DoTheMath's Comments (469)

“The end? Really? To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of health care reform are greatly exaggerated.

It was never likely that a whole new system could be created and perfected with one bill. And by the way, we don't even have one bill yet. The Senate and House still need to work out their differences.

This article closes on a hopeful note. Why start it with "the end?"”

“Part 2

Many people who are in better shape now than they feared they would be in last January are now more interested in hanging onto what they have than in making changes that they no longer consider to be worth any risk at all.

Many people who are hurting, who have lost their jobs, homes, health insurance, are seeing that some people are better off than they are. Instead of feeling that we're all in this together and this president is working against powerful forces set in motion before he took office, they're feeling left out of the recovery, like they were the only ones who weren't bailed out. They are angry about the very measures that have stabilized the economy and at the administration responsible for those measures.

A year later, we're making progress toward a recovery we expected to take years. But now many of us either suspect recovery measures will threaten our economic security or blame recovery measures for leaving us out or even causing our economic problems. If we were in worse shape, we might remember where we were last January. And given where we were last January, we had no chance of being in better shape than this by now.”

“Two of the biggest forces working against the president now are how bad things are and how much better they are. We were in such a mess when he took over it would be ridiculous to expect everything to be fine by now. Last January the overwhelming majority of Americans understood that; a New York Times article cited a poll finding that "Americans [are] confident he can turn the economy around but prepared to give him years to deal with the crush of problems he faces" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/us/politics/18poll.html

He still faces that crush of problems. They haven't magically vanished, but the stimulus and bailouts (by both the Bush and Obama administrations) have stabilized the economy, creating an economic amnesia which has reduced our already-short attention span.”

“Whether we like it or not, it's in our best interests to play this game as well as we can instead of stomping away in disgust. Thanks, Mr. Kuttner, for providing some tips on how to improve this situation.”

“No, the government would not pay the difference for all of us. Private insurance companies charge us for profits for their shareholders, salaries for their employees who spend all day finding ways to deny coverage and deny claims, etc. We wouldn't have to pay for those items if we all had Medicare. The government (we) could help those who need it, but that would still be less than what we're paying now for people who end up in emergency rooms because they don't have regular medical care.”

“Why aren't we taking advantage of the GOP's hypocrisy on this issue? It's so easy. They've backed themselves into a corner by pretending to defend Medicare against democratic reform (AKA "government takeover" - Is that ironic or what?). Now how could they object to Medicare for all without sounding so ridiculous that even the wingnuts would be able to hear the contradiction?

We could pay a heck of a lot less to Medicare than we currently pay to private insurers (as part of our employment compensation or directly). Medicare would be rescued. A much greater percentage of our health care dollars would go to . . . HEALTH CARE . . . instead of administrative costs, including the cost of finding ways to deny coverage.

Of course, the GOP would say the government can't do anything right, but, um, why did they like Medicare so much when they accused Democrats of threatening it?”

“OK, we say she's stupid because she IS stupid, but why are we interested in discussing her stupidity?

1. because it's so easy.
2. because it's funny.

With so many difficult political issues to worry about, sometimes we need a little comic relief.”

“The amount of power that superstitious people choose to assign to their enemies has always baffled me.”

“This is hilarious. I love it. We should have more cheerleaders like this.”

“Correct on all counts.”

“It was downright embarrassing to watch David Brooks short-circuit during last year's campaign, especially toward the end. Even though the McCain campaign exhibited just about every trait and tactic Brooks had previously criticized, even though Brooks acknowledged some of the campaign's flaws, he could never bring himself to admit that McCain did not deserve to win. He was just too attached to the super-McCain he had created in his mind over the years. He couldn't let go of the fantasy when it became all too clear that McCain was no longer (or never was) what Brooks thought he was. Instead of letting go, he tried to convince us that the "good McCain" would become president if he won the election, not the McCain whose campaign was undeniably bad (even for Brooks, who really tried at times to suggest that it was better than it was or that Obama's campaign was just as bad).”

“Issue by issue, try to imagine how John and Sarah would have handled it. And for those who insist on imagining, instead, a progressive choice we never actually had, look at the resistance we're getting now, and try to imagine how much resistance, for example, Dennis Kucinich's agenda would have gotten. (Those of you who think HRC would have been more progressive are really kidding yourselves.)

And, no, I'm not suggesting that President Obama is perfect or that his only saving grace is being better than the alternative. This is just a reality check, not a comprehensive report on a presidency that's barely over the 9-month mark.”

“Done. Thanks. I recommend it.”

“Great article! Please send it to the president and everyone in Congress.”

“No, Alex, the popularity of some irresponsible media outlets just proves how many Americans prefer to be passively entertained instead of actively engaging their brains in the process of gathering information, analyzing it, and forming opinions. They prefer to skip straight to repeating catchy slogans that have no basis in fact. The same "marketplace" that makes McDonald's popular makes Fox News popular.”

“Or we could say some higher power keeps resurrecting the public option. That's what "they" would say if it was something they wanted.”

“Good point. The GOP's next slogan should be: "Everybody dies anyway."”

“So now the Nobel Peace Prize is bad, and it's obnoxious to be articulate. That's right, GOP, when things aren't going your way, just change which way is up.”

“On that last item: Would that it were.”

“Why assume Biden can't influence the president on the mission in Afghanistan the old-fashioned way -- communicating with him, reasoning with him? I realize that what we have heard so far on this issue does not sound good, but I think there's still a chance that President Obama can be persuaded that propping up the illegitimate Karzai government is not a good use of our blood and treasure.

Even if we accept the premise that keeping al-Qaida out of Afghanistan is worth fighting for, there is no evidence that we have the power to transform Afghanistan's people and institutions so that we could ever feel secure that they would continue to keep out al-Qaida or other similar groups in our absence. So what are we talking about, tens of thousands of troops staying there forever?

Instead of focusing so much on Afghanistan, we should be thinking about what our real goals are and what we can do to reach those goals. What is within our power to achieve?”

“Good point, Roshni. When I hear scathing criticism from the far left, I can't help but think, what are they trying to do? Don't they get how politics works in this country? If they scream loud and long enough about President Obama being a total disaster for their specific agenda, what will that accomplish? Will it weaken him enough so that someone else can defeat him? Who? Sarah Palin? Bobby Jindal? How will that work out for them? I think people should speak up for their interests. They should even put pressure on the president and other elected officials, but what I'm hearing isn't pressure, it's hate. It's not constructive, and if the left succeeds in tearing down this president, I guarantee they will like the next one less.”

“Great points. I do admire President Obama for more than symbolism, though. I think he is working very hard to solve a lot of problems. He is obviously putting a great deal of serious thought and skill into making this country a better place. That doesn't make him a savior, just like failing sometimes doesn't make him a loser. He's just the same intelligent, conscientious human being who inspired us to vote for him last November. He hasn't changed. What happened to so many of us?”

“Well said. Good to know I'm not alone.”

“I agree.”

“Hi, Mr. Feldman. I am someone left on the left who is not outraged by Barack Obama for anything.

I insist on a public option. In fact, single-payer makes the most sense to me. Why would I be outraged at a president who agrees with me on those issues and is doing what he can to move us in the right direction? I think progressives who are angry with President Obama for not being able to force through the ideal health care system in his first year in office are not entirely honest with themselves about what is POSSIBLE.

In many areas, including health care, Afghanistan, the environment, and our economic system, it took us a long time to get into the miserable shape we're in. Do we really think it's possible for anyone to undo all that damage with a snap of the fingers? I supported Obama because I agreed with his goals, his values, his ideals, and because I saw indications that he had the intelligence, the temperament, and the skill to make progress toward those goals. Nothing has happened to change those impressions. What happened to giving him time?

It's bad enough to have the ridiculous right blaming President Obama for everything from Rio to the weather. Why can't the left celebrate someone who is on our side, who wants what we want, and who is working to achieve it?”