*From Obama’s primetime press conference, July 2 2, 2009, where Obama did say he was for “health insurance reform” — in his prepared, thus carefully vetted, opening remarks. The very first opening remarks, his first sentence:

Before I take your questions, I want to talk for a few minutes about the progress we’re making on health insurance reform and where it fits into our broader economic strategy.

Sixth paragraph (about a sentence or so each):

And health-insurance reform is central to that effort.

Paragraph 11:

…a lot of Americans may be wondering: What’s in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health-insurance reform?

Paragraph 16:

I’ve also pledged that health-insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it.

Paragraph 18:

That will not happen with health-insurance reform. It will be paid for.

Wow, how could I have missed that messaging?? It’s right there. Insurance reform.

Public plan or public option? Obama did not mention it until the second to last questioner used the phrase in his question:

Steve Koff, the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Q Thank you. Just to follow up on Jake’s question earlier, sir: So many Americans are concerned that this plan, particularly the government insurance, the public option, would lead to reduced benefits or reduced coverage. Two questions.

One, can you guarantee that this legislation will lock in and say the government will never deny any services, that that’s going to be decided by the doctor and the patient, and the government will not deny any coverage? And secondarily, can you, as a symbolic gesture, say that you and the Congress will abide by the same benefits in that public option?

Pretty heavy messaging there. Count the “health insurance reform” mentions: 5. Public plan: 0. 5 to 0.

Capiche?

Sen. Bernie Sanders – one of only a handful of lawmaker with the guts to tell it like it is – said that millions and millions of people must protest against the sell-out that is being directed by the medical-profits industry

“Keyboard activism” won’t get it done. In order to win true health care reform we’ll have to march in the streets. If we fail to do so, if we fail to act in our own best interests and in the best interests of other everyday people, the health care crisis will worsen.

Our resolve will be tested by how we proceed from here on out. Will we fight for justice, or will we act like sheep?

As Max & the Baucus Caucus, they’re just doing the jobs the insurance companies get paid to do — who could possibly object?

Meanwhile, President Obama’s personal doctor of two decades is leading a single-payer rally on the National Mall Thursday.

The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com

One reason often given by corporations to justify their stock buyback programs is that dividends are paid out of after-tax income, and are taxed again as income to the shareholder. Stock buybacks increase the price of the shares, and gain on sale of the stock is only taxed at the shareholder level, and at a very low rate.

How stupid I feel.

Strict limits on campaign spending is the only hope we have.

Meanwhile I wonder how much benefit these “regional coops” will offer folks in places like North Dakota that have an option between Blue Cross and Blue Shield…oh wait wasn’t there supposed to be a hyphen between those two?

By the way, even though I’ve personally thanked everyone who’d done so, I’d still like to thank everyone who helped me yesterday with my crisis. My fiancée and I deeply appreciate the kind and generous gestures (although we’re not so appreciative of John “Garbo” Aravosis banning me from ABlog). We’re not out of the woods yet but at least we won’t have to worry about paying the rent and going hungry for the immediate future.