By Tom Johnson

Jul 20, 2009 10:26am

‘If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo’

How are conservatives positioning themselves as the White House pushes to reform health care?

RNC chair Michael Steele spoke today about health care reform. He charged that the President was engaging in a "risky experiment" with his push to change the nation's system of care. The Associated Press is quoting Steele as saying, "Obama-Pelosi want to start building a colossal, closed health care system where Washington decides. Republicans want and support an open health care system where patients and doctors make the decisions…" Note that President Obama says he favors a system in which Government provided insurance competes with private insurers. You can watch the President from back in June when he outlined and defended his vision for health care in a forum hosted by ABC News.

And then there is this…

ABC's Jake Tapper posted on his blog Political Punch this weekend about a comment that's getting some attention. As reported by Politico, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMi nt said on a conference call – arranged by a group called Conservatives for Patients Rights - "If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Tapper wrote: "You should expect to hear that quote this week from the White House as they use it to rally their troops, a White House official tells ABC News. Officials will say the people being "broken" are the American people going bankrupt paying for health insurance premiums that increase 10 percent every year, the source says, and that those who want to use this issue to break the president are doing nothing but working for insurance companies and insurance executives."

User Comments

The Universal Health Care is only a socialist agenda, even in New England didn’t work ! it’s a total failure ! why ? The day you have a very emergy situation YOU have to wait in line at E.R. then when the Dr see you , the Hospital may tell you they can’t deal with your illnes, refere you to another one and by the time you arrived there you’ll already dead, this happened to a friend of mine in a Country with this type of Socialist Care
Also the quality of care will be the lowest you ever see and please, tell me which and where any country in the world is BETTER than USA ? can you tell us WHY ?
Sincerely

Posted by: Raul Baquero | July 20, 2009, 11:13 am 11:13 am

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, GLOBAL WARMING, CAP AND TRADE, STIMULUS WASTED, UNEMPLOYMENT NEARLY 10%. DUDE PLEASE JUST STOP YOU ARE GOING TO BANKRUPT US ALL!

Posted by: NO OBAMA CARE | July 20, 2009, 11:38 am 11:38 am

There are people who need this heatlh insurance, people who won small business and work hard pay their share of the tax bill and still cannot afford good health care. besides the ins company’s and Dr’s make far to much money off other peoples misery and sickness.

Posted by: vern | July 20, 2009, 11:51 am 11:51 am

If this is so great, why does Congress, the Prez, and all the federal employees not have to join it themselves ? Because it will SUCK, that’s why.

Posted by: Florence NIghtengale | July 20, 2009, 11:56 am 11:56 am

If it’s so efficient, then lets see a detailed outline how ALL of this is going to work: I want to see the bottom line how much this would cost and who exactly is going to pay for this.
Details, please.
Can our Presidentl, along with the physicians and hospitals, have any information on the details?

Posted by: ddg | July 20, 2009, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm

I work in a hospital. I remember when it was great if the patient had Medicaid. Now – not so much.
People sucked that dry.
Now they are working on Medicare until that dries up as well.
What is going to change with this new plan that the President wants?
Again, I don’t see any details being offered, do you?

Posted by: ddg | July 20, 2009, 12:06 pm 12:06 pm

besides the ins company’s and Dr’s make far to much money off other peoples misery and sickness.
Posted by: vern | Jul 20, 2009 11:51:51 AM
OMG YOU ARE SUCH A VICTIM!

Posted by: NO OBAMA CARE | July 20, 2009, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm

maria – this president was broken when he took office. it’s just now getting reported. i don’t feel obligated to paid for health care for anyone but myself. it’s not a “right” but a privilege to have health insurance [of which i pay a huge portion of]. however, it would rather do that then have the government tell me what i can do medically!

Posted by: Bob | July 20, 2009, 12:21 pm 12:21 pm

Funny how the obama and the Dems, who “care” so much for the elderly, plan to drastically reduce medical services to the elderly as a major cost saving part of obamacare. If you doubt this, read about Ezekiel Emmanuel. Wake up America before you are no more.

Posted by: R.M. Edaps | July 20, 2009, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm

I had to laugh at Raul who’s afraid he’ll have to wait in line at the ER for an emergency if we get Universal healthcare. He obvipusly has never been to an ER in the USA! LOL. How about 4 hours waiting in the lobby with chest pains, then it was another 3 hours before a doctor ever came into the exam room to order an EKG and other tests. Then another 7 hours before they put me upstairs in the ICU with a heart attack! And this was with BCBS for which I pay over $4oo/mo out of my $1100/mo salary. My employer doesn’t offer health insurance. Universal healthcare COULDN’T be any worse for me or millions like me.

Posted by: Judy | July 20, 2009, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm

I can not believe all the negative comments about reforming health care in this country. As things stand now it isn’t the doctor and patient who decide what treatment/tests a patient will get it is the insurance company. What we need is a non-profit insurance option that people can choose to enroll in instead of the high profit insurance companies.

Posted by: Jeannie | July 20, 2009, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm

Wow! Looks like the repubs have recruited some of their naysayers to infiltrate ABC’s comment feed. That’s too bad; Foxnation hardly has anyone left there to comment about their stories. You guys might want to head back over there. There are far too many people in the same situation as Judy (heart attack victim; I mean health care victim), and their voices need be heard. The sad thing about all of these comments is that sooooo many of my republican friends can’t get past the GOP talking points and fear mongering to realize the benefit they would personally reap (as would the country as a whole) if we could get a grip on the health care crisis in the country. They are so eaten up with fear and hate, they can’t see they are being used by Big Business to do its marketing for it. And too, where’s the GOP alterative?

Posted by: hang | July 20, 2009, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm

Wake Up Florence NIghtengale? – The reason the “Congress and the Prez” may not get into the program is they already have a much better free program that you and I pay for. This is also why they never really get around to a program for the rest of us – they don’t need one.
‘If they are able to stop Obama on this I hope it will be their Waterloo’

Posted by: Wally | July 20, 2009, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm

If the Republicans stop Obama to create his Waterloo, they are doing so to destroy Obama. They are not thinking about the 45 million without health care insurance and the underinsured. If something doesn’t threaten their the people who oppose health care coverage, then it isn’t important. Please think about the 45 million men, women, and children who wait until a problem is really serious and seek health care in the ER. ER care is more expensive than an office call that is beyond the means of many. Hoping the defeat the president is the same as hoping to defeat the country and its citizens. Is only health care to be labeled sociailism? What about public schools, the U.S. mail service, the public libraries, etc. They are not labeled as socialism.

Posted by: Fran Zorn | July 20, 2009, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm

I had Cancer over 25 years ago. Then just four years ago my Ins. Co. DROP me because I did not tell them about the Cancer I had. Now there is no Ins. Co. that will cover me and if there is one, I will not be able to pay for the Premiums because of my prior illness that happen over 25 years ago. I had Med-Cal Ins. until just last year. They did not care if I have Cancer over 25 years ago. But I lose that Ins. too because of the California short fall of money.
We do need a Health Ins. for people like me and all the millions of people that have had serious illness in past like me. I know if the Government got involved people like me could be Ins., along with the ability to make the Premiums Payments to who every is the Insurer. They say Competition is the Cornerstone of American Capitalism.

Posted by: gjhardtimes | July 20, 2009, 3:21 pm 3:21 pm

To the lady who had to wait seven hours for a heart attack………..boo hoo. Change hospitals or insurance companies or both. If there are no other hospitals or insurance companies in your area then move. It’s just common sense people. As for government healthcare, I personally don’t want to pay for abortions, or for the healthcare of the crack addicted mother down the street living in government funded housing projects paid for by the good ole taxpayer with 7 kids by 6 different fathers. Oh and did I mention that they also are on welfare paid for by me and food stamps. You ask me to take responsibility for people who have no common sense or work ethic. OOOOOOO…..wait a minute, we should help these people……..bull! I think the Katrina disaster and all the people on TV begging for help, just about sums it all up. You would stay somewhere and die begging for help before you turned one dam hand to help yourself. To anybody that voted for Obama, somehow I told you so just doesn’t seem to cut it right now.

Posted by: The Wizard | July 20, 2009, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm

Posted by: NO OBAMA CARE | July 20, 2009, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm

Why do we live in a country where the opposing political party wishes for the President to FAIL? I want my legislators to govern and develop solutions- something virtually ignored in the Bush years. The Health care reform program might not be ideal or perfect, but I have seen NOTHING from the NOpublicans other than the status quo. Where is their plan for health care for the uninsured? The NOpublican philosophy of “I got mine-screw you” is more and more repulsive to me every day.

Posted by: David VanderJagt | July 20, 2009, 4:22 pm 4:22 pm

To: Davis Vanderjagt:
Let me speak for this NOPUBLICAN as you like to call us. Who in the he!@ said we had to have a health plan for the poor uninsured? Where is it written in the constitution? The bill of rights? Where is it guaranteed that people are not going to be poor and not be able to afford healthcare, get sick and die? It’s just the way of the world to weed out the weak people. If you live in the United States of America with even one iota of ambition or work ethic you can go from rags to riches in ten years. My poor democratic friend in the housing projects told me the other day that she didn’t want to get a job because they might take away her food stamps. The entire government run system of healthcare, welfare, food stamps is designed to keep people in a rut. Why bother getting a job and trying to get ahead in life……I can just sit on my and the government will take care of me. Wait a minute, Obama is going to fix it so I don’t have to worry about a sore on my now cause my healthcare will be free also. Where are your brains?

Posted by: The Wizard | July 20, 2009, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm

No Nimrod it may be the Waterloo for the Amrican people. This isn’t about Obama, it is about healthcare for American citizens. The only ones not seeming to see this is the Republicans. They make it so obvious that they only care about playing politics and just don’t care about people needing a good healthcare plan. You republicans do more harm to yourselves everytime you open your mouths.

Posted by: Mars Chemistry | July 20, 2009, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm

I have to laugh at Raul too. American health care system is really terrible. If you ever go to Europe, you can have a chance to see the huge diiference. I have a health insurance here and I had to wait for emergency room more than 1 hour!

Posted by: Ince | July 20, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm

PLEASE! If anyone in America believes that Sen. Jim DeMint knows anything about anything – YOU can have him! “We the People” of South Carolina would love to get rid of this . DeMint’s plan is to give everyone a $2000 tax deduction for medical insurance! Wow! $2000, that would pay for two months for me! I guess the remainder of the year I would be wihout like much of America! Scare tactics is all that Reps are about! Reps have
NO IDEA(s)!!

Posted by: john copeland | July 20, 2009, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm

Alright, so putting all politics aside would anyone care to answer my question from the previous post? Where is it written in the constitution or bill of rights that the government should even be concerned about healthcare for the poor uninsured? What happened to the will of the people? Why can’t poor uninsured people turn to their communities or churches for assistance? If you don’t have enough friends in your community or a mother, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle or whatever to help you through your hard times and medical bills……then you suck as a human being and you should try being nicer. When are we going to wake up and realize that big government can’t fix anything? Let’s give them the healthcare since they have done so good with social security, medicare and medicaid…….I can not find any program anywhere that the government can run efficiently.

Posted by: The Wizard | July 20, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm

man what happened to America? when did it get so jaded and mean. our health care is broken. Americans want universal health care by a 2:1 margin. in 2000 the world health organization ranked the US 1st in responsiveness but 37th in overall performance and 72 in overall health (France was 1st overall). in 2008 the commonwealth fund ranked the US last in 19 industrial nations in health care. we spend the most but receive sup par care. the health insurance companies are in the business of collecting PREMIUMS. providing actual health care is only a cost of doing business and they do everything they can to cut costs even if it means denying care. we are going to have to decide whether we want a health care system designed to make profits or to provide care.

Posted by: sad sad | July 21, 2009, 1:30 am 1:30 am

What is so shocking we actually now live in nation where a political party ( GOP) can plot to destroy the president of the United States and this is acceptable! Secondly for all of those who say you are going to have to support other people. News flash most of the people writting these comments don’t have two nickles to rub together! Getting their information second hand becuase they are damn lazy to read! Insurance companies already tell you who can be your doctor. Hello HMO and most of these doctors SUCK! Insurance companies also tell you if you can or can not have a procedure. HELLO! they don’t authorize or deny your claim! Lastly insurance companies also leave you to die by dropping YOUR IGNORANT….
I am appauled at the nerve of the GOP to decide “oh we don’t like the black president let’s crush him” Why aren’t they trying to come up with fresh ideas opps they don’t have any. One more thing 99% of you don’t have a clue what ithe word socialism means. Becuase if you did you would know that by the government creating a COMPETITOR for the greedy insurance companies is not! I repeat! Is not the definition of the word Socialism. NOW GO READ A BOOK! It makes me mad as h…that this is even necessary. We shouldn’t have to pay more money to gain access to what is already available becuase opps somebody is afraid for their profit margins!

Posted by: Charity | July 21, 2009, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm

Well said Charity. It is plain to see the Gop aren’t thinking about the American people at all. The GOP thrives on Fear, and hope enough people buy into it. Why don’t the GOP give up their insurance to help balance the budget!

Posted by: lori | July 21, 2009, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm

They created this economic meltdown by massive mismanagement, neglect and fraud. Further, they targeted certain industries radically deregulating them and abolishing specific portions of the system put there after the Great Depression for protection against corruption and outright criminal practice. They erased regulation and control mechanisms so greedy barons within these industries could legally profit from business practice that had been prosecuted as criminal for 80 years. Now many of these industries have become giant monopolies so big and powerful we can’t afford to allow them to go bankrupt because of the domino effect it would create pushing us into an even more critical condition. Republicans fueled their machine of distraction and deception feeding corporate greed and an enormous shift in wealth. In eight years they almost destroyed the American Dream. Bush, Cheney and everyone assisting in their deception and fraud should be arrested and prosecuted for treason and as terrorists. Then maybe even the ignorant, who bought into the republican rhetoric these mobsters mass produced, might wake up and realize how near we got to absolute chaos because they believed the hype of crooked republican leaders.

Posted by: Ed C in OK | July 23, 2009, 12:02 am 12:02 am

People who are against moving forward into a better, fairer, healthcare system are simply part of the selfish, greedy Tokyo Rush, Brainwash America Club. Trying to CORRECT one of the most inflationary industries, which often defines a person’s quality life, is one of the most positive goals that anyone in Washington has attempted since Clinton. Politicizing it or attempting to break President Obama is pure republican desperation.

Posted by: Ed C in OK | July 23, 2009, 12:06 am 12:06 am

The sheeple cannot understand that we are moving toward a socialist, fascist state. I do not want my government telling me if I can have the treatment that I want, or for that matter counsel me on “dying with dignity” and send me home with some “pain killers”.
Our forefathers wanted America to be a Republic and strongly warned against democracy, learn the history of America.
The word democracy is not in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or in any state Constitution.
I truly believe we are an Oligarchy moving towards anarchy.
Oligarchy=government ruled by a powerful few.
Democracy=government ruled by the majority.
Republic=government limited by law
The essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government.
A movement of starting to let Obama, the sheeple, and the elites know we will not give up our Republic or our freedom.
I will wear a black armband to show my solidarity against Obama and to honor the victims of a Fascist leader.
Organize and attend TEA PARTIES.
STOP OBAMA
I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Posted by: American Patriot | July 25, 2009, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm

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‘If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo’

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