If by miracle the mandate is upheld, Obama should use the moment

[GusFring]

to push for a public option of some kind. That would be the perfect opportunity. I doubt he'll get it, but at least he would've tried.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. Why didn't they just do single payer health care to begin with.

It is embarrassing to be a so called super power, but be the only Westernized country without freaking single payer health care. It just infuriates me.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Hear, hear!

[The Wielding Truth]

3. With Dem. majority it would have been studied, reasoned and passed.

[EOTE]

9. Are you suggesting we didn't have a Democratic majority at the time?

Because I'm fairly sure that we held all 3 branches.

[The Wielding Truth]

14. Not on the Senate where we needed the proclaimed 60 majority. I am correct?

[EOTE]

17. Yes, we did have a majority in the senate.

And no, we wouldn't have needed 60 votes.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Because ...

There just weren't enough votes to advance single-payer legislation.

[still_one]

5. because it would NOT have passed. LIEberman, Lincoln, nelson(both of them), Bayh, and other blue

dogs would NEVER have gone for it

[Cleita]

6. Because it would have put one-sixth of the economy out to pasture, the health insurance

industry. Obama said so in one of his speeches. It shows right there that he's a corporatist. My thoughts back then when I heard that was, so what? They will find some other way of selling their "services" and plundering our wallets. In the meantime everyone would have access to health care and all health care providers would be paid for their services. Health care has to be non-profit and the only way to do that is to have single payer. Sure doctors and other professional health care providers need to be generously compensated but in no way should health care be traded on Wall Street for profit.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

8. Couldn't they just transfer those jobs

to the single payer service? I mean, THAT department of the government is going to have to grow. Why don't these fuckers use commons sense?

[Cleita]

10. Yes, but then it would be a government job that can't be traded on Wall Street.

Get the difference? They are looking after their own portfolios.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. There are other things to freaking invest in.

Just move your investments before it happens. Good God these people never think long term and it is to their detriment EVERY TIME. And they never learn!

[Cleita]

13. Yeah, but these people have so much money because of all

the insider trading that they will never worry about paying the rent. I mean a lot of these billionaires have more money than the economies of many small, third world countries. They don't give a crap about the unwashed masses and basically wish we would go away one way or the other.

[JVS]

7. Because doing what 70% of America wants is not seen as challenging enough.

[FarLeftFist]

16. The bill failed in Congress, that's why.

[Dr Fate]

12. I will end up defending and agreeing with whatever he does or does not do or say.

As long as his position is centrist.

[fascisthunter]

15. he won't need to... it'll happen

[bluestate10]

18. I agree, somewhat.

President Obama should point out what the bill has accomplished and what it will accomplish once fully implemented. Then, President Obama should make a clear statement that the bill is the first step in the direction of where the nation should go.

[Honeycombe8]

19. It's just the opposite. Heard this position on Hardball today, and it makes sense.

If the mandate is struck down, which finances the ACA, Obama could double down and say, "Well, we took the conservative path. We tried a plan that came from the Republicans, to no avail. The S.Ct. has stated that a single payer plan would be legal, so that's what we're going to do, then, folks. We tried a middle of the road path, and have been thwarted at every turn. There are millions of people who need help with health care. I'm not going to give up the fight. Are you with me?"

[Rosco T.]

20. Simple solution (short term)

Lower the age of eligibility for Medicare to -9 months.
Bar any refusal for pre-existing conditions.
You want in, you buy in.
"Medicare Supplement Policies" for those that want/need more.