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Amitai Etzioni

Amitai Etzioni

Posted: March 30, 2010 03:56 PM

One Hand Clapping

What's Your Reaction:

Obama is in trouble, among other reasons, because there are thousands of voices out there dumping on the health bill, and we hear by and large only one voice defending it. Where is the cabinet? The VP? The elected Democrats who truly believe in it? I do not recall a more one-sided debate since I heard one hand clapping.

 
 
 
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08:06 PM on 03/31/2010
Is this a teaser for a 21st century Moral Rearmament organization or something worse? The earth is trembling because the late, unlamented, Frank Buchman(sic?) is turning over in his grave at 440 rpm.
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jcwtts1
Elections have consequences
09:29 AM on 03/31/2010
Complete nonsense. You hear one hand clapping, the rest of us hear a concise message. We aren't losing the message war we are letting the GOP implode. This isn't a campaign it is governing. We're fine. 2010 will tell the tale to hear people like you the GOP is going to landslide us. My comment is this, they better. If they don't crush us in 2010 their party is over.

J
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AnnfromCA
08:43 AM on 03/31/2010
Nobody is believing the Dems or the snow job on this bill. That's pretty obvious. While progressives cheered over 1 poll 2 years ago, the fact is that people TOLD the Dems that they didn't want this bill. They were ignored.

Now, Dems have lost credibility to the point that people don't even believe that they aren't crying wolf about the "threats" from the Right.

Credibility is gone.
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SweetestTaboo
12:24 PM on 03/31/2010
You are the one who has lost credibility. Your posts used to be logical and were most of the time factual. Lately you have become a Republican talking head and you sound just like Fox News. What a waste.
02:30 PM on 03/31/2010
I agree, Obama lost his integrity when he lied about transparency, when he bribed Nelson,
Landreau and all the other Democrats to vote for his bill, when he gave preference to the unions;
he lost credibility when he refused to listen to the American people and twisted the arms of
his own party to vote for this bill.
We cannot sanction lies, bribery and manipulation, Chicago mob-style politics, anymore.
12:55 AM on 03/31/2010
Obama's numbers have already rebounded and will continue to do so. In trouble? Jeez, what was Bush when his numbers were down in the gutter?
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naschkatze
A free man creates himself.
09:55 PM on 03/30/2010
True, that. There is a USA Today/Gallup poll out showing that almost 2/3s of the country does not like this bill, but this site has chosen to quote CNN over that poll. All I can say is that some people are in for a big surprise in November.
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AnnfromCA
08:42 AM on 03/31/2010
They won't be surprised. Polls are flooding out daily.
07:00 PM on 03/30/2010
And what does a supposed expert on foreign policy know about health care? I bet with your "muscular" posturing, you backed the Iraq war which cost the country trillions of dollars, now we're all fighting over a fraction of that to make sure people get health care.

Get off this site and go promote your book somewhere else! Why is HuffPo giving you a platform is beyond me.
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FearlessFreep
I'm actually a radical leftist
06:29 PM on 03/30/2010
If "thousands" of voices are attacking the health bill and only one is defending it, does that say something about the health bill?
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06:00 PM on 03/30/2010
The health care insurance companies are not going to be driven out of business. The simpest solution would have been to expand medicare to age 50. Or, a public option.
Single payer is not possible at this time. The arguments in favor of it have not been made.
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TeeLolly
06:24 PM on 03/30/2010
Arguments in favor of single payer and the public option have been made--but no one who could have made a difference was willing to listen, having just been paid off by the insurers, the pharmaceutical industry, the hospitals and who knows who else ...
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FearlessFreep
I'm actually a radical leftist
06:26 PM on 03/30/2010
"Single payer is not possible at this time. The arguments in favor of it have not been made."

Or rather, the arguments have only been made by people the MSM ignores (ie Ralph Nader).
05:58 PM on 03/30/2010
The only ones "in trouble" are posters like you, Etzoioni. I noticed your purported expertise is in "foreign policy". Well domestic health care may be foreign to you but apparently posting yellow press republican wish lists is more your style. go away.
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TeeLolly
05:48 PM on 03/30/2010
A stronger bill, embodying true reform rather than merely expanding the current system with a couple of tweaks, would probably have received stronger support.

When one is not justifiably proud of what one has done--and how can our elected representatives be proud of themselves for handing a huge windfall to the same insurers that have ripped off consumers and allowed even those who paid premiums for years to die for lack of coverage?--one tends to change the subject and not pat himself or herself on the back ...

(Yes, I know. The bill will give millions of Americans access to care for the first time. And gas that costs $10 per gallon will get me wherever I have to go.)
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jmpurser
See My micro-bio
05:44 PM on 03/30/2010
There's actually three voices:
1) Those who want change. They hate this bill because it makes the current system bigger without any real change.

2) Those who want to make the current system more profitable. That would be Obama, the Democrats, and the Insurance industry. They got what they wanted.

3) Those who oppose anything the Democrats might do. These are anyone who listens to Fox news and votes republican.

Right now 1 is being told to shut up and support the president while he kicks their principles and their country to the curb. 3 is just being laughed at except for when they get violent.

The "One hand clapping" is the one hand getting richer out of all this. And that's the insurance industry.
05:23 PM on 03/30/2010
The sound of one hand clapping is a hand slapping your face!
Your argument is absurd!
But keep living in that LALA Land, we wont miss you!
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04:50 PM on 03/30/2010
Obama is in trouble, eh?
heh
05:33 PM on 03/30/2010
Actually , he had my hands clapping along with him as well as all of my family. Health care passed with a majority. We are proud of Obama , believe in Obama and will support Obama in his Presidency as he makes America better for all Americans.
04:47 PM on 03/30/2010
As I look closely at many of the present or potential democratic party leaders in the senate I find it a very sad bunch of weak pro- corporate nobodies with hardly any connection to the real world of working america. There are a few more interesting people in the house like Grayson who is willing to fight back against the right wing barbarians.
04:53 PM on 03/30/2010
There are a few more interesting people in the house like Grayson who is willing to fight back against the right wing barbarians.

Grayson is an incredibly brave guy.

He does have one of those tailor made "safe seats"

His seat was in Republican hands for 24 straight years before he took it, and he won with only 52% of the Vote.

On top of that the baggers are gunning for him big time.
05:08 PM on 03/30/2010
Make that "He doesn't have a safe seat"

Sure wish Huff Post would get an edit function.