Obama Continues Health Care Push with a Pitch to the Middle Class

No wonder they love him–look at all the taxpayers’ money he’s sent their way.
From Jeremy Lott at the Politico:
“What all this means is, barring some unforeseeable world event, Obama’s will probably not be a historic presidency. He will have some successes and a lot of failures. His opposition won’t roll over, and his party will refuse to go along with his more costly, and thus risky, schemes. He won’t coast to reelection.
“So Obama now has the chance to be the sort of president Bush would have been if the World Trade Center towers had not come down. Here’s hoping he makes the best of it.”

Amtrak, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, USPS, Medicare/Medicaid, the VA, Indian Affairs, Social Security….
yeah, let’s hand over health care.

I am fired up about health care reform. It doesn’t take a genius to see high health insurance premiums are taking too big a chunk of the middle-class and poor’s salaries. And too many people have to opt out because they just can’t afford it. At the rate premiums are increasing as well as health care in general, it simply isn’t sustainable. Just like the high gas prices last year helped to cripple our economy, health care insurance prices are taking up too much of our income to have money left over to support a healthy economy.
And when I hear the greed of these companies, denying treatments on flimsy excuses, denying coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, people going bankrupt for medical bills, even though they had insurance, it is obvious that health care reform is what we need to have a stronger country, economically and morally stronger.

Let’s look at reality. Obama intends to create a multitude of social programs, and the only way he can pay for those programs, is through increased taxes on the middle class.
That is simply a “given”. There is no other option. Even Geithner knows that, and to Obama’s dismay, he said so.
The truth is, Obama has little or no concern for the middle class whatsoever. All of his programs are going to be aimed at the poor, and in the process, he is going to get 12 million illegal immigrants into those programs as well.
The middle class is going to find themselves in a financial predicament, that there is no way out of.

President Obama is doing the same thing politicians have done for thousands of years. He is planting positive feedback. He is speaking over a microphone, which is an easily manipulated platform. The thing that struck me when I heard all of the (overly enthusiastic) applause on health care was a very creepy thing that happened to me as a kid. I went to a circus which was clearly lacking patrons. An over animated clown was doing some strange thing and the crowd sounded like there was 10,00 people cheering and going crazy over this clown. I looked around and EVERYONE was looking around at each other to see who was cheering so loudly. We all looked at each other looking at each other and NO ONE was cheering. Some puople left at that moment and the story of the Emporers New Clothes slapped me in the face, even at age 10 or so.
We must recognize and expose things as they are.
The Clown has no clothes. As soon as we all realize this, we can truely expect the change we all so dearly hope for.
Healthcare MUST change, first we must change ourselves and learn that the greed of the few end up crippling us ALL.

We probably paid close to $500K to take AF-1 on this campaign boondoggle, to make comment such as this:
“Because one of the fundamental reasons I ran for President was to stand up for hardworking families; to ease the struggles, lift the hopes, and make possible the dreams of middle class Americans.”
How does this statement made in Pittsburgh fit in with the CBO estimates of how the proposed energy taxes of “Cap and Trade” are going to clobber middle class America?
He also said he inherited a $1.5 trillion debt (and the lemmings applauded). I think he meant deficit, but whatever he inherited he now owns AND HAS RAISED IT!

“Nevertheless, the weekend polling (usually favorable to Democrats) from Rasmussen, the Washington Post/ABC News, CNN and USA TODAY/Gallup failed to show support for ObamaCare more than a point or two outside the margin of error. Rasmussen, which had one of the larger pro-Obama bounces, now shows support for ObamaCare is already back to its tepid pre-speech levels.”
As Jeremy Lott noted, the president is failing miserably.

Support for the President’s health care proposal has been increasing daily over the past week. However, today’s tracking results show support falling for the first time since the speech. Forty-five percent (45%) now favor passage of the Congressional health care reform plan , a figure that’s up just a single point since the speech. Fifty-two percent (52%) are now opposed. Those figures include 23% who Strongly Favor the plan and 41% who are Strongly Opposed.

In 2004 George W. Bush received 50.7% of the vote while John Kerry earned 48.3%. Rasmussen Reports was the only firm to project both candidates’ totals within half a percentage point by projecting that Bush would win 50.2% to 48.5%.

I think it is time for Obama to give up trying to reach a compromise with Republicans who will not agree with anything and fire up his base. The base does make up a majority and will get his reform passed. Smart move – keep preaching to the choir.

“In 2004 George W. Bush received 50.7% of the vote while John Kerry earned 48.3%.”
Where is the proof?
In order to believe that Rass was accurate, you would have to believe that the vote counting was done fairly.
That is one huge leap of faith.

Why should we believe healthcare, take a peek at “Cap and Tax” fallout:
However, while admitting it fails to account for the loss of jobs resulting from higher energy costs, CBO confirms that every household will suffer from a national energy tax. CBO also estimates a gross tax of up to $1,400 per household, using generous assumptions and ignoring regional disparities affecting Midwestern and Southern states. To drive the net cost per household down so low, CBO then assumes the benefit of a massive redistribution of wealth in the form of liberal spending programs. The American people are unlikely to ever see a dime of that money—in fact, some of these provisions have already been removed from the version of the bill being readied for floor consideration, causing CBO’s analysis to be outdated.

The people who believe that government control of more and more of the peoples’ money will lead to a “fairer” more “just” society are the mindless wing nuts. All this mind set has ever led to is some powerful politician, czar or king having control over which one of his or her main supporters gets what cut of the booty (like Unions in Obama’s case). The people whose money has been confiscated are most often the last in line to get anything back for their labor making them mere slaves of the State. So instead of hard work and creativity being rewarded, the reward goes to who can game the system the best by getting a hold of money they had no part in earning.
The people at the tea parties are the working class that are being forced to give their money up for a corrupt and wasteful government A government who just looks at the tax payers as a cash cow they can steal money from to hand over to their special interest groups.

“BARACK Obama won the popular vote by a six-point margin of 52 to 46 per cent for vanquished Republican rival John McCain.”
Now we have 52% against Obamacare!

tjp, you have been misled about the EFCA.
“will deny secret ballot during organizing campaigns”
This is flat out not true. The EFCA does not eliminate secret ballots. What it does do is allow the workers to decide how they are going to vote.
You should also be aware that it is currently possible for employers to deny workers representatives based on no more than a petition.
In fact, thanks to the 2003 Wurtland Nursing decision by the NLRB, we currently have card check for employers, but not for workers.

Lower health care bills and premiums will help our entire economy. The premiums are taking too big a bite out of our paychecks.
========
What is the mechanism to make the care and premiums lower?

If you are interested in continuing to merely providing private insurance to people, instead of full health care, you might be interested in the most effective way to get people insured:
Make it easier for them to join unions.

Obama’s Approval Index at Rasmussen (the choice pollster of conservatives) was at -3 yesterday; the best in 2 months. Today’s overall job approval rating was evenly split at 50% Approve and 50% Disapprove.

Fascist Hyena is understandably incorrect on his facts about high rate of bankruptcies due to medical bills, even among those who had health insurance.
Sadly, bankruptcies affect mainly middle-class, privately insured families, and about half are triggered, at least in part, by illnesses. There are many industry sites that discount the bankruptcy court stats with a curious sense of illogic. For instance, if a family takes out a second mortgage on their home to pay off medical debt, then files for bankruptcy to protect their house, the industry site will discount this bankruptcy. That’s illogical but not to those who want to keep the truth hidden.
As for Fascist’s claim that insurance companies can be sued for damages, that is assuming a lot. If an insurance company denies treatment and a patient dies, can a patient’s family prove that the treatment would have saved them? The lawyer bills and expert testimony fees alone would be more than a financially strapped family might be able to bear. And even a large settlement won’t get back what the family lost… their loved one.
As for Fascists’ statement that the 4000 moms in Great Britain giving birth in lavatories, closets, and elevators due to government running their healthcare, that is just silly. Many of those cases are due to the hard to predict nature of birth. That 4,000 represents .56% of the 706,711 live births in Great Britain last year.
99.44% of births were just fine.
The government is trusted to provide us with a strong military to protect us and it is trusted to run Medicare which seniors love. There isn’t any reason to believe the public health care option won’t be run as well as Medicare. And if it isn’t people won’t keep buying it, right?

“Fifty-one percent (51%) now say that health care reform is at least somewhat likely to pass this year.”
Of course. I’m surprised figure not higher. Obama will get something. He has to in order to save face. Whether or not bill will help the American people is a different matter.

Yea unions!!! they only caused the great collapse of GM. Lets help them more!!!

The Senate voted 83-7 ruled ACORN ineligible for HUD grant funds.

The people who believe that government control of more and more of the peoples’ money will lead to a “fairer” more “just” society are the mindless wing nuts
***
Nah. The people afraid of a socialist/communist/fascist/Muslim/black radical/Kenyan/terrorist takeover of our government by Obama are the wingnuts. Not only are they projecting a dark shadow onto Obama as their enemy, a shadow which has nothing whatsoever to do with him, BUT their fury over health care reform, and everything else, is at least partially motivated by the fear that upper and middle-class Americans will have their money taken away by Obama and redistributed so that somehow someone else, someone they deem unworthy, will benefit. In their minds this someone else is usually poor minorities or other undeserving deadbeats who inexplicably, despite being disenfranchised, exert immensely powerful influence over the U.S. Government through evil community organizers,unions, liberals and such. To right wingnuts it’s grossly unfair because the others who will benefit are seen as lazy folks, illegal aliens, drunks, drug addicts, thieves and so on. (Eyeroll.) Wake up! The people who typically benefit are the super rich and the corporations. James gets that part right when he mentions Wall Street , but if I’m not mistaken, he typically is in BIG business’s and the private sector’s corner, and he’s argued endlessly on behalf of the insurance lobby’s interests.
President Obama and the Democrats are so hell bent on passing Health Care Reform because it will benefit Seniors and Middle Class tax payers, as well as small business owners and those with pre-existing conditions. A recent survey even shows that most physicians would like to see a public option!

Alyson | Sep 15, 2009 6:40:43 PM
I don’t believe “A recent survey even shows that most physicians would like to see a public option”. Point me to your survey.

“I don’t believe “A recent survey even shows that most physicians would like to see a public option”. Point me to your survey.”
I thought Alyson’s reply was a bit more clever but here is what she is referencing.
NPR
“Among all the players in the health care debate, doctors may be the least understood about where they stand on some of the key issues around changing the health care system. Now, a new survey finds some surprising results: A large majority of doctors say there should be a public option.
When polled, “nearly three-quarters of physicians supported some form of a public option, either alone or in combination with private insurance options,” says Dr. Salomeh Keyhani. She and Dr. Alex Federman, both internists and researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a random survey, by mail and by phone, of 2,130 doctors. They surveyed them from June right up to early September.
Most doctors — 63 percent — say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance. That’s the position of President Obama and of many congressional Democrats. In addition, another 10 percent of doctors say they favor a public option only; they’d like to see a single-payer health care system. Together, the two groups add up to 73 percent.”

Do you fee better alfter calling people names?
Posted by: deanbob | Sep 15, 2009 6:48:16 PM
I don’t believe “A recent survey even shows that most physicians would like to see a public option”. Point me to your survey.
Posted by: deanbob | Sep 15, 2009 6:50:59 PM
***
First up, there was no direct attack. I didn’t call anyone here a name. I countered another post. It was a generality, but nothing direct– and the “deadbeat” thing was actually sarcasm as that’s how certain right wingers often portray those who are supposedly going to benefit from their money. It actually doesn’t make me feel better. I find the situation “amazing” but in a bad way. But, whatever. It is what it is. Not sure what you’re talking about in regards to the unfunded.
As for the survey, Drs. Salomeh Keyhani and Alex Federman of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York were the authors of the study and found broad physician support for a combination of private and public insurance, regardless of their region, medical specialty, how they earned their income, or how many hours they spent treating patients. You can google it and find endless citings (Reuters, Newsweek, MedPage Today, NPR, Slate, WaPo, Modern Healthcare, Kaiser Health News and so on.)If you google Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Physican Views on Public option you should get to the actual study.

What do you expect? Campaigning again,You think Obama would tell the truth about the stimulis bill? Where are the million jobs saved? where are the 3 to 4 million jobs that were to be created?Of couurse he is going to say it is working,How stupid would he look to say it is failing?

My other post was actually Obama’s favorability ratings, btw :>) Wasn’t being all that clever, but rather responding to deanbob’s approval data.
deanbob, I think links get scrubbed. I’ve tried to post links in the past and they disappear.

“My other post was actually Obama’s favorability ratings, btw :>) Wasn’t being all that clever, but rather responding to deanbob’s approval data. ”
Darn and here I thought you were being clever!
Also not to pick a nit but you posted job approval ratings.
Obama’s favorable ratings are abotu 10 pts higher.

Here’s more on how Obama is doing, from Political Wire:
“A new Bloomberg News poll finds President Obama with high marks for his performance — a 56% approval rating and 61% favorability rating — “even as Americans express anxiety about his domestic policies. One possible reason: Republicans aren’t offering an alternative.”
Despite negative sentiment over some of his policies, Republicans aren’t benefiting since the survey finds that by about a 2-to-1 margin, Americans say Obama is doing a better job on the economy than his predecessor, George W. Bush.
Respondents also say by 40% to 32% that they would vote for a Democratic candidate for Congress in 2010. A slight plurality, 48% to 44% has a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party. In contrast, the Republican Party, by 52% to 38%, gets an unfavorable rating.”

I did a Google and the only pertinent hit was the single article you reffered me to.
***
deanbob, that’s odd as when I google I get lots of hits. Try “doctors favor public-private mix” or “most physicians favor public private.” In any event, Ryan quoted from NPR. It’s a real study that is being widely cited today.

Thank you, Numeros, for posting the most accurate polling numbers available, as confirmed by a Fordham University study.
And here is USA Today;
“Six in 10 say Obama’s proposal, if enacted, would not achieve his goals of expanding coverage to nearly all Americans without raising taxes on the middle class or lowering the quality of health care. For the first time, a majority disapprove of the way he’s handling health care policy.”

…anybody really get that the LAST thing we need right now is to get into a trade fight with – of all people – China…just to placate the Unions? Somebody in the WH ought to ask the Treasury just how much China has in TBills right now…we’re not going to win this one.

Posted by: Alyson | Sep 15, 2009 8:07:21 PM- Your fear of the Dems losing in 2010 is really showing.

“The IBD/TIPP Poll was conducted by mail the past two weeks, with 1,376 practicing physicians chosen randomly throughout the country taking part.”
“The IBD/TIPP Poll was conducted by mail the past two weeks, with 1,376 practicing physicians chosen randomly throughout the country taking part.”
“Four of nine doctors, or 45%, said they “would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement” if Congress passes the plan the Democratic majority and White House have in mind.”
“• More than seven in 10 doctors, or 71% — the most lopsided response in the poll — answered “no” when asked if they believed “the government can cover 47 million more people and that it will cost less money and the quality of care will be better.”
I vote that the 29% of doctors who think the government can cover 47 million more people for less money and better results should step right up to the plate and start taking all those lucrative new patients right away.

Did the President happen to mention what happened to those middle class tax cuts he promised? Did he explain why so much of the pork bill went for multi-million dollar bonuses for top executives? Surely he explained why so much of the ‘cash for clunkers’ money that went to buy foreign made cars. I know he told how he fixed the loophole that Congressman Wilson pointed out. The one that didn’t exist. The same one that Hillary tried to push through with Hillarycare.
3 more years. God help us all

“I vote that the 29% of doctors who think the government can cover 47 million more people for less money and better results should step right up to the plate and start taking all those lucrative new patients right away.” Bridget | Sep 15, 2009 10:53:46 PM
Bridget, you are a genius!

LOve how BO is saying everything he does is so positive on the economy, yet the data proves the direct opposite.how can anyone trust this community agitator? nice expression on his face in that photo, dont you think? you can just feel the compassion he feels for us all, huh? and speaking at teh afl-cio, yet another speical interest he is kissing up to. do you all realize the current trade war with china that BO started was borne out of bowing to the wants of the steel union?

He’s in campaign mode again! Always trying to sell his philosophy of more government, more spending, and more control. The American People are sick of seeing him all the time. The unemployment problem needs to be fixed. With more costs put on the backs of employers and small business, these policies will lead to more job losses…Oh, but wait, he’s helping the middle class. What a joke, employment is the lifesblood of the middle class. Employment will exceed 10% shortly and his polling numbers will drop even more rapidly.

Some interesting tidbits on the Baucus plan, which is the most honest one on the table so far with respect to financing because it doesn’t rely on the fiction that cost savings and taxes on the rich will be sufficient to pay the cost.
He proposes a tax on high cost health plans….over $8000 per year for individuals and $21,000 per year for families. Look for the unions and Congressmen from high cost states like New York and California to squeal. But I see absolutely no reason whatsoever why the rest of us should subsidize Rolls Royce plans for others. In fact, all employer provided health care plans ought to be taxed, but this is a start.
The Baucus plan will also allow insurance companies to charge older people as much as 5 times what they charge young people instead of the 2x in HR3200. That is much fairer. After all, the young are already paying for Social Security and Medicare they’ll never receive. Why should older folks also freeload off of them to subsidize cheaper premiums for themselves.
I applaud Senator Baucus for honestly confronting the reality of financing universal health care coverage. So many of the supporters of health care reform have been allowed for too long to pretend that Obama will magically cover $47 million more people without affecting their own pocketbook or their own care.
It’s about time that this debate take place in the context of honest and accurate information about the costs and who will have to bear them.

Folks, the drug companies have always used the US as their Milk Cow to get the money to pay for development here while selling the same drugs elsewhere for a fraction of what they sell them here.
Wake up.
This is all about the money folks.
Remember Wall Street the Movie???
GREED is GOOD!!! That is what powered this country for the last 30 years. It is also what put O in power.
Corruption and Greed go hand in hand.
Follow the money and you will always find some level of corruption somewhere.

Cary, I don’t agree with everything you say, but we do seem to agree that health care is subject to the law of supply and demand. 47 million more people converging on the same number of health care providers and institutions is NOT a recipe for a cheaper and better quality health care product.

I applaud Senator Baucus for honestly confronting the reality of financing universal health care coverage. So many of the supporters of health care reform have been allowed for too long to pretend that Obama will magically cover $47 million more people without affecting their own pocketbook or their own care.
It’s about time that this debate take place in the context of honest and accurate information about the costs and who will have to bear them.
Posted by: Bridget | Sep 16, 2009 9:17:16 AM
***
I still have to look at this closely, but on first glance, the exchanges look better than expected :) We all know I’m big on some kind of pooling exchange thingy. It doesn’t sound like Republicans are that into it though– which feeds into my theory on why Obama is talking to who he’s talking to, drumming up support among dems and mods for more moderate ideas like those in the Baucus plan. More later after I read it and digest it.

Is Health Care Reform Constitutional?
The administration seems to be operating under a distorted version of the Commerce Clause that has been grossly misinterpreted over the years as allowing the feds to regulate and control just about everything. In United States vs. Lopez in 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress can only regulate human activity that is truly commercial at its core. One does not go to a doctor to engage in commercial activity. The Supreme Court has specifically rejected the idea that Congress can regulate noneconomic activities simply because through a chain of collective events they might have some impact down the road.

Folks,
This is simple. The Government is trying to find a way to take control. Mr O thinks the Government can do a better job and look out for us better than we can ourselves. They also think the Competition and Capitalism is broken. Bottom line, Greed is what is broken here. Go after the people that were Greedy. If they fail, let them fail. That is how the system works.
If there are Cartels. Take the Cartels Down. Break them up. There is no competition if there is no competition.
It is called price fixing. Put them in jail.
If we can not do that then do not do what you are doing. Tax the Middle Class further into non-existence.
That is what is going to happen here.
The 2 K Per person tax on those that have their own insurance is in HR3200.
Bacus is putting it on the Insurance companies. Guess what, the Insurance Companies will pass that on and then the employers will pass that on or stop the insurance and guess what. Cause and effect. All that had insurance when this is all done and said will end up in the coops because Business is no idiot. Hey, if there is an option where we can get the insurance else where and they do not have to pay it out of their profits, why not. Do not carry insurance on your employees. Wake up.
This is an out for big business and an attempt to break the Insurance Companies. Business will dump expensive insurance plans like the plague. You will see over half of the insured moved to the coop in less than two years. The plan does not have the ability to handle that flood.
Remember Big Business is in this to make money. The quicker they can improve their bottom line, the quicker the insurance coverage will be dumped.
Then you will see the coops having to be turned into public option plans as the coops will not have had time to properly form.
Also the Doctors that were making what they considered decent money, will have retired.
Fewer Doctors and four times the load than what was projected and it could be worse.
The Dr Corp would not come close at all.