***By Guest Blogger kingsjester***

It does not appear that Congress will pass Healthcare Reform before the August Recess. The ever dynamic Sen. Harry Reid has already stated that the Senate will not deal with it until after the Recess.

The House Democrats are meeting in closed door sessions as I write this and they do not appear to be making any progress. Back in May, Obama explained his vision of what Healthcare Reform would do after a roundtable with business leaders:

Part of what we want to do here, starting here today is to lift up these best practices so other companies can identify and potentially implement them; but also to make sure that when we think about how we’re going to reform the health care system as a whole, when we think about things like Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, when we think about how we can make the system more efficient, that we’re not just doing this in the abstract, but we’re actually taking proven measures that have been applied in the private sector and seeing how we can apply those, for example, to federal employees and our employee health care system.  All this designed to save taxpayers money, save businesses money and ultimately make the American people healthier and happier and make sure that we’re getting a better bang for our health care dollar.

As time marched on, the President continued to have a clear vision as to what Healthcare Reform should be:

This week, I conveyed to Congress my belief that any health care reform must be built around fundamental reforms that lower costs, improve quality and coverage, and also protect consumer choice.  That means if you like the plan you have, you can keep it.  If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your doctor, too.  The only change you’ll see are falling costs as our reforms take hold.

I also made it very clear to Congress that we must develop a plan that doesn’t add to our budget deficit.  My budget included an historic down payment on reform, and we’ll work with Congress to fully cover the costs through rigorous spending reductions and appropriate additional revenues.  We’ll eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our health care system, but we’ll also take on key causes of rising costs – saving billions while providing better care to the American people.

However, the new “Great Communicator” seems to have had a problem communicating his vision:

“We appreciate the rhetoric and his willingness to ratchet up the pressure, but what most Democrats on the Hill are looking for is the president to weigh in and make decisions on outstanding issues,” the source — who asked not to be identified in order to speak freely about private Democratic feelings about the president — told CNN. “Instead of sending out his people and saying the president isn’t ruling anything out, members would like a little bit of clarity on what he would support — especially on how to pay for his health reform bill.”

Healthcare “Reform” is clearly losing momentum:

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of U.S. Voters are at least somewhat in favor of the reform effort while 53% are at least somewhat opposed. Today’s 44% level of support is down from 46% two weeks ago, and 50% in late June. Opposition has grown from 45% in late June to 49% two weeks ago and 53% today.

Then why Obama is still pushing so hard? Because he thinks he can still get it passed. According to Rasmussen Reports (7/22/09), 33% of Americans believe that Healthcare Reform is the goal that Obama is most likely to achieve.

America’s Healthcare System comprises 1/6th of our economy. It is responsible for saving millions of lives through its pharmaceutical discoveries and innovative surgical techniques.

According to Rasmussen Reports (7/23/09), just 18 % of Americans thinks it’s government’s business to tell them which light bulb to use. 72% say it’s none of the government’s business, and 10 % are not sure. If Americans think light bulb usage is a personal issue, are they going to trust the federal government to make life and death decisions for them? I don’t think so.