Gallup says Democrats should abandon health care.
Rasmussen says 61% of Americans say “it’s time for Congress to Drop health care.”
Michael Barone writes under this headline: If Republicans run as strongly as Brown, only 103 House Dems are safe.
Poor Paul Krugman is simply lost. The Senate bill is not going to help Democrats or Pres. Obama. Whoever is telling him this is trying to keep from losing on policy, because what the leaders have done stinks. It’s that simple. The elite Dems don’t want a headline that says the people won out, because they don’t want their stinkin’ bill.
Pres. Obama said today in Ohio that health care hit a “buzz saw.” Yeah, but he shouldn’t kid himself. That buzz saw was you.
Chris Van Hollen gets it.
“Because of provisions like the Nebraska deal, the Senate bill has been branded in a way that understandably makes it unacceptable in its current form to many voters, especially independents… We would focus on essential elements in the health care package that have wide public support,” he said. Among them: Creating more competition and more consumer choice; taking away special deals for the insurance industry, like the antitrust exemption; and “making sure that insurance companies couldn’t deny you coverage at the time you need it the most.”
I still think crafting legislation in short bursts, with things that can be marketed simply like portability between jobs, no denial of coverage for pre-existing illness, could be one easy way to get something through, though I’m sure the policy wonks can package a few other things, get it through the House, then lateral it to the Senate.
If those cowards take a pass on obvious wins for the American people then they deserve to lose their jobs, regardless of party.
People have seen enough of the slow moving legislative train wreck presided over by Barack Obama, for abdicating any leadership, Speaker Pelosi, who allowed Catholic Bishop representatives to help carve away women’s civil rights, and Majority Leader Reid who gave Sen. Ben Nelson the gift that broke the entire never ending nightmare out into the open.
Whatever happens needs to be done quick and dirty.
I still think crafting legislation in short bursts, with things that can be marketed simply like portability between jobs, no denial of coverage for pre-existing illness, could be one easy way to get something through, though I’m sure the policy wonks can package a few other things, get it through the House, then lateral it to the Senate.(Taylor Marsh)
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Exactly! Do the doable! This is the reality of politics in our representative democracy. Bill Clinton took the lesson and moved forward.
The only way to re-market it so that people understand that the Senate and House monstrosity is dead is to be able to talk about whatever is passed in ONE sentence. Not two, ONE. It should be a short list of GOODIES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE GET. No taxes and other things, and without benefits being held until 2013 or something, which is so obvious that it’s also meant to defer political payback. Give people stuff now.
They better be working this weekend.
Taylor, you are absolutely correct, it has to be done quick and dirty. And that is why all is lost. These Democrats do not have the courage, the skill, the will nor a leader to do what needs to be done.
Kiss this good-bye.
All we can expect is more confusion and more bleeding.
All I have to say is that if the Dems in congress think that Barone is right then they need to routinely and regularly start running against Obama. They need to pull a Scott Brown and become “independent” if they want to keep their seats.
I simply can’t believe there are people out there still pushing for the passage of this bill. It’s posoionous.
Who Kidnapped Paul Krugman? Please bring him back, no questions asked.
senators now say they dont want to spend another 3 wks on this. they wont commit to a recocncillation package liebrals demand. senators spent a yr making the bill worse now have no time to finish the job? im for what van hollen says or for passing the sen bill with thena reconcillation set of measures incl the pub opt. the dems cant come out fo this with nada for public. obama wont lead as usual. and note congress: bernake is in growing jeopardy of losing his job as boxer, feingold and others come out against him. house liberals wont tow the sen bill after a yr of being pissed on. NOW came out calling for the bill to die bc of abortion restrictions. it appears liberals in congress wont tow the haul for obama now they see their jobs in peril. if hcr dies in full its catastrophe worse than 94. yikes
The Dems need to pass a small series of bills and not care what the drug or insurance companies say or do -
1) No pre-existing conditions – just ban then – your health record is a clean slate after 6 months
2) Allow for drug re-importation yesterday
3) End the anti-trust exemptions for insurance companies
4) Cut drug company patents so they can’t be extended after the first patent ends
That’s a start but sadly it won’t happen – the Democrats are so owned by Corporate interests that it won’t/can’t happen. That’s also the reason that Wall Street/Big Bank reform won’t happen. I fear the Democratic Party is going to have to die before it can live.
I agree with an incrementalist approach. The Democratic-only plan, where one sixth of the American economy is controlled by the government, was bad policy and bad politics. With legislation this immense, you want to share the vote with the opposition.
I understand that single payer is the ultimate goal of many liberals, and this bill was single payer in proxy through insurance companies. Of course it was the ultimate goal and reason so many insisted on the “public option.”
Historically, President Johnson was able to pass transformative Civil Rights legislation by pitting Republicans (his allies) against Souther Democrats. Despite the fuzzy rhetoric, Obama campaigned as a moderate, attacking Hillary’s health care plan from the right, promising tax cuts, and talking about Bush’s deficit. He misled the vast middle and they’re in revolt.
Why do I get the distinct impression that the only people still publically fighting to save the “centrist Senate (HC) bill accaptable to the Republicans” are all people who supported Clinton’s nomination to be the Democratic candidate for president? Were they the one’s driving Obama to do the deal at all costs for these past several months? To get something, anything, passed? There is an odorous stench to all of this. Maybe it’s just me. Peace
The senate Democrats do not (never had ) have the nerve to do reconciliation. These are the most timid of men.
Let’s not kid ourselves, reconciliation is not in the cards. Period.
Taylor Marsh says:
22 January 2010 at 4:59 pm
That’s right.
Inhotep…provide some names please…who are you talking about?
Nothing has changed. Still no leadership from the place the buck stops.
This, from TPM:
“Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is engaged with House progressives, trying to tease out a solution to the health care reform impasse–but he says that at the highest levels of the Senate and the White House, there’s still no plan, and he doubts whether President Obama will insert himself forcefully into the process.”
http://2su.de/tn
Speaking of TPM…did anyone see that composite video they did about Obama? Ouch.
Here it is if you can’t find it.
http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0110/TPM_mocks_Obama.html
kris says:
22 January 2010 at 8:32 pm
Sad, isn’t it?
wow…I stopped going to TPM a long time ago but I thought they loved Obama.
I call for a single payer public option health insurance system run by the government.
See my letter to President Obama that I faxed to him today. http://liberal.posterous.com/dear-president-obama-4
When we all can’t agree with Paul Krugman, time to build an ark. We aren’t going to see land for a long time.
kris says:
22 January 2010 at 8:32 pm
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That was painful to watch.
I agree that doing quick things for health care that make a difference should be done as soon as possible.
Obama has to talk to the people not through the people.
People want things that make sense to them not lofty goals that only highbrows can understand.
It’s almost like Obama talks around people because he sees them as an irritant to his higher purpose whatever that is. Nobody likes being treated like insolent child. They will take that resentment all the way to the voting booth – which they did in MA.
Right on, Carol. I get the feeling Obama is always looking down his nose at us. Probably he’s insecure, and in his case it’s justified.
texan4hillary says:
22 January 2010 at 6:43 pm
“if hcr dies in full its catastrophe worse than 94.”
Agreed, and the irony of that is huge.
Taylor
Great song choice, CCR is the bomb!