The pushback on health care change is just a bunch of bed-wetting for no particular reason, according to President Obama and his White House press secretary.

"There's something about August going into September — (laughter) — where everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up," Obama said last Thursday to laughter. He was belittling the growing pushback regarding his proposed health care changes during a forum at the Democratic National Committee headquarters,

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The next day, when asked, "What is wee-weed up?" White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs attempted to explain. "I don't know if I should do that from the podium," he said to laughter. "It's a phrase I use, but ... Let's do this in a way that is family-friendly. I think wee-weed up is when people just get all nervous for no particular reason. ... This is sort of an August pundit pattern between people getting overly nervous for something that still has a long way to go. Bed-wetting is — would be probably the more consumer-friendly term."

While Obama might be attempting to belittle the pushback, the concern over his policy is real. According to a Gallup poll this month, 49 percent of Americans disapprove of his handling of health care policy versus just 43 percent who approve.

Obama's dedication to pushing through health care changes, potentially without bipartisanship, is approaching perseveration rather than persistence. Perseveration is the "continuation of something to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point," according to Webster's Online Dictionary.

Think of it as beyond persistence.

Obama might argue that he is simply being optimistic regarding health care change.

Dr. Martin Seligman, director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, encourages people to become optimistic by changing their thoughts regarding adversity. The core of his approach leads to a reframing of beliefs from pervasive and permanent to specific and temporary.

This change in thinking about an adversity will lead to a different action, and more energy moving forward, according to Seligman, who is the author of "Learned Optimism."

Obama may be using this model in his approach to health care change. Continued...