It bodes well that so many of the same interests were intent on scaring the hell out of people about Obama and couldn't manage to do it.

The powerful interests that are going to resist the reform efforts are going to invest heavily in one thing: scaring the hell out of people.

The sad and ironic fact is, though, that people are already scared, those who have coverage by what they have to do just to obtain care, those who might lose it by what would happen then, and those who don't have it by how to cope with any health care need at all.

It's a criminal mess. The people who are profiting off health care in this economy -- notably insurers and "managed care" executives -- should be hanged right next to the Iraq War criminals.

I think it's brilliant. Keep people actively involved. You never know - one of these bloggers may come up with a creative solution. More important, it's a great way for Obama to avoid the bubble that comes with breaucratic hierarchy. I hope he has someone surfing blogs just to get a feel of what is important to people.

I hope he has someone surfing blogs just to get a feel of what is important to people.

I bet he's got a team of people doing exactly that!

I'm just afraid that it will be *sweeping* without being well thought out.

Putting fear aside, which we will have to do to accomplish what is proposed, we have to look at what is to be accomplished by authentic healthcare and a wellness model for all. The cost of disease and illness in this country must be recognized and factored into any solution. Wide differentiations between services are not "healthy" for the economy, productivity and the welfare of all. Whether you label it socialized medicine, communism or some other deprecating name, what we are talking about is the care of human beings and the wellbeing of society, in general.

Those who deride universal healthcare are simply not looking at the larger picture. An unhealthy populace affects all of us. There is no way to isolate yourself from the rest of society. Take some time to follow the origin of any object that you can see, right now, and see how many hands it passes through. What control do you have over that succession of handlers? Do you want to have a product in your home, office, school or church that has been infected with some disease along the way because you were to cheap to provide a healthy environment for its production? Think about it.

I am committed Oneness through Justice and Transformation
peace,
st john

It's also a competitiveness issue for global companies choosing whether to expand in the US versus Canada or any other country.

The other thing I'd like to see the Obama administration do is try to motivate their donor basis to invest in the US - savings bonds, or whatever else can be implemented. The "love of country" claims from the right would really be shot to hell if there were a large outpouring of investment from progressive sources.

The powerful interests that are going to resist the reform efforts are going to invest heavily in one thing: scaring the hell out of people.

True---but that's only a false front for the "Fucking Forty-One" in the Senate's Republican Caucus, and their primal goal of derailing all things Obama-ish during the next two years.

I wonder what ever happened to Country First? It seems to me that a country that puts itself first is one that puts its people first: their health and well-being. Watch the show about Kenya and the Feed the Children organization if you want to see what political ignorance causes. For a few thousand dollars these children of Africa could be fed, clothed, and housed, but we won't see to it that our own children and adults are well taken care of. I think every Republican and Democrat who fights against universal health care should have their pictures associated with the starving and diseased peoples of the world, for that is what they are advocating by denying these human rights to us.

peace,
st john

I'm not so sanguine about this. Don't get me wrong, any effort to better communicate facts and fight fear-mongering ignorance is a good thing. However, the people who go to blogs, the net roots, are such a small minority, that this really is preaching to the converted.

Most people don't understand how to set up and RSS reader, they don't bother with looking for this stuff on-line. Sure, the internet is chipping into traditional media, slowly, but it's doing so in a manner that is basically sending people to the same sources, just at their leisure. Most people still get their news from CNN, the NYT, or even their local news channel. Now, they just to go those organization's web sites rather than wait for it to be on television or to hit their doorstep.

While maybe not "revolutionary", an internet contact between the President and his grassroots supporters surely could be a powerful tool for building support on key legislative initiatives.

As far as lobbying goes, the practice has gotten way out of hand in the capitol. Lobbyists practically run the place. If we are to have lasting and significant change in government (after the Obama administration) we need to constructively limit the role that a few wealthy corporations can have on our policies. When only the players are the ones making the rules for their benefit, the consequences are tragic for everyone else. (think investment banks, SUV makers, big oil)