I think Obama framed it the right way and what it is all about.

One should also point out that if DeMint were honest about the wonders of private US healthcare then he should drop out of the government provided Congressional HC plan lest he look like a hypocrite.

Copyedit: The post title makes more sense as WHOSE WATERLOO?, doesn't it?

Equal Opportunity Cynic (@3:10 PM)

Copyedit: The post title makes more sense as WHOSE WATERLOO?, doesn't it?

You are correct, of course. But be careful of opening up another can of pedantic worms.

:)

Now that's why I voted for Obama. Every now and then he speaks the words that can mow down the GOP talking points like some verbal Rambo. DeMint, having had no point, now has no defense. Maybe the senator will try comparing himself to Robert E. Lee at Appomattox.

Thanks, EOC. That one drives me as nuts as "reign" for "rein" -- well, no: more nuts.

Obama! Get to Waterloo, Iowa and hold a town meeting. Invite DeMint to have a frank discussion in front of the crowd. Or challenge Michael Steele. He'd probably be dumb enough to accept.

Good push back by Obama. The way it's going already, in health care and lots of things, is America's "Waterloo." That's what Obama is trying (more or less) to head off. And quoting it reminds voters that Repugs like to think in terms of the partisan struggle over the national interest (egregious example: Bill Kristol wanting health care reform to fail, to help Republican political fortunes.)

I'm curious - how many members of congress are receiving medicare and also have government provided insurance as their back up policy?

waterloo is on first...

meanwhile, jim demint is only as hypocritical as are his constituents... many of whom would say something like was said by similar folks in the region -- though a bit north -- about jessie helms (still dead and in hell!):

"i'll vote for him, but i wouldn't have him in my home..."

I am a Californian, citizen of the United States of America. From listening to and reading about the GOP strategy to derail health care legislation before Congress at this time, I am getting the gut-wrenching feeling some in the GOP would rather we all pledge allegiance to the United Republican-states of America.

As a Republican, I am aghast at the unAmerican sentiment of my party's so called leaders. I really get the feeling these "leaders" hate Americans like me! -Kevo

Luckily for DeMint only 1.2% of Americans understand the Waterloo reference.

(Who's) Who is Waterloo? Waterloo is this little terrier I had that I could never keep from sniffing butts and biting ankles.

Ditto on Rolla - The title has been changed from "to whom does Waterloo belong" to "who is Waterloo"

Whose is correct.

"i'll vote for him, but i wouldn't have him in my home..."

I was once in a taxicab in Boston, and the driver started ranting about Ted Kennedy: He's a scumbag, he's an adulter, he's a coward, he's a slob, etc. But then he summed it up: "But I have to admit, he's a damn good Senator".

The homophone error in the title has been corrected. --Mod

Where?

[**blushing** Note to self: make sure to make changes in BOTH fields before hitting "save" --Mod ]

Hi I'm Jim DeMint.

Not to be confused with Creme DeMenthe.

I'm the rootinest, tootinest, shotgun shootinest,

roughest, toughest, tobacco wad stuffinest,

leanest, meanest name calling machinest sumbitch South of the Rio Grand and West of the Mason Dixon line.

I speak loudly and the South Carolina National Guard carries a big stick.

Kevo, sounds like it may be time to switch parties. I did it sometime shortly after GWB took office. I had voted for gore but still was registered as and considered myself a republican. he was just a moron and gore was clearly a better choice. but after the florida fiasco and all the crazy shit the r's did, it was clearly time to move out of crazy town. And it turned out, as i got a little more savvy and policy wonkish, i should have been a democrat all along. i just didn't know it.

Damn that DeMint - I've had Abba going through my head for over a day now. Though it keeps modulating into "Build me up, Buttercup." (How did they avoid a lawsuit on that, I wonder...?)

The history books on the shelves,
are always repeating themselves...

Slightly off topic. As much as I want Obama to succeed on health care, I can't get excited about the health care bill. It feels like the Stimulus bill, not big enough to make a difference. I somtimes wish he was less incrimentalist, less legislative pragmatist, and more moral crusader. Not buyers remorse, just not happy with the sausage being cooked up.

Moderator, I have to echo lotus (@3:39 PM):

Where?

I just refreshed the main page, still showing "Who's".

*Who is Waterloo?*

Is it a play on words I'm not getting?

As a Republican, I am aghast at the unAmerican sentiment of my party's so called leaders.

The Republican party has devolved into the batshit crazy party. Meanwhile, the Democratic party has devolved into what used to be the Republican party, in order to absorb defectors like Specter. There currently is no viable party for progressives and liberals.

Thanks, Mod!

qwerty - the Dems have always done their best to self-destruct. And kahner - why would I abandon my party? Just because the neocons and born agains took it over and made it crazy? No, I'll ride it out. Afterall, my party is the party of Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and for a time, I thought McCain, but even he has succumbed to the crazy!

No, I'll still be a Republican ten years from now - providing the idiots at the top don't make my party extinct before then! -Kevo

As a Republican, I am aghast at the unAmerican sentiment of my party's so called leaders. I really get the feeling these "leaders" hate Americans like me!

Posted by: kevo on July 20, 2009 at 3:28 PM |

Kevo:

If you truly believe that any health care legislation that was drafted by liberal staffers in the House and Senate, approved by their brain dead bosses and signed into law by Obama is going to be an improvement over the status quo then not only do I have to question why are you a Republican, but also your sanity.

I just logged on and it's "who's" instead of "whose". So, had it been "whose" to begin with and "corrected" to "who's"? Of course it could be, that Sen. Demented is turning all our brains into scrambled eggs...

To get back to the subject. Just got a message from Democrats.com telling me that Kucinich's amendment (single-payer, state by state) has passed in the House Education and Labor Committee (25:19). So, Anthony Weiner is doing Kucinich one better and introducing a *national* single payer amendment.

If that passes (and I hope it does), then we'd be in a much better bargaining position. I don't believe, for a minute, that either will be in the final version but, it puts all other "public option" versions as a compromise, not as some ultimate, fringe-left, moonshine.

Kevo, what are you doing to take back your party? Do you at least post on other sites to sway opinions back to sanity, or do you consider that a lost cause?

Kevo -- you might like john cole´s balloon juice. good blog, shadows the stories here a lot, and is run by a middle-of-the-road conservative whose (!!!) part left him.

also, cat blogging.

It is interesting that all of the Senators and governors who oppose health care reform or threatened to decline stimulus funds come from states who receive more in federal spending than they pay in taxes to the federal treasury. In fact, thirty one of the fifty states receive more from the feds than they send to it. Maybe the other nineteen should make a little more noise about this relationship.

Brilliant times brilliant...

More of this please.

That's what we need around here. Cat blogging!!

Seriously. They're so cute.....

Austin, Texas was originally named "Waterloo." Obama could call them out there.

Nobody thinks WM is homophonic, so don't worry about it,

Chicounsel: "If you truly believe that any health care legislation that was drafted by liberal staffers in the House and Senate, approved by their brain dead bosses and signed into law by Obama is going to be an improvement over the status quo then not only do I have to question why are you a Republican, but also your sanity."

Thus finally speaks Clarabell, on behalf of the white juvenile malcontents of Howdy Doody's Peanut Gallery who claimed that Buffalo Bob promised them a pony.

No wonder Bob Smith would mutter off-camera to his producers, "Sheesh, where'd you guys find this stupid fuckin' clown ..."

Robert Abbott (@4:06):

thirty one of the fifty states receive more from the feds than they send to it

Do you have a link for that statistic? If so, I'd be very interested in seeing it. I'm in Washington State, and know that we're one who gives more than receives, but I'd be interested in seeing who the others are.

Thanks.

Yes, yet again I can't help myself from the sniveling ignorance that defines the nature of my personal delusions that I must sustain in order to function. And please remember that my main purpose in life is to be nothing by BUTT PLUG for all my fellow delusionists: THE REPIGLICANS. God I love being of service to them like this, and man do I love the smell of shit in the morning.

Obama! Get to Waterloo, Iowa and hold a town meeting. Invite DeMint to have a frank discussion in front of the crowd. Or challenge Michael Steele. He'd probably be dumb enough to accept.

Posted by: BGinCHI on July 20, 2009 at 3:24 PM

Nevermind IA -- challenge DeMint to a debate in a Town Hall at Waterloo Elementary in Waterloo, South Carolina.

Being a southern gentleman, I'm sure Mr. DeMint will be unable to attend, when he suddenly suffers a case of the vapors...

They definitely needed health care at Waterloo but it is the minority party who is more aligned with Napoleon and cannot admit defeat at the hands of overwhelming support for HC ins. reform with a public option.

How many ways can they say it...they want failure for political gain only...they don't give a damn about the people or health care reform or anything else except protecting the wealthy.

btw... the wealthy became wealthy thanks to us...we paid $4/gal gas for 6 months only to have it return to under $2 gal...we paid for health ins for years without having to use it...car ins without having to use it...taxes to bail out the banks and their huge CEO compensation packages and bonuses...WE MADE THE WEALTHY WEALTHY!

There are 2 Americas and it's now time for that second wealthy America to pay interest on their huge wealth...inherited wealth...back to the people who made them wealthy...repeal the Bush tax cuts and Health care public option is paid for...ROLL BACK THE REAGAN TAX CUTS AND BINGO--our infrastructure rebuilding is paid for and our economic nightmare is over.

Then we can begin regulating the banks and wall street again...bring manufacturing jobs back to America, restore America back to what it is supposed to be before the greedy wealthy and their lobbyists army began destroying it.

If I agree to work for $8/hr and my employer makes $200/hr profit from it, it's unfair...but when that same profit jumps to $2000/hr profit then my salary is contemptible and my employer is an a-hole for not paying me more. What we have in America is a lot of A-holes now and it's time to demand the profits kick back more in taxes to pay for our national need for health care reform.

No matter how you look at it...we made the wealthy wealthy and it is now time for the wealthiest top 1-2% to pay back America and the American people for the wealth they have derived from us.

THAT IS NOT SOCIALISM...IT IS JUSTICE! (DeMint wants to be mean rather than compromising so he should be put in a cage and spit on so he can have his Waterloo fantasy))

Good to see this kind of rhet from Obama.

Not yet, but soon, I want to see this line:

There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake.

expanded upon to tie the lives that *will* *be* *lost* if (real) health care reform doesn't pass around the necks of those who oppose it.

"...If you truly believe that any health care legislation that was drafted by liberal staffers in the House and Senate, approved by their brain dead bosses and signed into law by Obama is going to be an improvement over the status quo then not only do I have to question why are you a Republican, but also your sanity.
Posted by: Chicounsel on July 20, 2009 at 3:56 PM

Just like Medicare and Social security it won't change anything from being better than the status quo eh Chic? Kevo is stubborn and is still holding onto that republican idealism in spite of the reality of its practitioners...you on the other hand are short sighted and cynical to make such a comment.

It is precisely the status quo that HC ins lobbyists are spending $1.4 mil/day to keep in place to continue the outrageous profiteering at the expense of our lives. Hardly worth spending all that money for no change for the better in the status quo huh chic? Come on chic...you know better.

It's amusing to see Repubs mentioning Waterloo; their knowledge and understanding of history being what it is (poor). It's even more amusing to follow the development of the word "loo" -- the British nickname for "toilet" -- given that it derives from Waterloo and that that's where the Repubs are likely to end up, if they keep fighting against something most of the country wants.

Obama used the quote again today when being interviewed by Jim Lehrer on the News Hour. I'm sure he will use it again tomorrow in the Katy Curic interview. This blunder will echo like McCain's 'fundamentals are sound' did during the campaign.

Maybe it will be Wellington's version of Waterloo, rather than Napoleon's.

There was an episode of Yes Minister in which the minister tries to reform (IIRC) education, in order to win back his popularity, and says: "If I get this through, it could be my Falkland Islands!"
"Yes, Minister, and you could be General Galtieri."

Robert Abbott (@4:06): thirty one of the fifty states receive more from the feds than they send to it

"Do you have a link for that statistic? If so, I'd be very interested in seeing it." - Michael W

I don't know about the OP's link, but this might help you out.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/92.html