This Prez. was supposed to be our new FDR.

[snot]

Is anyone else wondering, where is the help for those who need and deserve it most?

Where is the help for the unpowerful, who work two jobs, have no insurance, saved, stayed out of debt, followed all the advice, have or soon will have no home, and are generally getting crushed? (We do exist.)

Why are we even in suspense about this?

Private insurers have had decades to get it right; total fail.

When James Madison drafted the U.S. Constitution, he began by studying other countries' and how theirs worked out.

Some countries have been getting healthcare pretty right for decades, at least twice more right than we have (they pay half what we do, for twice the life-expectancy -- see, e.g., http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/01/health-spending-vs-life-expectancy.html ). Maybe we could improve on others' successes; but clearly, if nothing less, we'd be a lot better off just copying theirs.

And you know what? If we decide the "public option" is really all that bad, we can always get rid of it again; WE CAN GO BACK to what we've got now. Based on past experience, I'm pretty sure private enterprise will be able to sell shares and ramp up pretty fast – a lot faster than ordinary people can organize for their own good.

[lapfog_1]

1. Word tonight is that the Dems are abandoning the

negotiation process with the Repukes. Going for budget reconciliation.

Which likely means a whole new bill gets started and they scrap the old one.

I hope we start with Medicare for all (even if those of us that can afford to buy it have to purchase it).

[Bluenorthwest]

16. Just FYI- everybody who has Medicare purchases it

Medicare has premiums deductibles, co-pays and the works. No one who gets Medicare gets it for nothing, period.

[knowbody0]

2. I listened to Ed Schultz today

stuck in slow traffic. several callers opined that they believe Obama is playing chess with the repukes, playing Chicago politics, allowing them to show their crazy side to the world, that he will pounce like a panther when the time is right. I have that same feeling.

[BobRossi]

6. Head in sand mentality.

We've been punked.

[Echo In Light]

13. For those who voted for him, yes. Thankfully not I n/t

[dionysus]

23. not voting for obama is your badge of honor eh?

you're the coolest.

[Echo In Light]

35. Well, one person's cynicism is another's realism

[DrDan]

8. pounce with what

wishful thinking - but no substance to support it

[JHB]

29. To a lot of us, that sounds like just another way to say "we're keeping our powder dry"...

I hope your feeling is right, but some 20 years of capitulationism doesn't elicit a lot of faith from "wait'll you see our next move"-type comments.

I'll believe the panther-pouncing business when I smell elephant steaks on the barbecue.

[snot]

3. Hope you're right. If not, hope you & the other "it's part of a larger strategy" people

post and reply to a check-in thread for everyone who said don't worry, while we all got taken.

If you turn out to have been right, please contact me for an apology, which I'll v. gladly give!

[DrDan]

9. at least the strategies change from day=to=day

couple of days ago it was that the administration just wanted to keep the public option out of the limelight and not allow it to becomre a target of the right.

It immediately became the lead story of every talk show.

[Donnachaidh]

4. the only thing I've seen is giveaways to his business buddies

Tim Geithner and the bankers have been feeding from the trough.

And now the insurance companies are already in line, wearing bibs. I can say this right now - I will NOT buy any *mandatory* health insurance, if this FARCE is pushed through.

The only CHANGE I've seen is the stuff getting thrown at corporations by this administration. Back room deals with Big Pharma?

[DrDan]

10. their stocks went up 3.5% or so couple of days ago while the DOW tanked

[democracy1st]

5. The pres has been exposed you can't represent the insurance lobby and the people at the same time

[BobRossi]

7. +1 nt

[Buzz Clik]

11. Yeah! WTF is wrong with Obama and his promise to be FDR?

He's been in office for eight months, and we still have problems. FDR had already led the US out of the depression and won WWII by this time.

Obama. What a shitty, shitty imitation of FDR.

[Vidar]

12. We only missed by one president. (not in Truman's direction).

[Omar4Dems]

17. Yep. Barak "Herbert Hoover" Obama.

:rofl:

Uh-huh. Next it'll be Barak "Tricky Dick" Obama.

[LynneSin]

34. As long as it's not Barack "St Ronnie" Obama

:crazy:

[scheming daemons]

22. FAIL

[kentuck]

27. Herbert Hoover was a very intelligent pragmatist...

Unfortunately, the times called for daring change.

[Orsino]

14. Congress has never been so thoroughly owned before.

Even FDR would have trouble pushing reform in this environment.

[Auggie]

25. Absolutely. Real reform requires 525 others working with you.

Give or take a few hundred.

[Orsino]

28. Yeah. Three hundred committed to single-payer, or a strong public option...

...and we'd make things better quickly.

[stray cat]

15. I never thought he was FDR - nor did he campaign as the new FDR.

[Mrs. Overall]

18. FDR was elected in 1932 and didn't begin any true reforms until 1935.

[Curtland1015]

19. Yup.

Obama's been in office for half a year already and we don't all get free candy and rainbows! Waaaaaah!

:sarcasm:

[blondeatlast]

26. Yeah, but I already got my lavendar-pearl pony, so THERE! nt

[scheming daemons]

21. You don't understand... we need everything to happen RIGHT FUCKING NOW!

:sarcasm:


God save the Democratic party from its own consituency.

[WI_DEM]

20. Did you see social security as FDR proposed it? it excluded many people

Actually it took Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program to complete many of the things that FDR began or were incomplete.

[blondeatlast]

24. He was? According to whom? I had no illusions. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

30. FDR was a progressive. Obama isn't.

He ran as a centrist, he's governing as a centrist.

[Writer]

31. Barack Obama was supposed to be our new Barack Obama. n/t

[LynneSin]

32. Wow, that would be impressive if Obama could do in 6 months what FDR took years to do

:crazy:

I'll give Obama a term and then pass judgement on him. It's only 6 months and he's trying to clean up 8 years of a massive mess.

[DU GrovelBot]

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