Husker_x Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 I loved Pres. Obama's speech. It rallied dispirited Democrats, reassured disenchanted independents and intimidated Republicans. He called a lie a lie, and pledged to call out the right-wing thugs if (well, when) they continue lying. The President shone a spotlight on the sin of rescission -- the process by which insurance companies protect their profits by dumping customers when they get sick. This outrage has been under-covered by the media, but congressional hearings revealed that just three insurance companies have kicked 20,000 customers off their plans. They included the woman President Obama referred to tonight, whose aggressive breast cancer was denied treatment because she once had acne. The congressional hearings uncovered documents proving that the insurance companies had saved themselves $300 million by kicking those folks off -- and insurance bureaucrats got bonuses and promotions based on who they dumped. This is an outrage. If Sarah Palin wants to see a real-world death panel, she should look no further than the corporate insurance executives whom she and her fellow Republicans so zealously defend. He made the case for a strong public option -- but did not threaten to veto any bill that doesn't include one. He plainly wants to maintain maximum flexibility to do as much good for as many people as he can. He paid warm tribute to the patron saint of health care, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose departure has left a black hole in the Senate. And he put the lie to the Republican line that somehow the party that created Medicare is out to destroy it, by pointing out that the GOP has a proposal to end Medicare as we know it, and turn it into a voucher program. (For what problem, by the way, are vouchers not the GOP's answer?) As good as Obama was, the Republicans may have helped him more than he helped himself. Just as Bill Clinton was blessed by cartoon-character enemies like Ken Starr and Henry Hyde, the face of GOP opposition to Obamacare tonight was not the heroic and patriotic John McCain, but rather some Congressclown named Joe Wilson from South Carolina. Between Mr. Wilson calling our President a liar and the rest of the GOP looking like a cast picture of "Grumpy Old Men," the Republicans were a portait of bitter anger that would be unrecognizable to the sunny and optimistic Ronald Reagan. Mr. Wilson has reportedly called White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize. Good thing. But Mr. Wilson's rudeness will taint his party for some time. The harder work will come not under the kleig lights, but behind the scenes. Pres. Obama will need to twist lots of congressional arms to pass his plan. But tonight he fired a shot across the bow of some of the self-professed fiscal conservatives. He decried how the Bush tax cuts, the Bush war in Iraq and the Bush prescription drug plan helped explode the deficit, squandering the Clinton surplus and plunging us deep in debt. No one who voted for that unholy trinity -- and a whole lot of Blue Dogs did -- can credibly oppose Obama's health reforms on fiscal grounds. Let's hope he drives that point home even more powerfully when he meets with moderate Democrats in private. LINK I don't get tongue-tied often. With my daily intake of political news being what it is, I've developed a pretty powerful bullsh#t buffer. But when I read something like this, a bleating, sycophantic and patently ridiculous frothing of another Obama cultist, it literally makes you wonder how some people can respect themselves. I wish this were an isolated incident, but unfortunately it appears in every news outlet, and makes one wonder how long can this president continue to stand in front of the nation neither supporting nor opposing anything material and continue to draw the worshipping hordes. This is now utterly pathetic. Yet again President Obama took the stage for a 45 minute droning on nothing of substance. He didn't repudiate 'lies' anymore than he advanced a 'bill.' Instead of talking turkey with the American people, Obama opted to deliver another useless sermon on his health care proposal which no one wants. Last night was political self-preservation at its most obvious and shameful. Obama did not take command of anything. He did not demand alterations to any measures in any of the bills now in congress. And he did not promise to draft (much less present) his own original proposal. But if the regurgitation of stupidity as seen above has taught us anything, it is this: this country, particularly the left (as they are in power), need to regain their cynicism. It is our greatest ally. It allows us to demand brass tax talk from our officials instead of Obama's most pernicious demand, namely that we trust him and his imperial senate's arm to cure all our ails with a one-size-fits all government. Link to comment
mmmtodd Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 when this man finally puts his words to paper, and takes a stand, just like any true American has to do to gain any sort of respect, that is when i will begin to listen to what he has to say. until then, and up until this point, he is nothing but a serum salesman to me. Link to comment
sarge87 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I loved Pres. Obama's speech. It rallied dispirited Democrats, reassured disenchanted independents and intimidated Republicans. He called a lie a lie, and pledged to call out the right-wing thugs if (well, when) they continue lying. The President shone a spotlight on the sin of rescission -- the process by which insurance companies protect their profits by dumping customers when they get sick. This outrage has been under-covered by the media, but congressional hearings revealed that just three insurance companies have kicked 20,000 customers off their plans. They included the woman President Obama referred to tonight, whose aggressive breast cancer was denied treatment because she once had acne. The congressional hearings uncovered documents proving that the insurance companies had saved themselves $300 million by kicking those folks off -- and insurance bureaucrats got bonuses and promotions based on who they dumped. This is an outrage. If Sarah Palin wants to see a real-world death panel, she should look no further than the corporate insurance executives whom she and her fellow Republicans so zealously defend. He made the case for a strong public option -- but did not threaten to veto any bill that doesn't include one. He plainly wants to maintain maximum flexibility to do as much good for as many people as he can. He paid warm tribute to the patron saint of health care, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose departure has left a black hole in the Senate. And he put the lie to the Republican line that somehow the party that created Medicare is out to destroy it, by pointing out that the GOP has a proposal to end Medicare as we know it, and turn it into a voucher program. (For what problem, by the way, are vouchers not the GOP's answer?) As good as Obama was, the Republicans may have helped him more than he helped himself. Just as Bill Clinton was blessed by cartoon-character enemies like Ken Starr and Henry Hyde, the face of GOP opposition to Obamacare tonight was not the heroic and patriotic John McCain, but rather some Congressclown named Joe Wilson from South Carolina. Between Mr. Wilson calling our President a liar and the rest of the GOP looking like a cast picture of "Grumpy Old Men," the Republicans were a portait of bitter anger that would be unrecognizable to the sunny and optimistic Ronald Reagan. Mr. Wilson has reportedly called White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize. Good thing. But Mr. Wilson's rudeness will taint his party for some time. The harder work will come not under the kleig lights, but behind the scenes. Pres. Obama will need to twist lots of congressional arms to pass his plan. But tonight he fired a shot across the bow of some of the self-professed fiscal conservatives. He decried how the Bush tax cuts, the Bush war in Iraq and the Bush prescription drug plan helped explode the deficit, squandering the Clinton surplus and plunging us deep in debt. No one who voted for that unholy trinity -- and a whole lot of Blue Dogs did -- can credibly oppose Obama's health reforms on fiscal grounds. Let's hope he drives that point home even more powerfully when he meets with moderate Democrats in private. LINK I don't get tongue-tied often. With my daily intake of political news being what it is, I've developed a pretty powerful bullsh#t buffer. But when I read something like this, a bleating, sycophantic and patently ridiculous frothing of another Obama cultist, it literally makes you wonder how some people can respect themselves. I wish this were an isolated incident, but unfortunately it appears in every news outlet, and makes one wonder how long can this president continue to stand in front of the nation neither supporting nor opposing anything material and continue to draw the worshipping hordes. This is now utterly pathetic. Yet again President Obama took the stage for a 45 minute droning on nothing of substance. He didn't repudiate 'lies' anymore than he advanced a 'bill.' Instead of talking turkey with the American people, Obama opted to deliver another useless sermon on his health care proposal which no one wants. Last night was political self-preservation at its most obvious and shameful. Obama did not take command of anything. He did not demand alterations to any measures in any of the bills now in congress. And he did not promise to draft (much less present) his own original proposal. But if the regurgitation of stupidity as seen above has taught us anything, it is this: this country, particularly the left (as they are in power), need to regain their cynicism. It is our greatest ally. It allows us to demand brass tax talk from our officials instead of Obama's most pernicious demand, namely that we trust him and his imperial senate's arm to cure all our ails with a one-size-fits all government. You have to understand where this is coming from. Paul Begala is a paid hack, and as paid hacks do, they put a ray of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day. I like the meme they are trying to push about the big bad Republicans are protecting the insurance companies. The more they push this tripe the lower they fall in the polls, because as more and more people are paying attention, they see through the bull crap. Republicans do not have the numbers to stop anything from passing, and the public isn't buying the obstructionist garbage peddled by the Obama administration. The honest truth is in the details.... At least 44 more moderate Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record in opposition to the current health care bill in the House, a Hill source claims. Likewise, at least 57 liberal Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record saying they will vote against a health care bill without a strong public option. Unless multiple Democrats flip on their stated position on health care, Speaker Pelosi lacks the votes to pass a bill through the House on the strength of Democrat votes alone. 57 member letter to Waxman/Pelosi Link to comment
Husker_x Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 I loved Pres. Obama's speech. It rallied dispirited Democrats, reassured disenchanted independents and intimidated Republicans. He called a lie a lie, and pledged to call out the right-wing thugs if (well, when) they continue lying. The President shone a spotlight on the sin of rescission -- the process by which insurance companies protect their profits by dumping customers when they get sick. This outrage has been under-covered by the media, but congressional hearings revealed that just three insurance companies have kicked 20,000 customers off their plans. They included the woman President Obama referred to tonight, whose aggressive breast cancer was denied treatment because she once had acne. The congressional hearings uncovered documents proving that the insurance companies had saved themselves $300 million by kicking those folks off -- and insurance bureaucrats got bonuses and promotions based on who they dumped. This is an outrage. If Sarah Palin wants to see a real-world death panel, she should look no further than the corporate insurance executives whom she and her fellow Republicans so zealously defend. He made the case for a strong public option -- but did not threaten to veto any bill that doesn't include one. He plainly wants to maintain maximum flexibility to do as much good for as many people as he can. He paid warm tribute to the patron saint of health care, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose departure has left a black hole in the Senate. And he put the lie to the Republican line that somehow the party that created Medicare is out to destroy it, by pointing out that the GOP has a proposal to end Medicare as we know it, and turn it into a voucher program. (For what problem, by the way, are vouchers not the GOP's answer?) As good as Obama was, the Republicans may have helped him more than he helped himself. Just as Bill Clinton was blessed by cartoon-character enemies like Ken Starr and Henry Hyde, the face of GOP opposition to Obamacare tonight was not the heroic and patriotic John McCain, but rather some Congressclown named Joe Wilson from South Carolina. Between Mr. Wilson calling our President a liar and the rest of the GOP looking like a cast picture of "Grumpy Old Men," the Republicans were a portait of bitter anger that would be unrecognizable to the sunny and optimistic Ronald Reagan. Mr. Wilson has reportedly called White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize. Good thing. But Mr. Wilson's rudeness will taint his party for some time. The harder work will come not under the kleig lights, but behind the scenes. Pres. Obama will need to twist lots of congressional arms to pass his plan. But tonight he fired a shot across the bow of some of the self-professed fiscal conservatives. He decried how the Bush tax cuts, the Bush war in Iraq and the Bush prescription drug plan helped explode the deficit, squandering the Clinton surplus and plunging us deep in debt. No one who voted for that unholy trinity -- and a whole lot of Blue Dogs did -- can credibly oppose Obama's health reforms on fiscal grounds. Let's hope he drives that point home even more powerfully when he meets with moderate Democrats in private. LINK I don't get tongue-tied often. With my daily intake of political news being what it is, I've developed a pretty powerful bullsh#t buffer. But when I read something like this, a bleating, sycophantic and patently ridiculous frothing of another Obama cultist, it literally makes you wonder how some people can respect themselves. I wish this were an isolated incident, but unfortunately it appears in every news outlet, and makes one wonder how long can this president continue to stand in front of the nation neither supporting nor opposing anything material and continue to draw the worshipping hordes. This is now utterly pathetic. Yet again President Obama took the stage for a 45 minute droning on nothing of substance. He didn't repudiate 'lies' anymore than he advanced a 'bill.' Instead of talking turkey with the American people, Obama opted to deliver another useless sermon on his health care proposal which no one wants. Last night was political self-preservation at its most obvious and shameful. Obama did not take command of anything. He did not demand alterations to any measures in any of the bills now in congress. And he did not promise to draft (much less present) his own original proposal. But if the regurgitation of stupidity as seen above has taught us anything, it is this: this country, particularly the left (as they are in power), need to regain their cynicism. It is our greatest ally. It allows us to demand brass tax talk from our officials instead of Obama's most pernicious demand, namely that we trust him and his imperial senate's arm to cure all our ails with a one-size-fits all government. You have to understand where this is coming from. Paul Begala is a paid hack, and as paid hacks do, they put a ray of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day. I like the meme they are trying to push about the big bad Republicans are protecting the insurance companies. The more they push this tripe the lower they fall in the polls, because as more and more people are paying attention, they see through the bull crap. Republicans do not have the numbers to stop anything from passing, and the public isn't buying the obstructionist garbage peddled by the Obama administration. The honest truth is in the details.... At least 44 more moderate Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record in opposition to the current health care bill in the House, a Hill source claims. Likewise, at least 57 liberal Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record saying they will vote against a health care bill without a strong public option. Unless multiple Democrats flip on their stated position on health care, Speaker Pelosi lacks the votes to pass a bill through the House on the strength of Democrat votes alone. 57 member letter to Waxman/Pelosi What I can't wrap my brain around is how anyone could take themselves seriously after writing something like the nonsense above. I've had Mormons come to the door before, and this is what it sounds like. You could have DNA evidence that Obama was a rapist and they'd still manage to find the silver lining. As to the political reality of Obama's situation, he seems to be pretty much sunk at this point. The Senate won't play ball on a public option, so whatever happens in the house may be irrelevant anyway. Link to comment
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