, preserves quality and provides the health care that Americans deserve," the memo reads. "This means standing up against President Obama's health care plan. The Obama administration is acting with extreme haste, hoping to push through their health care experiment as fast as they can. Make no mistake -- their timeline is based on what works for them politically, not on what will result in the best health care policy for Americans. The reckless speed with which they are attempting to jam through this experiment is a grave threat to America's health care, and America's health."

In an effort to slow down reform, the RNC advises its advocates to use a whole host of political tools, from organizing town halls, to writing letters to the editor, to booking surrogates on radio and television, to engaging in "Street Theater" protests outside Democratic events. And in a bit of irony, the memo's authors encourage readers to frame the president as the one acting out of political motivations.

"Despite the president's increasingly skeptical reviews, it should also be noted that the Obama administration is fantastic at the PR game," the memo reads. "In some cases, they are even a little too good at it, selling things that are demonstrably untrue."

Gates Arrest Resonates Through Black America

When prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested recently in his own Cambridge, Mass., home, it was a chilling moment in the American experience.