Obama Defends Health Agenda In Sunday TV Blitz

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GUY RAZ, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Guy Raz.

If you turned on the TV this morning, you might have felt that President Obama was following you around the room. He appeared on five networks today to push his health-care agenda.

(Soundbite of television program)

Unidentified Man #1: Mr. President, thank you for joining us.

President BARACK OBAMA: Great to see you.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Mr. DAVID GREGORY (Host, "Meet the Press"): Mr. President, welcome back to "Meet the Press."

Pres. OBAMA: Great to see you.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program)

Unidentified Man #2: Mr. President, thank you very much.

Pres. OBAMA: Thank you.

RAZ: If you weren't able to watch, we have the highlights here. Mr. Obama was asked whether he was happy with the current health-care bills circulating on Capitol Hill. Here's what he said on ABC.

(Soundbite of television program, "This Week")

Pres. OBAMA: Eighty percent of what I'd like to see is actually already in all the various bills that are in Congress.

RAZ: NBC.

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Pres. OBAMA: I actually think that we've agreed to about 80 percent of that.

RAZ: CBS.

(Soundbite of television program, "Face the Nation")

Pres. OBAMA: In fact, what we've got right now is about 80 percent consensus.

RAZ: But in response to questions about whether his plan would raise costs across the board, the president told CBS:

(Soundbite of television program, "Face the Nation")

Pres. OBAMA: Health-care inflation went up 5.5 percent this past year, when inflation was actually negative.

RAZ: ABC.

(Soundbite of television program, "This Week")

Pres. OBAMA: Health-care premiums went up 5 and a half percent.

RAZ: CNN.

(Soundbite of television program, "State of the Union")

Pres. OBAMA: Last year, your premiums went up 5.5 percent, 5 and a half percent.

RAZ: And NBC.

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Pres. OBAMA: Five and a half percent increase in their premiums, even though inflation was actually negative on everything else.

RAZ: But what about the tone of the debate? Is race a factor? No, the president told all the network interviewers.

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Pres. OBAMA: Every president who's tried to make significant changes along these lines, whether it was FDR or Ronald Reagan, elicit very strong, passionate responses.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "Face the Nation")

Pres. OBAMA: If you hear what people had to say about Abraham Lincoln, or what they had to say about FDR, or what they had to say about Ronald Reagan...

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "State of the Union")

Pres. OBAMA: I mean, the things that were said about FDR are pretty similar to the things that were said about me.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "This Week")

Pres. OBAMA: We saw during FDR, we saw during Ronald Reagan. Any time there's a president who is proposing big changes that seem to implicate the size of government, that gets everybody's juices flowing.

RAZ: So is the whole thing being overblown, or are members of the media simply cats?

(Soundbite of television program, "Face the Nation")

Pres. OBAMA: They can't get enough of conflict. It's catnip to the media right now, and so the easiest way to get 15 minutes of fame is to be rude to somebody.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Pres. OBAMA: This is catnip.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "State of the Union")

Pres. OBAMA: The easiest way to get on CNN or Fox or any of the other stations, MSNBC, is to just say something rude and outrageous.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program)

Pres. OBAMA: The easiest way to get 15 minutes of fame is to be rude to somebody.

(Soundbite of beep)

(Soundbite of television program, "Meet the Press")

Pres. OBAMA: The easiest way to get 15 minutes on the news, or your 15 minutes of fame, is to be rude.

RAZ: That's President Obama today, hitting the networks to talk health care.

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