President Obama to Deliver Health Care Specifics

His disgraceful approval ratings speak volumes. Time for Obama to “change”.

Unfortunately, the President has an enormous gap between his confidence and his ability.
Only now, it is showing.
His decision to add or not to add 5 brigades to Afghanistan will be key.
What will his political capital be after this healthcare fight?

What the really country wants is a joint address to congress about the economy, unemployment, and fiscal restraint—not more of the same health care hooey. This administration is so out of touch with mainstream Americans of both political parties– it is absolutely stunning.

On January 20 Mr. Obama took office with a nation unified behind him. In a little over seven months he has squandered that unity entirely.
Tragic. Simply tragic.

How many times does it have to be said that Obama can pass this without Republicans. Not one. Zero. If he can’t rally his own base, blame them, and the leader that can’t pull it off.

Fascist Hyena–
Did you happen to vote for McCain/Palin?

If the Democrats can raise $300 million just to elect the President, why can’t they come up with 5 times that and fund and run their own healthcare program?

jwh, not a Republican…so, 500 times that? Quit bothering the rest of us…

jwh, I could easily come up with 20 or so multi-billionaires the Prez could hit up for it, starting with Soros and the google guys…that’s 10 percent right there.

“jwh, I could easily come up with 20 or so multi-billionaires the Prez could hit up for it, starting with Soros and the google guys…that’s 10 percent right there.”
J House | Sep 2, 2009 10:58:19 PM
Yeah, those horrible Google guys. They employ twenty thousand people with good jobs, generate massive revenue, bring in foreign money, and have put America on top of a huge industry they single handedly created – but since they don’t hate Obama as much as you they must be evil.

“I doubt Obama will ever sink as disgracefully low as Bush W –16% !!”
I don’t know. Though for a fair comparison, I can’t remember Bush ever having an 43% approval rating in any poll on Sept. 10, 2001…and we still have a week to find out if President Obama will go any lower.

Yeah, let’s talk about profits. They are so much the cause of every evil in the world, you know, that stuff that gives you a job and helps contribute to the peaceful society you’re always complaining about. Anyway, if liberals want to get serious about this phony rant then they should take a look at the profit margins of pharmaceutical companies which are #3 of all industries as compared to Health Insurance providers and HMO’s who are at #28.
Oh yeah, silly me, liberals can’t scream about pharmaceutical companies because they’ve sold out to them in the hopes of Rhaming their agenda through Congress. That’s right. Liberal lawmakers are on the take…$80 billion in promised help plus $150 million for advertising – never mind that the “rich get richer here.” Typical liberal hypocrisyr…complete corporate shills who claim one thing..and then end up doing another which is only slightly less tasteful than conservative hypocrisy…which is pretty much about the same.

“Oh yeah, silly me, liberals can’t scream about pharmaceutical companies”
BH | Sep 2, 2009 11:32:59 PM
Not sure what your ranting is about, but a quick check in on reality shows every other first world nation has a national health care option, their average healthcare spending is HALF ours (per person, including private and public spending), and their life expectancies are equivalent or longer.
None of the other first world nations have a national pharmaceutical company. The conservative approach would be to adopt what has been shown to be successful at delivering equivalent care at half the cost (a national health care option) rather than… well, I’m not really sure what you were advocating.

The conservative approach would be to adopt what has been shown to be successful at delivering equivalent care at half the cost (a national health care option) rather than… well, I’m not really sure what you were advocating.
Posted by: jhw539 |
Let’s pay the same for our drugs that they do. What do you think that would do for costs?

“Not sure what your ranting is about…”
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the liberal mantra has been all about the Republicans being in bed with Big Oil, Big Insurance, Big [FILL IN THE BLANK] and as soon as they take the helm from a failed administration they run right into the arms of Big Pharma to force feed the American public on a public option no one wants.
I suppose of you squint your eyes really hard and dig your fingers in your ears a little more deeply you’ll feel better about your ideology, but it doesn’t really make you any more convincing.

“Let’s pay the same for our drugs that they do. What do you think that would do for costs?”
Foghorn Leghorn | Sep 2, 2009 11:40:32 PM
Obviously lower them, but Republicans are already screaming “rationing!” at the mere thought of scientific boards to determine the most cost effective drugs to use as is typical in national health care programs (and private insurers to a degree).
And we are getting drug costs down – we’re a heck of a lot better off already than after Bush Jr’s shameful “no negotiation, list price only” deal.

“I suppose of you squint your eyes really hard and dig your fingers in your ears a little more deeply you’ll feel better about your ideology,”
BH | Sep 2, 2009 11:43:46 PM
You seem to be confusing documented facts (national health care options are used in every other first world nation, every other first world nation spends on average half as much per person for healthcare, every other first world nation has equivalent or better life expectancy, etc) with ideology.
I’m a supporter of companies making profits, a handful of posts ago I defended Google based solely on their capitalistic prowess. I also think it makes sense to look at reality over ideology.

“Let’s pay the same for our drugs that they do. What do you think that would do for costs?”
Foghorn Leghorn | Sep 2, 2009 11:40:32 PM
Obviously lower them, but Republicans are already screaming “rationing!” at the mere thought of scientific boards to determine the most cost effective drugs to use as is typical in national health care programs (and private insurers to a degree).
Posted by: jhw539 |
Look, a red herring and a straw man rolled up in to one sentence.
Let’s try to stay focused.
Why did POTUS cut a secret back room deal with big pharma?

I have been following American politics for fifty years. In that time I have never known the putrid stench of failed leadersip engulf a president this early in his tenure. The feckless, hapless, hopeless Carter did not fail nearly this quickly.
The polls tell the story. It’s sad, and the wise among his supporters recognize this. The unwise continue to delude themselves, all to our huge public entertainment.

“Why did POTUS cut a secret back room deal with big pharma?”
Foghorn Leghorn | Sep 2, 2009 11:51:50 PM
Cut a secret deal? Some secret. In any government, cutting deals is how progress is made, from LBJs masterful work to Cheney’s energy commission’s failure. Obama so far falls somewhere in between.
It may irritate the far left, but it makes some of sense to make an ally of pharmaceutical companies now. Of course, the ultimate judgment will be if it works. And there is no binding contract made you know – Obama is not a king, just President.

C”ut a secret deal? Some secret. In any government, cutting deals is how progress is made…”
Yeah, Foghorn, it was on CSPAN and everything, just like the President promised…get with it.

““There are other potential pitfalls: an intra-party revolt by liberals if he ditches the public insurance option; creating unrealistic expectations at a time when many in his party would opt for quiet deal-making; and the ever-present hazard of presidential overexposure – which would permanently dilute Obama’s ability to influence national debates…
After a devastating August that saw a host of humiliating town hall demonstrations and an alarming drop-off in Obama’s personal popularity, ‘He had no choice, he had to do something,’ a senior house leadership aide told POLITICO.
‘It’s fish-or-cut-bait time.’”
***
“What accounts for the global electorate’s growing disgust with the political overclass? Try this: No matter the ideological cast of these governments, they all hold in common one policy: the inexorable upward march of national indebtedness. It has arrived at the edge of the cliff…”
Gosh, I’m so happy with the way things are going. How are you goofballs feeling? You seem rather grim to me. Not much humor. Not much optimism…

Why doesn’t he just admit the obvious- the American people do not want Obamacare in any shape or form.What did he say about lipstick on a pig?

Yeah, Foghorn, it was on CSPAN and everything, just like the President promised…get with it.
Posted by: BH |
Dang. So this story from HP is a lie huh. I am so gullible.
A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.
The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.
It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government’s leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada — and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.
In exchange, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) agreed to cut $80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years. Or, as the memo says: “Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion.”

Let President Obama and the other beaurocrats put their health care under their own scrutiny and see if they pass the bill.

Would you allow your child to join an “Obama Youth?”
(A simple yes or no will do.)

A competent president sends a proposal to Congress and lets it do its thing. Obama is incompetent. Imagine presenting “specifics” at the eleventh hour.
He’s a disgrace to our form of government, a clueless commie dolt.

What’s hilarious about this debate is the White House’s refusal to take on their own party. It’s blame the Republicans all day all the time, when they enjoy overwhelming majorities. The strategy is pretty simple…if the Reps. won’t go along with ‘bipartisanship’ (which is just code for shut up and vote how we say) then we’ll just shift the blame to the Repubs. in the hopes that the public will buy it and ignore the disunity and ineptitude in our party.
Liberals facing problems in their own ranks are stuck in the past, and refuse to engage the squabbling in their own party even though they control Congress and the White House.

“He’s a disgrace to our form of government, a clueless commie dolt.”
“The goofballs are clearly on the run.”
Nice to see the haters of the President out in full force spewing their juvenile bile.

What? More lies & misrepresentations?
His job approval numbers are dropping by the day, I’d guess that there are about 30% hardcore Obama supporters in the country, they’ll support him to the bitter end. The rest of the country is drifting into the ”strongly disapprove” catagory. A recent poll says that the vast majority of voters think that you could select people at random from the phone book & they’d do a better job than the current Congress.
People are seeing through the phoney media image & they don’t like what they see – a far left ideologue, an incompetent non-leader, & a less than honest flim flam man.
Obama thinks that we, the voters, don’t understand his program – if he repeats the same crap over & over again, all of us ”stupid” people will come around. The truth is that we understand all too well.

This is exactly what Americans have been waiting for…an address from the President detailing every single aspect of the Health plan.

Problem is this….no one is listening to him anymore.
He might as well be doing mime theatre…
no wonder he’s trying to turn his traveling crap sandwich tour to grade schoolers….maybe THEY can convince their parents that he isn’t a crazy, inept lunatic. Prob is, even kids aren’t stupid, eventually.

“What? More lies & misrepresentations?”
Yes, Terry, I found a couple in your comments.
“His job approval numbers are dropping by the day,”
Nuh-uh. Although there has been a definite decline over weeks and months, approval numbers have not dropped “by the day.” Yesterday for instance, Obama’s job approval rating rose 2% at Gallup and 1% at Rasmussen.
“I’d guess that there are about 30% hardcore Obama supporters in the country,”
Ok, your guess on this is reasonable, at least according to a couple of polls. Rasmussen says 28% strongly approve and Ipsos says 31%.
“The rest of the country is drifting into the ‘strongly disapprove’ catagory.”
The two pollsters differ greatly on that one: Rasmussen says 53% strongly disapprove while Ipsos says 28%. (For the record, Ipsos polled adults, rather than voters.)
“A recent poll says that the vast majority of voters think that you could select people at random from the phone book & they’d do a better job than the current Congress.”
That is an outright lie, Terry. Since when is 42% a “vast majority?” Further, the same number, 42%, DISAGREED with that phone book statement, and 16% were unsure.

Correction to my last comment: Rasmussen says 40% strongly disapprove while Ipsos says 28%.

“We’re 90 yards down the field. Now we have to pull those strands together and deliver an overall vision of where to go and that’s what he’s going to do.”
LOL…you wonder where the problem is?
Translation – “We have done all this work to try slide it by, Now I guess we have ot start from scratch and create an ‘overall vision’ of where to go”
What a JOKE!!!!!
This from the very same White house that just a few weeks ago said they “had” to have the bill passed before the recess.
Axelrod may be a great campaign strategist, but he a buffoon when it comes to this.
You basically just admitted to the entire country that had no clue what you doing for last few months, even though you tried to ram it through Congress.
LOL, LOL… AND THESE “BRILLIANT” ADVISORS WONDER THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!!!!!
These idiots could win a game where all they had to do is choose a number between 1 & 3 !!!!!!!

LEAVE OUR CHILDREN ALONE

Let’s recap. Obamacare will:
1. Create jobs
2. Reduce healthcare costs
3. Save Medicare and Medicaid
4. Improve healthcare for everyone
5. Insure all 45 million people
6. All decisions between doctor and you
- All bureaucratic review will end
7. Everyone can keep their current insurers
8. All insurers will admit those with pre-existing conditions
9. Doctors will stop doing surgery just to fatten their wallets
10. CEO’s pay scales will be reduced
11. Don’t have any tort reform
12. Cut greedy doctors pay
13. Everyone can choose their own doctor
14. No illegals will benefit from this
15. However, make it illegal to ask for proof of citizenship
16. Taxes will not be raised on the middle class, only the rich
17. Any bill will not add to our deficit
18. Provide vision that God would want us to help one another and God would want us to pass this bill
19. Ted Kennedy would want us to pass it
20. No need to read the bill
21. 80% of the American people want this passed today
22. Let’s end all debate and just pass it !!!!
23. We can always change it later if something doesn’t work out

Posted by: Dave |
24. Prevent re-importation of drugs
25. Prevent the gov’t from negotiating drug prices.
26. Not ration care.