Even Bernie Sanders says there were no more than 10 votes for single payer

[karynnj]

When John Kerry was pushed by an advocate for single payer he said it did not have the votes - and when asked if they could have gotten them had they pushed, his answer was that there were too many who never could be won for ideological reasons.

If he started with something that was completely out of reason, it would simply have been defeated. Note that when Hillary's plan did not win, they did not succeed in getting a weaker plan. The "split the difference" theory is not really true.

On the tax cuts, the ONLY thing he could have done was to repeal all of them. The Republicans would never have voted for a middle class only taxes - in fact, they said so. The problem though is that would destimulate the economy. (I assume that if done it would have been done AFTER the election.) It is an interesting exercise to think of what the House Republicans would do with this. It would be tough to look serious on this debt focus - if they were pushing a bill to cut all that revenue.

[Pirate Smile]

1. I don't understand the refusal to acknowledge that the Senate was the roadblock

to more progressive legislation, not President Obama.

[karynnj]

2. I know - and I am so glad for the Bernie Sanders comment as he really is unimpeachable on this

It is amazing how often people here come back to the fantasy that everything would have been perfect had Obama pushed for Medicare for everyone (the easiest to sell single payer plan).

[Pirate Smile]

4. I think people hugely inflate the influence of the bully pulpit in actually getting Senators to

change their votes.

Both Maine Senators are now on their third President. Frankly,there's an attitude of "well, President's come & go, but I'll still be here. I was here when other POTUS's started & when they left & that'll be true with the new guy too."

[dionysus]

3. i think it's because some folks hold a deeply personal grudge he ever got elected.

others might not understand how government works.

who the hell knows.