Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting.

This is *the defining issue for me, in terms of presidential and Democratic leadership. Time to deliver on "change we can believe in", including a robust public option. Anything less is simply inexcusable. Saw Nancy Pelosi this week on C-Span. She gets it. The Senate is another matter..

Premiums will continue to skyrocket -- placing what amounts to another tax on American families struggling to pay bills. -- Obama

I really, really, don't understand why that little fact isn't being trumpeted, loudly and often, by all the Dems, as a counter argument against the Repubs who screech about "he's gonna kill you with taxes!" Personally, I don't give a flying duck where my 10K is ending up, as long as it's coming out of my pocket. Indeed, if it ends up in the common pool and, through administrative savings and not-for-profit structure, provides health security for me and a quarter of it for someone else, I like it much better than my current situation, where that quarter contributes to gold plate for some health "insurance" scammer.

From Obama's mouth to the democratic senate's ears!!!!

Shorter Obama:

Break's over.

I think it's fair to say we're entering more of an Obama-hands-on phase of the process.

And about #*¢&ing time.

"And about #*¢&ing time."

My thoughts exactly. Maybe I just haven't noticed, but the White House hasn't been aggressive at all as far as I can tell. We've heard a lot, but haven't seen a lot. It is long past time for Obama to put the rubber to the road and *really* sell his agenda to the country.

It shouldn't even be that hard. He has relatively high approval ratings, and the vast majority of the country already supports most of what he claims he wants. And it isn't like the press can so easily muzzle the White House like they routinely do to people the GOP hate.

I'm with the other posters who say this is a defining issue. Democratic legislators need to know unambiguously that if they fuck this up, they're gone in my eyes. There will be a viable third party come 2010.

I believe this is what you meant.

The man has been in office for seven months. He's dealing with a broken economy, two FUBARed wars, an opposition party with all the collegiality of Freddie Krueger, a Congressional majority that doesn't know it is one and a national press that clutches its pearls about a doctored photograph of someone's ass. GIVE HIM A BREAK! He's up against some of the wealthiest and most powerful special interests in this country, who own a good portion of Congress. Obama's already gotten this further down the road than Clinton. Have a little faith. He won't hesitate to kick ass if he thinks it's necessary. He wants health care reform to be his legacy. And, unlike some people, he doesn't quit.

Many have been proven wrong when doubting Obama, myself included a few times. This will be the measure of the man.

I hope he doesn't back off or stop demanding action from congress. He knows (and really so does most of congress) that a public option will eventually lead to single payer or Medicare for all. He knows there is no reform without a public option and all the haggling in congress is really about saving the private insurers profiteering.

They are spending $1.4 million a day to prevent a public option or any kind of "not for profit" plan so this is really about refusing the HC lobbyists demands. Obama is not taking on congress as much as he is taking on the lobbyists.

BTW...DON SIEGLEMAN IS BEING PROSECUTED BY THE SAME REPUBLICAN PROSECUTOR WHO IS CONNECTED TO KARL ROVE AND THE SAME JUDGE WHO IS HIS ADMITTED POLITICAL ENEMY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR CORRUPTION WHO PLAN TO PUT HIM IN PRISON FOR 20YRS.

WHY HASN'T OBAMA REPLACED THE USAs LIKE EVERY OTHER PRESIDENT HAS AFTER GETTING ELECTED? WHY HASN'T ERIC HOLDER STOPPED THIS FIASCO OF THE SIEGLEMAN PROSECUTOR...HE'S A DEMOCRAT...THEY STEPPED RIGHT IN ON STEVEN'S CASE WHO WAS GUILTY AND A REPUBLICAN,

PLEASE EMAIL OR CALL RHAM EMANUEL TO GET OBAMA TO INTERVENE (THIS WAS THE REQUEST FROM SIELGMAN HIMSELF). HE ALSO CALLED FOR CALLING OR EMAILING ERIC HOLDER TO GET DIFFERENT USA APPOINTED TO HIS CASE. PLEASE...THERE IS ONLY 2WKS LEFT BEFORE THE PRCEEDINGS BEGIN.

" Many have been proven wrong when doubting Obama, myself included a few times. This will be the measure of the man..."
Posted by: Keith G on July 13, 2009 at 4:41 PM |

It's the 2 Obamas. one fighting for HC reform...the other destroying civil liberties and the constitution while expanding executive power beyond our wildest dreams with preventive detention, prolonged detention, and post acquittal incarceration...making it a reality that "if the president does it it's not illegal".

I hope this all turns around but we are moving further into that right wing monarchy when it comes to civil liberties. It makes it hard to understand the 2 Obamas when his foreign policy is so good and his advancement of health care reform is strongly "for the people" and not special interests.

Some points, that I maybe repeat too often but still haven't sunk into the public mind enough:

1. I don't fault anyone for just being wary of a big new program, but we need to do something. Our current HCS is certainly not the "best in the world", or even works adequately. If you missed the recent thread here, find re the revelations of former health care industry worker Wendell Potter at http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019036.php.

2. Don't let the critics confuse nationalized providing of health insurance, v. nationalizing the providing of health care itself. The former is not very hard or risky to the consumers at least, and it is ironic that in the past most health insurance was from non profits (correct me if wrong.)

Obama's Presidency and the Democratic party will have failed if a strong public option health care plan is not passed into law.

2010 and 2012 will be ugly for the Dems without real health care reform.

Hands on? I hope it's hands on Baucus's throat.

Shorter Obama: CTFOIGT

The guy isn't on a 24 hour news cycle and that's a good thing.

Yes, it's a pitch but what's the product? If it isn't a considerable break with the status quo it will make little difference to what the purpose of health care reform is: more efficient and universally available. (The purpose isn't better health care but access for all to the same quality care that rich people have.)

He's still kowtowing to the insurance and pharm industries.

It is very clear that unless the Democrats perform on healthcare now, that further efforts to work with them would be a waste of time.

I *really* hope Obama goes LBJ on hesitant Congressional Dems, but I don't think it's in his makeup.

-Z