Health Care Is a Done Deal if You Read Between the Lines
John Podesta, a ranking figure in the Democratic Party who ran the Obama transition team, has been making ominous remarks about the president's prospects:
"It goes without saying that a lot is riding now on his ability to re-energize the health care debate and bring it home to a successful conclusion,'' Podesta told the New York Times' White House reporter, Peter Baker. And: "'Nothing will influence the perception of the presidency more than whether he can be successful in getting a health care bill through the Congress.'"
So he could be toast? Like that?
If we assume that Podesta doesn't just run at the mouth, that every word he speaks, especially to the New York Times, is a professional and calculated one, and that he represents certain powers that be in the Democratic Party, are those powers writing off the president? If he doesn't get his heath care bill, he's failed?
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Although I have been a tad upset at the President for not taking a hands on approach,BTW Bill Clinton did this and failed,I believe he has masterfully allowed the raucus to prevail to expose the republicans and and blue dogs for the lobbyists puppets they are.
The way they have fought reform that woul help the millions of Americans to attain health care for the first time,a chance to reign in the spiralling costs and fix a failing system,has totally exposed them for the greedy,selfish all for profit thugs they are.
President Obama will sign a health care bill this year,hopefully with a public option,or at worst a trigger to enforce the public option if the crimminals,as the health care industry and their CEO's are,don't comply with the law and benchmarks for bringing costs down.Then what the are the republicans and blue dogs to do next year?,lose even more seats...because you know what,this President,this progressive democratic congress will be able to take the credit for health care reforms.
But our job is not over, this summer has taught us we cannot blink,we cannot rest,we have to be vigilant for every second of the next four and perhaps eight years.
I'm still trying to figure out how, with 435 Representatives and 99 sitting Senators, this is "Obama's" cross to bear. Shouldn't we also hold our congress' feet to the fire, as well. Last I knew, we resided in a country that is dictator-free. Wouldn't it just be lovely if Obama could simply fulfill his agenda without any obstacles??
Seeing that we currently have a proverbial four parties sitting in our Congress (I'm including the Dem's in Republican clothing also known as Blue Dogs, and the Independents who caucus with one group, but may vote with the other) I don't see how it's even feasible to please all the Congress all the time. If you hadn't noticed by now, the Congress seems to have it's own agenda - not always ours - in their best interest. The Repubs vote no for anything Obama wants, the blue dogs, progressives, and liberals in the Democratic party can't seem to get their sh*t together and work together as one party and help progress the agenda at hand, and the insurance companies are fanning the flames with $$. Sounds like a fun time in Washington to me!!
People, be for real. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Hold your representatives responsible and make your voices heard.
If you have ever worked in a large organization you know that you only have to control the agenda to dictate. The President of the US isn't a dictator but they do control the agenda.
Obama took all other reforms, including banking, off the agenda and it has been totally on health care reform. Remember? So things that could help create jobs and raise wages (and reduce the size of the federal government) like ending the broken and fraud ridden H-1B work visa program was completely ignored. That's just one example but a clear example and one with existing bipartisan support for reforming!
We are heading towards 10 percent unemployment. Wall Street likes this because profits are up, at least for now. But for the rest of the country we need reform. We need a leader who will put on the agenda issues that matter to our families. Getting the federal government out of labor market manipulations like H-1B would be a great start. But again Obama, by putting all the eggs in the health care basket, ensured that nothing else was on the agenda.
Obama has not failed -- he has succeeded at his intended goal: furthering the power/income of his big donors, Giant Healthcare.
Don't put him down -- the man is a flaming success!
You middle Americans are a bunch of whiners! If you want Obama's largesse, open your pocketbooks and pay him off the way the drug companies did.
Wall Street in general won.
It really sucks that gave Obama so much money because all I did was give money to Wall Street...so Obama could bail them out and then leave a huge debt to my children.
So yeah, I agree. Its sad.
If Obama can't have a public option , of course he failed big time! People voted for him and Democrats to make a change. And then he doesn't? A flop in my book.
And if he fails, it will have taken him all of 2009 (1/4th of his presidency) to do so.
As Chris Matthews might say "no fire inthe belly" in this Prez.
Healthcare insurance reform of some kind *is* in the bag. What isn't set is how it will be effected.
Naturally, the President would like as much cooperation as possible in the initial bill, and he would be happy to give credit to any Republicans who cross lines to support it. But no matter what form the final bill takes, the President still holds the necessary votes within the party to complete the package in the reconciliation process.
The Administration knows this; the Blue Dogs know this, which is why they feel empowered to posture for the benefit of their constituencies; and the GOP knows this, which is why Republican figures are threatening to disrupt the reconciliation process, and why Tommy Thompson, Newt Gingrich, and other GOP notables have switched game plans and are now playing the "reasonable opposition" role.
Healthcare insurance reform of some sort is mathematically a done deal. As people recognize the ridiculousness of the disinformation they have been fed so far, public support will continue to grow. Expect a big final push in October.
Ok but so what. Bush in 2003 passed the largest benefit expansion since the 1960's, Medicare Part D. Does that make Bush a champion of working families? No, it was corporate welfare that nearly bankrupted Medicare.
Given Obama's track record with Wall Street I have my doubts. It just seems like Obama is playing a game. We aren't talking about banking reform. We aren't talking about trade reform. We aren't talking about e-verify. Basically Obama has gotten us to all forget about all the things that need to be fixed.
You see duplicity and game-playing; I see masterful handling of healthcare reform from the beginning.
Instead of presenting a bill himself and letting the GOP and industry groups rip it apart, he sets "requirements", then stays out of the fray. Instead of taking on the entire healthcare industry, he makes a side deal with pharma, thus taking them out of the fight early. Instead of playing tit-for-tat with the Republicans, he has maintained a low profile and let the GOP caricature themselves into irrelevance, with their birthers, deathers, and teabaggers.
In each case, it's hard to see how he could have played it any better.
As to the President's "track record with Wall Street", what track record? The banking crisis was handled; the President narrowly averted a complete collapse of the American economy the first few months he was in office. Upset that many companies and individuals got off scot-free? That is part of banking reform and securities reform, initiatives that will come after healthcare reform, as healthcare cost inflation is currently the biggest single threat to the US economic recovery.
Again, criticism is easy; governing, not so much. Instead of just talking about what he the President has done wrong, in your opinion, maybe you should tell us what you would have done differently.
I'm going to write off Prez Obama if there isn't at least a trigger for the public option. I'd prefer the public option out and out. But I'll be real.
Obama will not get my vote in four yrs if this fails.
Mandates without a public option = failure.
The trigger is certain to have a lock on it.
The comments I've read from other post-ers address, perhaps, areas I haven't quite seen in the Wolff article, but, oh, I'd be so relieved if his reasoning was correct -- that the President is making his speech because health care reform, including the public option -- was in the bag.
Words indistinguishable from a Republican. Do we need further proof that our country is being run by a single party? Where's the Green Party? I'm ready.
We are living under a One Party system. Unless we can get organized and find a way for third parties to get some real power, WE ARE DOOMED to forever be utilities of the Corporate Masters.
According to the Rethugs, he has already failed
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