Comments on: Rahm Pushing Triggers Through Olympia Snowe

By: tk1200

tk1200 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:11:13 +0000

Not to mention that Obama will be out in 2012, so the Republican in office (President Mitt Romney?) will simply amend the legislation and will kill the public option before it’s even begun. Premiums from Heaven for the private health insurers.

What is it about Obama. First it was Ayers and then it was Wright and now its Emmanuel. Why does he firmly embrace assholes? What is it about his psyche that makes him seek out such fucking losers? When will he realize that Emmanuel is his ticket to a one-term Presidency and a party torn apart over the almighty corporate campaign contribution? What a fucking idiot he’s turned out to be. You don’t have to be smart to be an effective President. Ronald Reagan proved that. All you have to do is stick to your fucking guns. What an asshole.

By: joanneleon

joanneleon — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:00:49 +0000

I just sent an email to the White House, for what it’s worth. In that email I made it clear that I understand the process and that there is no speech or excuse that can convince me that it is necessary to drop a strong public option from health care reform whether it’s a House bill, a Senate bill or a conference bill. I said that the minute that a bill is signed into law without a strong public option, my support for his White House terminates and that I will not blame the Republicans, I will blame the president and specific members of Congress who vote with him. I also said that every word and action from the West Wing, especially Rahm Emanuel, I consider to be coming directly from the president.

By: FlashMan

FlashMan — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:40:27 +0000

Speaking of liberal validators, didn’t I read recently that the SEIU’s Andy Stern left the door open for triggers in an interview with ABC? There was an emptywheel post on this:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake......m-emanuel/

All I can say is thank goodness Trumka and the other labor leaders don’t listen to anything Andy says.

By: gamd521

gamd521 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:13:39 +0000

By dint of much popular work one can take solace that the House has 60 or so members that are committed to the PO, and as they claim to do so all the way through to the end. Should they hold firm this should be enough to thwart any attempts to subvert the Public Option by anyone, be it Obama and whoever else may want to.

All effort should be expended in providing these House members with whatever assurance and support they may need and to increase their number if possible. This has already provided us with a winning hand.

In the same way, all effort should be expended on our Senators. For some reason thay are treated as if they were something more than people we’ve elected to do our bidding. They are no grander than our local representatives and they should be disabused of any perceptions they may have to the contrary.

The point is that we have a winning hand with those house members holding firm. Those including Obama who want to obstruct can try as they might but will not be able to exclude the PO in any legislation. We should support our winning hand rather than act as if we are bound to lose.

By: carolbeth

carolbeth — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:26:26 +0000

Under the various proposals now on the table, the IRS would become the main agency for determining who has an “acceptable” health insurance plan;

Is this for review of employers’ plans? Citizens are consumers, insurance businesses are responsible for plan adequacy.

for finding and punishing those who don’t have such a plan;

If there is no deduction for health plan, IRS will ask why not?

for subsidizing individual health insurance costs through the issuance of a tax credits;

IRS will compute available tax credits per income the way they compute tax brackets?

and for enforcing the rules on those who attempt to opt out, abuse, or game the system.

A recently released study showed an astonishingly high level of incorrectly computed payroll which worked to the extreme disadvantage of workers. Never hurts to have a second set of eyes -especially when they have some enforcement power. I still need more facts than speculation.

By: mothra

mothra — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:18:09 +0000

Zeabow: “becoz?” Please. You apparently can spell every other word in your post correctly.

Plus, I completely disagree. Rahm is doing what he is doing precisely to keep Democrats in office–or, more to keep the campaign coffers for Democrats full. He knows that it is important to keep that Pharma and health insurance company money rolling in to fund campaigns. He also knows that the misinformation the Repugs have been spreading about health care works in his favor: he keeps the majority of Americans on board because they are confused and frightened and will be against the public option and loses only a few nutty progressives with the pathetic excuse of health reform that will pass. Face it: the majority of people who are screwed by no public option probably don’t even vote, anyway. They are too poor and exhausted to pay attention to this political bullshit. Rahm Emmanuel doesn’t give a hoot about what is good for the citizens, only what is good for the Democratic Party. It’s all about games and politics to him.

By: zeabow

zeabow — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:06:24 +0000

I feel it necessary to enlighten some of you as to what you are missing: RAHM DOES NOT CARE IF THE DEMOCRATS LOSE CONTROL CONGRESS. It does not matter to him becoz he is pimping the oval office and is taking campaign bids for that office right now. The democratic majority is actually a problem for him becoz now he has less cover to deceive the the democratic party as to what his objectives are: to pretty much sell out the oval office to the biggest campaign bidders as long as he continues to have control of that nexus of power. He’d prefer to have more republicans, maybe even a republican majority, becoz it gives them more cover to sell out to corporate interests due to the political landscape and the need for bi-partisanship/corporateship to pass legislation.
This is the clinton model. He sold out on a hell of a lot in his first term, but got the campaign cash he needed to won re-election. That’s all that mattered to him. And that’s all that matters to the power hungry former member of his administration, rahm. Especially with the executive branch having so much more power now and so little accountability to the american people. It’s the kind of environment a cockroach like rahm thrives in.
It’s clear IMO that the dynamic duo of dlc deceit, the pope of hope (yes I know that obama is not dlc member in name, he is a “new democrat” … big fucking difference) and his sidekick, emanuel, have little desire to use the democrat majorities in the senate and house to push through any non-business friendly legislation. No, they continually finagle ways that they “must” negotiate with the proxies for big business, namely the blue dogs and the republicans, even though they frequently get ZERO votes in return like in the stimulus bill and likely in any universal health care legislation. If they have no desire to use those majorities, then why would they want them?
They don’t and that is what most democrats haven’t quite gotten their minds around yet.
Z

By: yellowsnapdragon

yellowsnapdragon — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:58:51 +0000

Ugh. *visualizing Lieberman shaking his hips*

By: temptingfate

temptingfate — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:45:47 +0000

I’m kind of partial to belly dancing myself.

By: reader

reader — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:41:59 +0000

Jane you are phenomenal! I “checked out” for a while because this whole thing is just too depressing ~ I am weak. I come back to see that you’ve got 65 congressmembers to pledge against public-option-fail and you’re doggin’ ObamaTeam all the way. Fucking amazing, lady! And I should know better than to doubt your powers.

MANDATING insurance purchase by everyone without a public option is economic slavery and corporate fascism. People will riot in the streets once they realize they have been had. The ONLY power (such as it is to be un-insured) people have now is to NOT buy the insurance. Mandating would remove that personal choice.

No public option until 2013 is as bad as no public option at all frankly. I agree: Wall Street gets 24-hour service. The people, not so much, huh. And by 2013 the economic effects of health care will have chipped away at US global competitiveness even more.

No public option at all is disaster. It’s not reform. It’s a con.

ANYONE who trusts that triggers will be used and will work is out of their minds. Triggers will NEVER be pulled. Triggers are a promise to break a promise. It’s crazy making. Mark my words: eveything will change and the triggers will be excused. The insurance companies know it. It’s kabuki like the co-ops.

Rahm can fuck himself.

What about the states where this is effectively no competition????

Our local Democrats Abroad chapter here in Canada cares deeply about the debate and is supporting you all as much as possible. For me, without a public option, I’ll be staying in Canada for the duration.

Obama has a chance to effectively call the assholes on their lies to their faces while telling the American people the truth next week. Axelrod seems to be setting that up. Hopefully Rahm’s role has nothing to do with that ‘rescue’ plan. We shall see.

Still crossing everything I’ve got that this will work out …

Go Jane!