Good one, Jane. How does the situation look in the Senate. Are there any progressive Senators who will vote against cloture for any bill without a PO? Are there any who will against a bill without a PO? Jello Jay? Russ Feingold? Pat Leahy? Maria Cantwell, Bernie Sanders? Kerry? Are there enough to get under 50 votes? Will the Republicans continue to stay out of it?

I agree. We can thank Rahm for “stabbing the base and destroying 2010 turnout for the midterms, which is pretty much what NAFTA did in 1994″. However, the implication in that statement is that our President, the Constitutional Lawyer/Professor, the greatest orator of our time, is a limp noodle, a wimp who is being overrun by Rahm Emanuel, the man who is actually the Decider. So, our Obama is another Dubya with Rahm, the DemDick, pulling the strings. Our President is basically a moron with no clue as to what’s going on.

Sorry, I think Obama the Blue Dog ConservaDem is plotting with Rahm and playing the same ole Chicago game. Obama lied to us all and is giving us that “cute” little snicker he uses during his town hall talks. Many attendees and watchers think he’s giving a little chuckle at himself, but he really chuckling at our naivete as we continue to believe he’s working for us. NO, FOLKS. Obama is working hard to please the medical industrial complex, the conservatives, all the Republicans in both houses in an attempt to ensure support for the rest of his agenda including the Afghan war. Obama couldn’t care less about us and we need to wake up and admit that we made a BIG MISTAKE in November ‘08 and we need to get rid of this Chicago ConservaDem in Donkey clothing ASAP.

Please frontpage this outrage.

Certainly it’s the case that O is not doing very well by the liberal base. He’s well toward the Blue Dog side of the spectrum, but that’s been increasingly clear since the FISA backpedal last summer. It’s no great surprise. Rahm is evidence of his Rightitude rather than cause of it.

I think Jane is pushing the correct angle. We need to make him and the rest take the liberal wing of the party seriously. They need to see greater value in accomodating our demands than in “punching us [the DFHs] in the face” and accomodating the Rs and their Running Dogs.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but a bad healthcare bill would be worse than no bill, it would:
++disillusion new young O voters
++piss off the liberal wing and
++provide fantastic fodder for both the Rs and Blue Dogs to fulminate about.
++hit the middle class hard (Aren’t they the group everyone is always rhetorically courting? And O and Baucus want to saddle them with a mandate to pay protection money to a predatory industry or pay a fine?)

Bad policy and bad politics. Makes you wonder what value O sees in it…

Damnitall, Tim Kaine as chair of the DNC really, REALLY sucks.

We needed Howard Dean as chair more than ever.

Ugh.

He’s doing it because Rahm, former Clinton advisor, says he should. As well as all the Very Serious People.

Of course, as Jane says, it was Rahm who caused 1994 to happen.

Here is what to emphasize, over and over and over again, when talking to people who say “but but but it’ll be 1994 all over again if we don’t pass SOMETHING!”:

Well, now there’s the rub.  Because it turns out that 44% of Democrats strongly support health care reform with a public option, but that figure drops to 12% without one.   So passing the Baucus bill means stabbing the base and destroying 2010 turnout for the midterms, which is pretty much what NAFTA did in 1994.  Thank Rahm for that one, too.

I don’t think Obama is either blameless or clueless, Rahm is doing this because he wants him to.

But this particular deal has Rahm’s fingerprints all over it. Just like John Woo is responsible for the memos that John Woo wrote, Rahm needs to take responsibility for this mess.

Just like John Woo is responsible for the memos that John Woo wrote,

I think you mean “John Yoo” [if you’re talking about the immoral “torture is A-okay” memos].

Jane, I think you mean John Yoo .
Don’t go all Hong Kong Hollywood on us.

It must be difficult for a President to see how badly his Chief of Staff has screwed this up. The CoS controls access to the President: paper, people, images, news. But the Maryland speech looked like a wakeup for Obama: he’s not accustomed to hearing boos, and he seemed genuinely startled by the approval voiced for Public Option.

Obama needs to get out more, and he needs to hear from those representing the Party’s base more regularly. The Rockefeller visit was a good start.

Even if it is Rahm’s doing, as with John Yoo, Rahm will never admit that he was wrong much less apologize.

Rahm won’t be falling on his sword anytime soon. Look at his performance post 2006 when claiming victory in the big D wave. He fought the 50 state strategy (I’m not sure he said “f*cking stupid” about pulling resources from battleground states, but it sure felt like it) and anti-war positions that he adamantly fought rather than the conservative DCCC recruitment effort he led.

Obama knows what he’s doing and clearly is waffling on the PO, rhetoric be damned. He hasn’t been inside the bubble that long, and Baucus standing alone is pretty obvious to any observer, much less a seasoned pol.

he didnt “look startled” to me, he looked annoyed, and he kept going right throught it, rasing his voice to shout them down.Obama = POS. His lack of a coherent healthcare plan was the glaring problem from the beggining of the capaign. I get it. I heard one of the talking potato heads say during the campaign that obamas interest “the reason he ran” was foriegn policy.That seemed odd to me?? he talked about nothing but jobs and healthcare. This WHOLE thing is a huge distraction and a pain in the ass to him. he’s an eletist asshole who is really put out by having to get in the weeds about the peasants health care problems. Its cutting into the face time at international summits and treaty signings, and crashing at the sarkozy’s

Yes Patri. I don’t for one second believe that O is clueless, or “in the bubble” or whatever is the excuse du jour. He is a skater who prefers the easy, empty route that makes him LOOK sweet in the end. That said, you go to war with the army and general you have. (I never thought I would use a quote from THAT guy!) I hope he is salvageable and will learn to fight for the right things.
Also, thank you for using the old school form of the expression “he could’NT care less,” rather than the modern “Could care less.” The latter is less concise and devolved over the years from users with a poor ear.

Yeah since President McCain and Vice President Palin are on the case, who cares about the Democrats, there’s no difference between the two parties so why bother supporting one or the other?

NO PUBLIC OPTION = NO SUPPORT IN 2010 and 2012

It’s meant to primarily signal our most ardent supporters and the base of the Democratic Party that we are with you — and that we need you

No, the problem is that you are with the Insurance and Pharma companies. I don’t know what Obama is thinking, but he damn well knows he isn’t coming through with what he promised and this piece of crap bill is going to make sure that alot more people are bankrupted, young people will be forced into DEEP debt, and 45,000 dead is going to be a low number after the baucus b*lls*it passes.

Conyers and Leahy are introducing legislation to overturn the monopolies that the health insurance has enjoyed for many years.

He’s got to know that is going to happen by the millions. WTF could Obama be thinking?

I think we knew this when he was (s)elected.

Has it ever been sorted out what other deals were struck, Cheney-style, by the White House with each of the stakeholder groups, apart from what we’ve heard about deal done with Big Pharma?

I think the most salient point here is:

So passing the Baucus bill means stabbing the base and destroying 2010 turnout for the midterms, which is pretty much what NAFTA did in 1994.

There are plenty of moral reasons for not passing this turd of a bill, but even from a crassly political standpoint it’s an idiotic move.

pretty interesting you tube

which I was first alerted too on they gave us a republic

good stuff in that you tube from the viet nam war, global warming and health care…which they preface with;

We, the dirty fuckin’ hippies, have been right all along. That is why we will never be forgiven. We committed the unforgivable sin. We were, are, and shall remain – right. About every single issue that has faced this country in the last half century.

Every. Single. One.

good times, good times

Profit Over People

B I N G O

Z

“trying to rally them around hatred of teabaggers.” ; so it’s not just the media putting forth effort to turn citizen against citizen for the sake of ‘news’ but the Dem leadership also trying to play the same game.

In the meantime the corruption of politics and governance keeps going on and neither the media nor the Dem Party or Repub Party wants to address THAT !

cbl2 posted a link to labrat.com she got from you in re Kerry’s stance. Thanks. Time of mine you saved.

Playing to the lowest common denominator, as usual.

I heard the boos in Maryland described this morning on the radio and I really hoped Obama’s reaction was as surprised as they made it sound. Now that I see the video, it doesn’t seem nearly as dramatic as I would have liked.

But maybe this will start a trend of loud boos whenever Baucus’ name is mentioned.

you know, I’m reading an entry on that site and they come up with an incredible conversation point for progressives, one we should adopt, notice my bold;

45,000 people per year die because they lack health care.
That is the equivalent of 15 September 11 attacks every year – one every three and a half weeks.

holy crap…if we can co-opt that exact meme into the discussion and use it with the proper “national security” concern their heads will explode and they will dance around trying to demonstrate the study is flawed

Yes, it’s called divide and conquer. It’s a classic tale rife with rogues.

Some of that teabagger crap is disgusting, but we have to think about the fact that much of their anger is real, it’s just misdirected. They SHOULD be angry about what’s happening with the economy, with their loss of freedom, etc. They just don’t need to direct that anger into racism and violence. And they need to direct much of that anger at the very people sponsoring their gatherings and riling them up.

We would have been better served if John Woo had replaced John Yoo.

I still say we just need to put a halfway-decent bill on the floor of the Senate and let the Repugs and ConservaDems try to filibuster. Forget about 60 votes and forget about reconciliation.

Repugs will probably stick to their guns, but let’s see those ConservaDems squirm as we start really turning up the heat with “up or down vote” demands. Let’s make them actually filibuster instead of just threaten it. Make them stand up and talk and talk for days on end. Make a big show out of it and see how the public reacts.

It’s time to play hardball with these schmucks.

The “dirty Hippies” HAVE been right about everything in the last 50 years. The hippies were no more and no less than the half of intellectual, public and corporate america, who saw the face of the monster behind the flag bunting, and propmtly dropped out of the capitalist rat race, and no they havent been forgiven for it. every effort has been made to co opt,(buy out) “pop” culture to make sure no independnet messaging ever reaches the children THAT way ever again.But anyone can be a “real deal” hippie any time they want to, you just have to turn your back on the plastic fantastic “plan for you life”.

Molly Ivins discussed how a lot of these people really do know who’s screwing them, but they feel powerless to fight the real enemy — so they lash out at a less formidable target instead. It’s like the guy who’s pissed at his boss but doesn’t dare say so, so instead he goes home and beats his wife and kids.

As always, Jane, I think your article is right on target! Obama is a dispicable, lying, deplorable human being and as far as I’m concerned he’s been a “fraud” from day one! Rahm, Axelrod, and the rest of his depraved minions think all they have to do is lie to us again to insure his re-election. Well….They will get NO support and NO money from me again! Not one thin dime!!

And once again, thank you “Saint Jane” for the wonderful article….

My email du jour to whitehouse.gov
Obama was elected to stand up to corporations, not to sell us out to them.
We’re not going with him there.
This sell out will destroy the Democratic Party.
If Obama goes with the people now called “Centrists” it will be a very small party going forward.
These are not the people we elected.
We say no thank you.

what your saying is true, but it cant be us-working class/middle class, against them working class/middle class..you notice that party and “ideological” diffrences dont keep the ruling caste from hanging together.. “Progressive” values have to lead. insane, fearfull paranoid, racist “revolution” wont help and thats where too many of the teabaggers are. i would love for them to grow some class conciousness, and get thier heads out of the idiot box..maybe some outreach/educational program in needed, i dont know.

In the House, it’s H.R. 3956, introduced yesterday per an intrigued staffer in the office of Congressman John Olver (MA-01).

They could legitimately be angry about Obama’s bailout of Wall Street, yet they choose to obsess about ACORN, for transparent reasons. They’re totally patched in to central command.

because they lack health insurance, I believe. Even, presumably, junk insurance.

Well we’ve got three more years to not give Obama money. Right now we’ve got a movement to build to create enough pressure that even self-serving chameleons have to do the right thing.

This isn’t about Obama, this isn’t about slogans (’Change we can believe in’), this is what it’s always been about when real, progressive change has improved this country — We the People banding together and standing up for decency and honesty.

ya, it translates for issues that would have been resolved if they had health care and didn’t put off going to the doctor

it’s an incredible statistic and comparing that to a 9/11 attack once a month is a powerful tool the progresives need to use

Where’d she discuss that? I’d love to read it. It sounds like an awfully generous portrayal of people I’m tired of making excuses for.

One thing I’ve noticed from contact with these people up close is that there seem to be two strata — the genuinely “angry” ones are real rubes, uneducated and true to stereotype; they believe what they’re piped in to, or are just stone cold bigots. The other strata, the scary one for me, consists of sort of middle/upper-middle class chamber of commerce types, the would-be planters on the plantation, who approach these protests with a lot cheer and jeering confidence, with the optimism — frightening to me — of people who know the establishment is on their side, when it isn’t outright orchestrating the protests.

Agreed! That’s why we need to figure out a way to sever their connection to the Borg central computer. I wish I knew how, but we have to keep trying.

I think we should just scrap it all and start over. it’s time to push Medicare for All. That will be the biggest campaign issue. 2010 would end up being a one issue election. Kill this crap and lets start over and get what we really want?

Fascinating Analysis:

Did the town halls really have the effect we had perceived?

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/…..form_o.php

… from Politico…”…The irony thus far seems to have been lost on the left, however, which has mostly voiced either disbelief or derision that the conservatives would be so shameless — or so clueless. In Democratic Underground’s…”

AS AN INDEPENDENT LIBERAL, LONG-TIME PROTESTER, I THINK THIS IS GREAT! Many of my liberal friends have already joined. Many of my conservative friends, who never before protested, are going out and having fun.

The grassroots on either side are really not that far off… Its the politicos that are invested in CORPORATE WELFARE that are ****ed. As Obama is himself, invested in corporate welfare. So is Dead Fish Rahm and his crazy brother, Dr. Death.

Democratic Underground is nothing but a partisan, paid Democratic blog, for Democratic candidates only.

One thing I am wondering… The last eight years began a new era of police brutality during protests, in the form of tasers and other forms of aggression that we had not seen before.

I wonder if that will happen to the conservative protesters. I think it is inappropriate for any protester to have to be subjected to that.

AS AN INDEPENDENT LIBERAL, LONG-TIME PROTESTER, I THINK THIS IS GREAT! Many of my liberal friends have already joined. Many of my conservative friends, who never before protested, are going out and having fun.

I’m confused if you are saying the above, or if it’s quoted from Politico or Democratic Underground.

“we have to think about the fact that much of their anger is real, it’s just misdirected.” ; exactly and it’s why making the effort to dialogue is sometimes fruitful; other times ,it’s a waste of time because the people are ‘true believers’(which exist on both sides of the coin)

Do you think part of the problem is that Rahm is a dealmaker (like his brother Ari), and thus is more comfortable making deals with lobbyists and other identifiable and narrow interest groups rather than creating or managing bureaucratic processes and systems. The problem here is about establishing functional systems and processes so that the entire population is provided with care. Who do you buy off?

Perhaps Rahm is the wrong kind of thinker, kind of like Ira Magaziner was all about the system in 1994 and pissed off all the players, Rahm is all about the inside players and has lost sight of the initial goal.

MOst of those I have spoken with rely on talk radio and Faux news for their ‘information’; get them to give such up and it gets easier. Point out to them that 7 companies own 90+ per cent of all mass media and that there are 21 people who sit on the boards of all seven companies and their eyes get opened a bit.

Basically I tell to stop listening to talk radio and watching the main news channels because it’s all bullshit and they are getting lied to(they really do NOT like being lied to).

That’s a very interesting way to look at it. I’ve often fumed when I hear someone say they want to run government more like a business. It’s NOT a business, it’s a government. That’s like saying you want to run a dental practice more like an orchard.

Maybe we’re just seeing an administration that’s trying to apply skills that may work in a different setting to one in which those skills are completely inappropriate and ineffective.

Or they could just be corrupt S.O.B.s

I know one area of agreement is disgust at the power of big corporations. They hate the bank bailouts as much as we do. That’s a little common ground at least.

We need to use the issues on which we have common ground as kind of an intellectual wedge to get into their psyche and gradually try to get a wider and wider gap of cognitive dissonance.

See the front page at the HuffPo for how well the Baucus bill lines up with the PhRMA memo of agreement

That’s a very interesting way to look at it. I’ve often fumed when I hear someone say they want to run government more like a business. It’s NOT a business, it’s a government. That’s like saying you want to run a dental practice more like an orchard.

Thank you dear Sufilizard for my first real laugh of the day. Laughs are few these days.

I don’t agree with your statement “this isn’t about Obama”. Obama has demonstrated absolutely NO leadership…and I repeat NO leadership on Healthcare reform. I don’t know, Jane, the last time I looked he still IS the President, is he not? Doesn’t the “buck stop here” at his doorstep? If it doesn’t then he is “one sorry ass President”!! Instead he uses the “corporate whore, Baucus”…or Ben “corncob” Nelson and others to do be the scapegoat and do the dirty work. Why…because Obama NEVER intended to do one thing about healthcare for the American People going in. He’s the one responsible for this charade that’s happening now…it has nothing to do with “we the people”. If he wanted quality Healthcare for the American People, he could run it through with reconciliation if that’s what it takes! So, please and I mean no disrespect, but THIS is Obama’s party and at this point whatever happens to healthcare in this country it IS his legacy…and his wrong-doing if it fails. I close with one of his quotes during the campaign. Read it then you tell me is isn’t about Obama and his piss poor leadership: (Note: He says Universial Healthcare, Jane…”public option” had NOT rolled off these idiots tongue as of yet.

“It’s a textbook that’s all about winning elections, but says nothing about how to bring the country together to solve problems. As we saw in the debate last week, it encourages vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment, instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America. It teaches you that you can promise progress for everyday people while striking a bargain with the very special interests who crowd them out.”

“We took on the insurance industry, and we won. That’s how I’ll pass a universal health care bill that allows every American to get the same kind of health care that members of Congress get for themselves and cuts every family’s premiums by up to $2500. And mark my words – I will sign this bill by the end of my first term as President. That’s the change we can offer in 2008.”

It looks like to me that Obama, to get a deal with Republican Senator Snowe, is prepared to drop the public option. Snowe said she got that feeling from him months ago, as she mentions in her interview with John Harwood on MSNBC (starting at about the 2:30 mark):

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes…..alth-care/

The public option is vital. The majority of physicians and Americans polled want it. At around the 2:15 mark, listen to the crowd applause for a good 15-20 seconds in support of the public option in Minneapolis:

http://crooksandliars.com/john…..orts-publi

- Tom

I think John Woo has some things to take responsibility for as well, like this turkey.

I’m not seeing any reaction at all on Obama’s part, even with the thing blown up full screen. If he had a reaction to the booing, it certainly wasn’t a profound one.

You have to realize that you don’t get to where Obama is without the power brokers vetting you and letting you and making you don’t do the wrong thing. You can talk the the talk, but you can’t walk the walk. That ain’t gonna happen. Most people up there try to make the best of it, W simply was a kid who got to play warrior and pass cash to his buds.

Too much power in too few hands and no democracy what so ever.

not at all surprised. slippery, isn’t he?

This has nothing to do with Clinton. Stop blaming Obama’s neoliberalism on Bill and Hillary Clinton. It’s absurd. Obama ran to the right of Hillary, not the left. And, the plans Congress is shaping in Congress are to the right of BC’s plan in the 1990’s. Just yesterday Hillary called the Congressional proposals “conservative”, and said every other country does health care cheaper and better. She’s not a fool. She knows other country’s do health care via tax paid, heavily regulated systems. Sorry you do not like the Romney Care Obama is pushing, but it ain’t the Clintons fault.

If Obama wanted Congress to pass a new public insurance program rather than simply Romney Care he had to start demanding it, campaigning on it, and singing it’s virtues everyday in every way when this thing started. He didn’t. If we get even the meager PO in the House bill, it will be in spite of Obama.

Or they could just be corrupt S.O.B.s

LOL. Likely the truth of the matter.

Yes, I like your point about running government like a business and people who advocate it. Efficient management, yes. But the goals are fundamentally different. Among other things, government is there providing things that businesses and private interests specifically would not. Necessary functions that can’t be easily boiled down to $$, non-excludable goods like clean air/water, peace, sanitation, infectious disease control…

Insurance is one of those things that private companies *can’t* do well and why they’re so heavily regulated {supposedly}, too many violations of efficient market assumptions.

It’s not too surprising that the purpose of gov’t gets muddled…after all the basic rationale only pops up in the Declaration of Independence *just after* the part schoolkids memorize:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,…

Oh well.

Me too! That is a classic, surflizard.

Why don’t you either take “another toke off the crack-pipe…or go into rehab!” You have no idea WTF you’re talking about…and by the way keep your comments to yourself and stay away from responding to mine! Got if, FOOL??

What a ridiculous commercial. Changing the world with Romney Care? Comparing himself to TR? This has to be the most synthetic rendition of change you can believe in yet.

Well, I think “Got if, FOOL??” might take the cake.

Proof, I suppose, that anger makes muscles contract.

Its been a while since I read the comments on a Firedoglake post about health care, but I’m shocked at what I am reading here.
First, it seems bizarre to me that you would trash a forceful and vivid advertisement just because it doesn’t contain two words “public option”.
Second I am disgusted at the rabidly anti-Obama tone of many of these comments — “eletist asshole who is really put out by having to get in the weeds about the peasants health care problems” and a “dispicable, lying, deplorable human being and …a “fraud” from day one” and “Obama NEVER intended to do one thing about healthcare for the American People going in. He’s the one responsible for this charade that’s happening now”.
None of the other commenters here are calling these comments out, so do you agree with them? I realize health care reform seems to have driven the teabaggers batty, but have the firepups been driven around the bend too?

I only agree with some commenters like Perris, DWBartoo and a few others. I am not here to fight with others. I think Obama is a made man and being a black he has to walk on eggs.

I suppose whether you believe Obama is a fraud depends how much you trusted what he said during the campaign. He has utterly abandoned any semblance of progressive positions, and has basically told us to pound sand. I understand the hostility here. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not going to adopt any progressive positions unless he sees no way around them politically. That’s our task. Those who understand that can get on with that task. Those who don’t can continue to be ineffectual.

How many times have you heard give Obama time he is playing chess?
Well checkmate happened back in February when he met secretly with Pharma, Hospitals, and anyone else with deep deep pockets full of cash. Rahm takes his marching orders from Obama, not the other way around.

Once the final bill is out and ready to be voted on, if it contains all the goodies Baucus(i.e.:Health Industrial Complex) wants we better fight like hell to kill the bill or any shot at healthcare “reform” is history. Nothing short of a national march on D.C. will do. This is literally a fight for our lives.

Do we the people have it in us for one more massive protest? Or have apathy and fear done us in.

Would it be politically incorrect to suggest that Obama is a political charlatan? The Democrats would seem to have their fair share of kool-aid drinkers. Am I fired up? Fired up for immigrating but not for Obama’s half-assed feel good rhetoric.

Take your snifter and swirl the liquid around, your nose to the edge of the glass. Inhale the intoxicating bouquet. Now hold the snifter up to the light to see the clarity of it’s contents. Now put the snifter to your lips and let the liquid swirl about your mouth. Do you notice the acrid, bitter quality to what at first glance seemed to be an elixir? Now is the time to spit it out the rancid liquid and call for the sommelier demanding your money back!

I’ve suggested more than once that he’s a con artist. I have, in fact, been doing that since early 2008. I was right. For being right on topics like that, your reward is to be treated like you took a dump in the punch bowl.

Hey Jane, I’m having trouble getting folks “fired up” regarding the fight for the Public Option. People are convinced that the POTUS is totally on board with the Public Option based on this info he’s sending out with the new DNC ad:

“* Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.”

(see POTUS’ complete plan below)

Any ideas on how to get through to folks as this is too subtle for lots of people. Thanks

The President’s Plan for Health Reform

“It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will lower the cost of health care
for our families, our businesses, and our government.”
– PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

If You Have Health Insurance,
the President’s Plan:

* Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
* Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
* Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
* Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.
* Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.
* Protects Medicare for seniors.
* Eliminates the “donut-hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs.

If You Don’t Have Insurance,
the President’s Plan:

* Creates a new insurance marketplace — the Exchange — that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.
* Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.
* Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.
* Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.
* Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national “high risk” pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.

For All Americans,
the President’s Plan:

* Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.
* Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.
* Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.
* Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.
* Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.
* Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

I am not sure the explanation is logical, rational, or complex. If you have read “Dreams from my Father” it becomes clear that his father had a brilliant mind, yet was never able to fulfill his bright promise. I recall Barack sitting by his father’s grave and crying. Perhaps the intent and ambition has always been to vindicate his father’s life, and therefore his own. Perhaps it has never been about anything but becoming President of the United States, after all this is probably the greatest success one can imagine. If you become the first black president of the United States, is it conceivable this in itself was the goal, and health care reform or for that matter any other political achievement is only a minor part of the dream.

I think Cujo359 expressed my view pretty well. Obama has been a disappointment in the areas of Civil Liberties, torture and accountability, the early work on cap and trade, health care reform, the stimulus package, the bank bailouts and reform of the financial system, and the maintenance of our activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. By now a lot of us distrust him a great deal. I’m still not sorry I supported him in preference to McCain, but he’s not the President we hoped for and need. I say this with a great deal of disappointment and plenty of anger and frustration too.

What ever happened to that Tape of Obama stating “I will not sign a Bill that does not have a PUBLIC OPTION” ???????

I E-Mail him once or twice every week asking the same question . So far no response.

A letter from Your King

My subjects,

Just want to take a minute and get you up to speed on the progress I am making completely deconstructing your government and replacing it with mine. Change is good, well as long as you go with my changes. If you want to make your changes then I don’t really care for it much.

Turns out this being King (you can call me president for a while until you get accustomed to my new title) is not all that hard. We all know that it does not matter if what I am saying is true, all that matters is that I say it loud and often, eventually it will be come true. Accordingly I have found a new way to undermine that group of radical insurgents call the “Republicans.” Every thing I propose will be based on cost savings, this way they will not be able to make a stink about it, since we all know they don’t really care about your rights. They are just in it for the money. Hold on – I don’t really care about your rights and I am doing this for the money; am I a Republican? We will worry about that later. The Rathke boys are right I need to do a better job of staying on message. It is tough because I do love to hear myself talk.

Enough about me (well, not really, we will add in a little more me later), back to the update. Here is my latest take over the world scheme. This whole missile defense shield is just low hanging fruit, ripe for me to pick the cost savings. Last time I checked I was not the King of Poland, Czechoslovakia, or the Ukraine. Why would I care what happens to them? They cannot vote for me, they can’t buy prepaid debit cards and make excessive campaign contributions; I can’t even cover them with my new Universal Health Care Cost explosion plan. Hold on a minute, If ACORN can get Mickey Mouse to vote for me they should not have any trouble getting these guys registered. Note to self: Have the Rathke boys Figure out a way to count votes from other countries in the next election (coronation).

Just like the savings from Medicare the missile defense savings don’t really exist but I am going to be talking about it for the next few months and eventually your brain will be overpowered by the mind control rays from my friends and NBC and MSNBC. Don’t even think about putting on your foil lined hats, they have a way to penetrate that now. I will be announcing new initiatives designed to save costs because the more shells in the game the harder it is to find the mark. All I every really needed to know about politics I learned from a side show carny.

We will need all those savings when the savings from the health care reform and cap & trade start to kick in. Wait a minute – that does not make sense. Well you don’t need to worry I am the president and here to help. Money is not really an issue anyway. You see we have this really neat printing press that just spits out money. We are not sure how much we need since the treasury is still learning how to use the accounting system, and that crazy Max Baucus keeps changing the deal on health care. He must actually think we will abide by the rules.

I think we need to appoint a CZAR to deal with this. I bet the Russians will think that is cool, they have had lots of czars. See that is the key to effective communication and negotiation; you have to get inside your opponents mind and find out how he is trying to kill you then help him do it. Then you have him right where you want him – you start organizing some community action groups, get ACORN an office in Moscow so they can start pimpin’ out some hookers, we send the CEO of GE over there and start making a few bucks from the Russians, open up a McDonalds and a Wal-Mart, and they will have forgotten all about this whole missile thing.

You will not hear much about this on the news (except for that idiot Glenn Beck), I don’t let them talk about important things. I mostly keep them on target with the funerals of pop music crack heads and such. They had a BIG time with that Joe Wilson catching me in that lie about illegal aliens. That was a close one. It sure was lucky that I had my “Shiny Flashy Thing” to throw out and temporarily blind everyone while the Senate covered my rear. Then his sister comes out and tells everyone the WHOLE story and stabs me right in the back after I made her brother famous. You just cannot help some people!

Did you see that Nancy Pelosi interview where she almost cried? What a laugh riot that one is. I have told that plastic faced chic three times if she did not calm down with all these ultimatums I would throw her under the bus with the public option. Boy when she gets wrapped around the axle she just will not stop.

I don’t have a lot of time left to chat, my new regulatory czar wants to bring me up to speed on how he thinks the stem cells we are going to use to cure everything may have the same rights as a human and may want to sue the government. I am not sure I can get my mind wrapped around this one, but he is convinced.

Then I have to figure out how to replace Van Jones. You know I might have over shot on that one. Probably should have warmed everybody up with just a confessed socialist before going whole hog on the communist. I will call my guy Bill Ayers and get another name. Well live and learn.

Remember, send all your money to us, we will send you back enough to live on and a couple of protein waffles.

Your King

Plenty more where this came from WWYTA.com

The “R” word. I keep reading about Revolution in so many blogs. Well, if you are not happy with Obama’s new health care program then you need to read that new, underground book just out. It’s great!! When you start seeing liberal & coinservatives coming together against the president, then there will be revolution. That is what happened in the American Revolution.

That book tells what is going to happen next cause we have 3.5 years & health care is just the start of forcing govt. tyranny on Americans, there is more to come. Read it & see what is coming next!! I bought 2 for my friends & it tells what you & I need to do to prepare for the next issue that divides Americans instead of uniting Americans.
(booksbyoliver.com)