From tonight’s interview with Diane Sawyer:
“I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president.” – Pres. Barack Obama
This is truly a revealing moment.
If a person is a “really good” president, isn’t there a better than decent chance he (or she, some day) will have a second term?
After the first term screw ups on messaging across the board from the Obama White House, talking about tackling tough issues, including health care, doing what he thinks is right, Pres. Obama is saying plainly that voters may not approve, but he chooses to go in the direction he wants and if they disagree and vote him out so be it. While perhaps also hinting that history may judge it differently, even if in the short-term he doesn’t get a second term.
But wait.
What if the Senate bill can be fixed through reconciliation, with the Democrats finally strapping on some courage, out of necessity, to change the current legislation which is simply awful?
Dem leaders on both sides are feverishly exploring a range of options, one of which includes drawing up a series of fixes to the Senate bill that would be passed through the Senate via reconciliation along with the Senate bill passing the House — the reconciliation “sidecar,” as it has been called.
Again, the Senate bill won’t cut it, not the least of which is because it’s already gotten a thumbs down from the American people. But after spending a full year on health care the Democrats have to be able to point to some type of legislation to show for it. Coming up empty is the worst option of all after all this fumbling has cost.
What will the bill look like in the end, if the Democrats can get it changed through a reconciliation “side car”? That’s what everyone is working on and House members want to know before they sign on.
What Democrats will need next is a clear message on whatever the final bill looks like, which will have to include specifics on what makes it different from what voters have already rejected.
The White House, with Plouffe leading, will have to get the message right this time, which is likely why he was brought back on board in the first place. But the final bill will have to be different from the original Senate bill or this will go from bad to worse very quickly.
They should just suck in a great big breath and open medicare to anyone who wants to buy in,period.With the caution that they are going to need to revisit medicare and fix some problems with it’s financing long term. Everyone understands medicare and it’s pros and cons,it is already an existing,organized bureaucracy and it could start up fast.Then raise the ceiling on poverty for substidies.Anyone who is happy with their current arrangement with the insurance industry can keep it.
Poof wants everyone to have house parties for the SOTU.He talks about the”movement” having come to far to give up now.Do they have ANY idea what they have done to their own grassroots?
The Stimulus Bill is related to the Health Care Reform Bill. Who Knew? Congressman Thad McCotter has introduced a bill to negate the policies Obama put into the Stimulus package:
http://biggovernment.com/2010/01/24/health-care-reform-the-dog-that-was-not-allowed-to-bark/
If they are all going down in flames they might as well go down for something meaningful. Of course that might put a chill on their future lobbying jobs.I really do hate being so cynical.It is not my nature.
Don’t you love it when Obama takes a shot at Bill Clinton? I know that I do. Congress will pass a health care bill by April 1st. Because ‘they’ were never going to give us universal health care by extending Medicare to everyone, the bill that they pass will be what we were going to get from ‘them’ all along. I see that the Father of NAFTA Robert Mosbacher died yesterday. Bush the Elders Secretary of Commerce from 1989 to 1992. Also the Director of the American Petroleum Institute, the Texas Commerce Bank and the New York Life Insurance Company. Is it any wonder why NAFTA has been such a bad deal for the American worker? Peace
Plouffe is busy with the message thing already:
http://rawstory.com/2010/01/democrats-dropping-ban-preexisting-conditions/
He’s letting everyone know very gently that the ban on pre-existing conditions – a core principle of the supposed reforms – is being dropped, retaining the ban ONLY for those under age 19.
See? Every day they find a way to make HCR WORSE. There are no Congressional Democrats or anyone from the White House working to improve the bill through reconciliation; that’s just wishful thinking from bloggers. They haven’t yet realized that Obama REALLY IS planning on doing everything the big-money lobbies demand on each and every issue, regardless of how really devastating it is to the common people. He has sided with the billionaires and abandoned the peasants.
There’s no way this is going to work out well for Democrats in 2010. The White House really hasn’t understood the disaffection of the voters, and are still thinking they can just reword their BS or lay it on thicker and everyone will somehow be reassured that the Senate bill as-is is something other than a complete disaster for the populace. The Democrats will probably lose majorities in both houses this year, and it will be Obama’s fault.
It would be great if Obama could be a really good one-term President, but that’s looking more and more like wishful thinking on HIS part. He’s got the “one-term” part in the bag, but being a really good President usually requires something more than making the ultra-wealthy richer at the expense of the common folk.
Obama should be on the phone with Bill Clinton everyday.
Lake Lady, NOT!!!! Peace
If Obama causes every incumbant to be voted out of office in 2010 he will go down in history as the greatest president of all time. Peace
I really would not be surprised if he has no intention of running again.I don’t think he is having any fun.If you have lived a relativly charmed life as a politician and suddenly the entire world has expectations. I keep remembering Michelle warning people during the primary that this was it for them. They would probably not ever run again if they lost the primary. I don’t think their priorities have ever been about making a material difference in the lives of average americans.
Once in a blue moon I completely agree with you Inhotep..lol
I’m sorry ….IMhotep
Great, so now our fearless leader has had a brain-storm and has seen the light: it’s time for a SPENDING FREEZE!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/25/obama-spending-freeze-the_n_436244.html
That’ll really get that economic recovery underway!
So is Obama actually a clueless half-wit, or is he deliberately trying to tank the economy for a decade? Stupid or malicious? Whose advice or orders is he following?
obama admin holds presser with liberal bloggers tonight announcing a 3 yr budget freeze on some spending. hoover tried that. fdr tried to control spending in 37 and lost the new deal in 38 as conservatives swept into congress. the wh tells its cheif critics it will do something gingrich wanted to do? god help us all.
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2010/01/obama-budget-to-call-for-freeze-in-non-security-discretionary-spending.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+matthewyglesias+%28Matthew+Yglesias%29
its 330 am now. is anybody there?
He is trying to tiangulate. Going out and tellng the rubes he is fighting for them and then caving to right wing ideology. He thinks he can get the independents back that way. He was just feining left for a day.
i think obama is a bloomberg independant. im sorry but his policies arent what dems stand for. and i still cant believe biden gamed the de system to get a placeholder fo rhis son then turns out beu didnt really want it. every day now we are losing seats we shouldnt here. a fiasco of epic nature.
i swear canada is looking really better and better. single payer, public finance etc.. here we are with huge dem majorities terrified of pushing the rules to get things done. all the work of 06 and 08 i- and u- have done to gain a net 12 seats in the sen and 40 in the house is about to be whiped out baring a miracle here. we could lose 9 or 10 sen seats and the house.
Hillary has to be privately grinning and smirking. I would. Everybody dumped on her…this spineless Senate stabbed her for Obama and what a dumb mess. She has BALLS…this idiot President we have is just a community organizer…beyond that he is gutless…what a disgrace. I waited for eight years, so angry and George W. Bush….then he was gone, I wanted Hillary, settled for Obama because I thought it HAS to be better….good grief this is the biggest disappointment I have had in all my years of voting…This is a total embarrassment. He is a big fat ZERO. Yes, he gives a good speech. I think all bullshitters can talk great. That’s what we have here. Watch, the next three years will be painful to watch. When cornered, when things are down, he does NOTHING….he is running scared, you can see it….he peaked two months in….it is over. Negative???? NO…I am realistic.
I know! I never imagined what a fiasco this would all turn out to be.
I don’t think Hillary is grinning. She is probably sick. She cares about the country.
Lake Lady…thank you. I finally find someone as disgusted as I am. I have been depressed about it, now I am angry and I hate to watch the next three years. I don’t watch the news like I used to. I need to work and don’t want to stay too upset to rest. Thank heavens I still have a job (for now, anyway).
Nite all~
Thank you karmax
good nite all too
I’ve got $20 that says he doesn’t even want to be president in term 2. And if so, some circumstance might come up where he will be able to get out and look okay doing it. He’ll then set-up some foundation (though, I’m not which 1 cause he is truly and deeply passionate about to sink all of his energy into) and write another book.
I think I listened to a witless Obama ranting on about everything including the very revealing slip to Diane Sawyer. The word “real” is the stinker.
I don’t think he’ll get a second term, and as others have said here that he probably won’t want one.
He simply cannot lead in this complex moment. Obama lacks the political experience or smarts to weather this without being hugely disappointing. This speech was a professional rah rah.
Some of the stuff about freeezes,jobs, was ridiculous particularly as I saw Geithner sitting up front reminding us as to which side he’s really on.
Reagan was a movement conservative and as such had come from Gov of Ca with his movement intact. He was authentic. I totally disliked his politics and policies, but he was authentic and therefore he connected.
Obama has no movement because Obama WAS the movement. It was all about him and nothing else and we’re seeing that now. The lack of an authentic moral center is immediately apparent along with his open longing to be considered Reagan like.
There is going to be continued disillusionment.