Obama plans for health care delay,new jobs bill

By MIKE ALLEN &ALEXANDER TROWBRIDGE,Politico

 Obama will not push healthcare conference until after the State of Union

The White House privately anticipates health care talks to slip into February — past President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address — and then plans to make a “very hard pivot” to a new jobs bill,according to senior administration officials.

Obama has been told that disputes over abortion and the tight schedule are highly likely to delay a final deal,a blow to the president,who had hoped to trumpet a health care victory in his big speech to the nation. But he has also been told that House Democratic leaders seem inclined,at least for now,to largely accept the compromise worked out in the Senate,virtually ensuring he will eventually get a deal.

Internally,White House aides are plunging into a 2010 plan calling for an early focus on creating jobs,especially in the energy sector,along with starting a conversation about deficit reduction measures,the administration officials said.

Both will be major themes for his first State of the Union speech,which will most likely take place on Jan. 26 or Feb. 2. White House aides are in the early stages of planning for the national address,but Obama will not only trumpet what he has described as his “B-plus” performance in 2009 but also set the stage for the 2010 congressional campaigns.

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