<font size=”2″ style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”>House liberals <span style=”color: rgb(255, 0, 0);”>(1)</span> pressed President Barack Obama on healthcare reform Thursday and left the White House without making any commitments to vote for the final bill.<br /><br />Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told The Hill that liberals challenged Obama on the lack of a public health insurance option and other provisions in the Senate bill the president has endorsed.<br /><br />Lee said Obama said he still "strongly supports" a public option, but "the votes aren’t there."<br /><br /><br /><span style=”color: rgb(255, 0, 0);”>(1) Closet Marxists and non-white pressure groups</span></font><br /><font size=”2″ style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”>But, she said, Obama said the current healthcare legislation is a
"foundation," adding he "would work with us on the next effort."<br /><br />"I am going to keep hop[ing for a public option," Lee said. "And he said he’s going to work with us."<br /><br />Lee did say, however, that the president was "noncommittal" about pushing for a public option in the future.<br /><br />The
meeting between the members and the president comes as the White House
has begun a full-on push to get healthcare legislation passed in the
coming
weeks, with a stated goal of House passage of the Senate-passed bill by
March 18. The Senate measure will go under some changes through the
reconciliation process.<br /><br /><span id=”lw_1267740784_6″ class=”yshortcuts”>White House press secretary Robert Gibbs</span>
said Thursday that the president wants to see House passage before Obama
leaves for a trip to Indonesia and Australia on March 18. Gibbs said
the White House is "making one final push" to get that done.<br /><br />But Lee said lawmakers present at the White House meeting <span id=”lw_1267740784_7″ class=”yshortcuts”>Thursday afternoon</span> said they have serious concerns about the Senate-passed measure.<br /><br />Lee
said the discussion was "candid" and the president listened to their
concerns. After the meeting, she said, "I don’t think there was
consensus on anything."<br /><br />Most
liberals are expected to vote for the final bill. Even though many on
the left complained about the House healthcare bill, only one liberal — <span id=”lw_1267740784_8″ class=”yshortcuts” mce_style=”border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;” style=”border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;”>Rep. Dennis Kucinich</span> (D-Ohio) — voted no last November.<br /><br />Other House Democratic members who attended the 1:30 p.m. meeting with Obama included Reps. Kucinich, <span id=”lw_1267740784_9″ class=”yshortcuts”>Raul Grijalva</span> (Ariz.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_10″ class=”yshortcuts”>Jan Schakowsky</span> (D-Ill.) and <span id=”lw_1267740784_11″ class=”yshortcuts”>Lynn Woolsey</span> (D-Calif.), among others.<br /><br />At 2:30 p.m., Obama met with Democrats who lean more toward the middle, including Reps. <span id=”lw_1267740784_12″ class=”yshortcuts”>Jason Altmire</span> (Pa.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_13″ class=”yshortcuts”>Melissa Bean</span> (Ill.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_14″ class=”yshortcuts”>Lois Capps</span> (Calif.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_15″ class=”yshortcuts”>Joseph Crowley</span> (N.Y.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_16″ class=”yshortcuts”>Ron Kind</span> (Wis.), <span id=”lw_1267740784_17″ class=”yshortcuts”>Allyson Schwartz</span> (Pa.) and Adam Smith (Wash.). Of these lawmakers, only Altmire voted no against the House-passed bill. </font><p style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”><font size=”2″>Schwartz
told The Hill on Thursday afternoon that the president spoke "very
plainly, very directly" and not only urged the members to vote for the
final bill, but to rally support for it.</font></p><p style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”><font size=”2″>Obama indicated
lawmakers need to be pragmatic, noting that he didn’t get everything he
wanted in the measure, according to the Pennsylvania Democrat.<br /></font></p><p style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”><font size=”2″>Obama
is seeking to foster unity among congressional Democrats, knowing few,
if any, Republicans will back his healthcare reform <a href=”http://thehill.com/homenews/house/85087-liberals-grill-obama-on-health-reform”>effort.</a></font></p>