Obama just gave a great speech on health care. He reassured those who were listening, he showed he is the master of the subject, and he even embraced some ideas the Republicans have used against him. The man really is a conciliator. I hope it works. I did not see Va. Foxx run forward to kiss him like she always did w/ Bush, however... ;-)
Comments
I was pleasantly surprised by it
The guy is nothing if not persistent in reaching across the aisle. Too bad what's on the other side is a cabal of obstructionists who don't bother to listen.
PS Thanks, Brother Doc
I got caught up on teh tee vee and didn't get around to opening a discussion. Much appreciated.
I was disappointed
Although his final remarks with regard to Ted Kennedy and such were extremely inspiring, I thought that Obama was just entirely too confrontational. I know he was advised to be assertive and to show "strength" and "conviction", but I feel he alienated those he will ultimately need to help him get this bill through congress. I was a bit disappointed.
His presentation was fabulous, however. I expected no less.
Wow ... I didn't think he was confrontational enough
although I like him calling out liars.
Republicans have already decided to vote in lock-step against his plan. No amount of being nice would have made any difference. And he really did need to shore up his left flank.
The "left flank" isn't what he needs to shore up
The Blue Dogs are who he needs to shore up. The "left flank", as you put it, were already in his pocket. I am on his side, don't get me wrong, but again, it was disappointing he made so much of an issue of those that put out misintrepretations and lies and distortions. I don't think this was the setting for this. But, I could be all wrong here. It might help him somehow. One thing is for sure, James, he isn't going to get this through without some republicans jumping across the aisle. It just isn't going to happen with a challenging attitude. He did say that he is going to give this some time and will welcome those that have meaningful suggestions to come to see him in an "open door" atmosphere. If he can make this happen and can show those that have problems he will be able to work around, he might very well have an opportunity to get this done. We ALL know it is one of our most important issues in America today and even the most rabid republicans have said they know that there needs to be some kind of reform in our health care in America. I think there is an answer and I think it can be done. I don't think responding to the small minority that project hate and meaningless rhetoric against everything Obama wants on this issue will help in that effort.
We'll see
Any R who comes to Obama with an open mind would be drummed out of the party. And the R leadership has been clear about their motives: delay and obstruct reform.
In the House, a bill without a public option will not likely pass because the 50+ members of the Democratic Progressive Caucus won't support it. There are more of them than Blue Dogs, the latter having already made themselves irrelevant by siding against the president on a public option.
In the Senate, no R will vote for what Obama wants. Not one. Obama was being more than generous in crediting them with ideas that are in his plan, but that will not bring them on board.
The big question is whether there will be a public, non-profit plan in the exchange. Without that plan, this legislation won't get through the House. With that plan, it might not get through the Senate.
Couldn't disagree more
He needed to push back, hard, and he didn't. The present majority was elected for a reason. Trying to appease or reason with Republicans ain't it. He should've drawn a few more lines in the sand.
On a positive note, his comments about Ted Kennedy almost brought tears to my eyes.
I was very dissapointed.
To much time and effort is being spent trying to reach across the aisle to people that will not be happy with anything offered by a Democrat. If Obama offered a plan created by Palin then the Republicans in congress would reject it. What we need is real health care reform that includes a robust public option and real competition for the private insurance companies. That is not going to come from the right. I can't get behind him if he is just going to capitulate to the right wing. The Democrats need to be more confrontational not less. To quote Jesse Helms " it is easier to throw hand grenades than it is to catch them".
Great line from Jesse
Maybe he was simply offering one more public gesture to the rabid right so that everyone can see that he's reached out. Most people don't really know what's been going on, and at least he looked like a uniter, pun intended. That said, I agree that the R's are not worth a second thought on this. They have made themselves completely irrelevant in this debate.
I hope you are right.
Sweet spot I hope you are right and he was just making a public offer but is remaining committed to a true public option. I got my fingers crossed, anyway.
Exactly what I said on August 13th
James, I said the same thing....the R's are not bringing a single card worth playing to the table and if this gets done, the D's are going to have to do it. BUT can the D's pull together and get it done? WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE!
I thought the President was way too easy on this one.....he needed to be tough and he was not. I was very disappointed.
Great Speech Writing
Great speech writing with these 2 lines, the first near the opening, the second near the closing. "I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last" & "We did not come here to fear the future. We came here to shape it.
President Obama seemed pretty bipartisan, he talked about malpractice reform which the right liked, he used a McCain idea that got Senator McCain to stand, clap, & give a thumbs up, & he told the left they need to be more open to all ideas that are means to the end of providing affordable health insurance to all even if those ideas come from the right.
Saying he was open to ideas from both sides, but that he will not make time for those who have made the political calculation that it is better to kill this bill than to improve it was a very potent line too.
Calling them out
We all need to continue to call out those who would distort and outright lie about the President's plan.
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The measure of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
I loved it
While short on details, I think he accomplished exactly what he set out to do tonight. I am confident that his plan WILL work for me, and I am proud to have him as a president.
Whether congress can write the bills and then pass them...thats another story.
In the mean time, you can use barakobama.com to send a letter to Senators Hagen and Burr telling them you support the plan:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hcsignon/?district=NC4&returnlink=false
Check out Amplify, youth driven community dedicated to changing society's dysfunctional approach to sexual health issues
www.amplifyyourvoice.org
Providing cover
All the outreach rhetoric will serve the purpose of letting the public know exactly who is being obstructionist here. The initials are G-O-P.
Obama is providing cover for the moderate/conservative Dems to come on board with his plan under the shelter of "we offered cooperation and the Republicans wouldn't participate". Sure, that's been obvious to those of us studying the process. Remember, though, how few people actually do that.
Dan Besse
That's a good point
He called out those who aren't serious about fixing the system and just want to obstruct, and called them on their lies.
I just hope he holds firm on the public option, and I dearly hope the Progressive Caucus holds firm too.
Great speech but
I'm still not happy with the plan to put/keep the responsibility for most coverage on the shoulders of employers. Health insurance should have no more to do with an employer than car insurance does.
Besides, "making business pay" is a lie. Businesses do not pay for anything- their employees and customers do.
Yelling at the President
The republican Congressman from South Carolina Wilson managed to fund his opponents entire campaign by shouting out to call the president a lair in the middle of his address to a joint session of congress last night.
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19079
The amount raised went up 3000 dollars while I typed this message.
Republican Wilson should be punished.
I do not care about the apology. He needs to be punished.
No, this isn't what we do
Obama has accepted Wilson's apology and I truly believe was grateful to get it. There are just too many incidents of similar "outbursts" and lack of class by both parties against presidents giving speeches to joint sessions of congress to start calling for punishment. If you heard what Wilson said with regard to this, he admitted that the republican leadership went to him and admonished him for his outburst and pretty much badgered him into making the call to apologize. That, in itself, was punishment enough and hopefully will stave off further incidents of this sort from BOTH parties.
Obama just accepted Wilson's apology....
He needs to get tougher as what Wilson did was unexcusable. I think Wilson must be the one paying the screamers to show up at meetings to discuss health care reform. He demonstrated the tactic well.
Hopefully SC will teach him a lesson by not voting for him in the future.
Wilson on another Attack today against Alabama Communists
Alabama Communist says:
September 10, 2009
The song that prompted Lynyrd Skynyrd to write the response song “Sweet Home Alabama,” that honor goes to another Young song, “Southern Man.”) All these shenanigans in South Carolina reminded me of a line from the song, “Alabama (South Carolina) you’ve got the rest of the Union to help you along. What’s going wrong?”* Mark
SOUTH CAROLINA CONGRESSMAN JOE WILSON WHO GAIN INFAMOUS FAME LAST NIGHT BY SHOUTING AT PRESIDENT OBAMA THAT HE WAS A LIAR HAS PRODUCE ANOTHER EARTH SHAKING CHARGE TODAY BY SAYING THAT THE COMMUNISTS WERE RUNNING ALABAMA ONCE AGAIN WITH THIS UNDISPUTED YOUTUBE PROOF EXPOSING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNIST GLENN BECK CONSPIRACY AS TRUE……….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lNFRLrP014
I'm all about the hairdo !
Wierd is good, isn't it? Something tells me you know.
Mad Town, I am gaining a great deal of respect for your posts here. You're the MAN !!
God, I love that song.
People need to understand
People need to understand that everyone wants and needs health care reform. We all want to get rid of "pre-existing conditions" and "non portability." We all want the 3% of the population that has no coverage to be covered some way.
What most of us do not want is the government running the program. The government does not run anything well. The government is supposed to be an aid to free enterprise, not the actual provider. That is what the Republicans are fighting for. casino en ligne
I did a quick check of the numbers
and found this, can't independently verify it tho:
Just sayin'
The government runs;
Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, police, fire and rescue, roads, environmental protection, schools, courts, prisons, and so on...
Are you suggesting we privatize all of it so that it will be "efficient"?
Government should be the "printer of money" / "provider of funds"?
-b
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There cannot fail to be more kinds of things, as nature grows further disclosed. - Sir Francis Bacon
Most of us actually do want the government running the program
Unless by "most of us" you mean a minority of Americans.
Or perhaps there's been a 28 point swing in public opinion over the past three weeks. Stranger things have happened.
I disagree with some of this, Samuel
Medicare, although having problems with funding, is by-and-large accepted by most recipients as a very good program (exceptions noted). The vets receiving VA medical benefits, again are extremely happy with their health care (exceptions noted).
I'm not sure I agree with you with regard to your statement of "The government does not run anything well". SCHIP and WIC programs under what I think is part of Medicaid is very successful with, again, exceptions. And, just how much has the Food Stamp program helped people? Oh, yeah, "with exception".
Sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us and sometimes we let the naysayers govern our beliefs when facts aren't presented exactly as they should be.
Government runs like M-1 Abrams Battle Tank?
What most of us do not want is the government running the program. The government does not run anything well* Sam
Sure the government can do great things when it comes to running Wars and killing people......And of course there are others who think when a government loses a war they become limited Military Industrial-Complex Republicans
I can live with Obama'a outline of what he expects...
I think he only gave a minimum of what is expected from whatever bill comes down from the committees. As he said, since the time of T. Roosevelt, many administrations have tried for some kind of health plans, but none made it this far. Probably because it is draining so much of our resources, while accomplishing so little. The main objective is to get a bill with at least what he outlined, onto the floors of Congress for a vote. Many plans that come into existence get amended over the years, to make them more effective. I just read that today, (Thurs) he'll meet with 16 Dem senators who expressed doubts about their positions, including Kay Hagan, and try to clarify details. This is the methods that presidents follow, and reflects on their leadership abilities. So let's see what the final product is when it comes up for a vote.
Obama DID LIE And Progressives Stay Silent
Continuing on this central theme of cost-cutting, Obama blamed federal health care programs for bringing the country to the brink of financial collapse. “If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else comes close.”
This lie was specifically endorsed by the New York Times, whose lead editorial Thursday stated, “Mr. Obama was absolutely right when he said that the relentless rise in the cost of Medicare and Medicaid is crippling the nation’s economy.”
In fact, the cost of the federal health care programs pales in comparison to the massive bailout of the banks—which the inspector general of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) estimates could cost $23 trillion—the defense budget, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the interest paid out to the banks profiting from the financing of the federal deficit, and the tax cuts handed over to the wealthy over the last three decades.