Someone in GD-P asked cheerfully if we aren't all excited, which was a nice change. BUT...

[Hekate]

I found myself writing the following then deleting it there to post it here, where I think more people will get it without using it as an excuse to jump on me...

Thanks guys. I actually started to cry, I feel so bad about it.

Hekate

OP --> "I'm excited, I really am. Are any of you?"

In all honesty I am much more sad and confused at this point. The shouting, screaming, vitriol, lies...
... and misinformation that falls short of lies have all finally had an effect on my ability to sort through them and find the facts.

Honest public figures whom I respect, such as Howard Dean, have gone back and forth on the efficacy of this legislation. Michael Moore, who speaks from his heart and gut, may or may not be mistaken about it, but I know where his heart is, and it isn't in this legislation.

I don't care much for Kucinich any more, but my husband likes him a lot and is very upset over DK's characterization of the reform bill, and that leads to unspoken division in our household.

I love Obama and have been a supporter all along -- I know he's just one man in the fevered swamp that is Washington DC, and I know how fiercely the Repubs have fought his every move -- but still I look at this insurance reform bill and wonder if all its provisions couldn't take place immediately instead of allowing the insurance corporations more time to screw us.

I can't even bring myself to watch the news about it on Countdown or Rachel, much less any other news outlet.

I'll be SO glad when it's over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[FrenchieCat]

1. I understand......

and when we think of part of the reason that HealthCare hasn't passed in all of these years,
we must remember that it is a very personal issue, and therefore, is very volatile.

So it's not you, it's not even others, it's just that we got just about what we could get,
and we have to take it further from there, and realize that we weren't going to get the whole imagined enchilada; that things were gonna be like they were in the good old days, just right off the bat.

Many thought that we would be passing a panacea to most folks' problems, as health care insurance
costs a lot, and everyone wanted it all fixed and signed sealed and delivered smooth and easy like.

It wasn't to be, but we've got a workable foundation, and thank goodness we will be getting it before Citizen United has a chance to really get their billions out the door. The 2010 election, if they are a bloodbath, will not be because of this health care; it will be because of the SCOTUS ruling....which in my opinion needs to be our next fight.

[Hekate]

2. Thanks Frenchie. It's just gotten so awful -- at least I knew I could come back to the BOG.

[goclark]

3. Yes it is evil

and I consider myself a fairly clear thinking person but I can't get the "NO" on this one.

I just can't get the " NO."

Please someone help me understand what they will be losing that they have now?

If they are rich, like Michael Moore -- they have insurance now and no one is taking it away from them - right?

If they are in Congress like Dennis -- they have the 5 Star Policy for their immediate family -- how do they have the nerve to complain!

If they are on Medicare - no one is taking it away from them -right?

If they have a pre existing condition - this will help them - right?

If they have no insurance now, they might get covered with this -right?

If their Mama,cousin, sister, friend needs health care in some form or other - they can do better than they are doing now -- right?

Please help me understand -- how will this HURT anybody???

:cry:

PS? Is it because the insurance companies will make money my question is --- aren't they making money now?

[nevergiveup]

4. You are not alone.

This has been so hard on all of us who care and have been involved. This bill isn't what any of us would have wanted but as Frenchie has said it is the "framework", the beginning for what we all really want and that is universal health care for all Americans. As weak and watered down as this bill is, the option of voting "no" isn't an option at all. If it fails we get slaughtered this fall and President Obama becomes a lame duck into only his second year as president. The stakes couldn't be higher. This is why we are all such emotional wrecks. I feel the same now as I did before the last presidential election. I was afraid to watch the news because of fear of some new poll bearing bad news. The election seemed to go forever and my nerves were shot but in the end we won and because we won we are back at it again. Keep the faith because we are also going to win this one. Nancy, with the help of the president will pull this together and then you can start watching Keith and Rachel again and begin preparing for the next battle.

[quiet.american]

5. You've expressed it well, Hekate. When it passes, some won't know whether to cheer or not.

I place some of the blame on the WH for letting the hysterical rhetoric on the bill from both left and right spiral out of control last year, with just mild "pooh-poohing" of even the most hysterical criticism as "that's Washington," "that's what they do...." -- it's okay for Obama to say that, but behind the scenes, it would have been great if there had been serious reinforcements to hit back - even the WH now admits they took the wrong approach to combating criticism.

The other thing I feel is that the White House HCR team (whoever its comprised of) did not have a good, comprehensive "go-to" site for info on HCR. It would have been great if they'd had their own subsidy calculator (the one at Kaiser scared the heck out of everyone) and if there had been a rapid response team dedicated to answering questions - such as if someone wanted to know if there were actually 'death panels' :eyes: if they could have gone to the site, submitted the question and had a rapid response within 24 hrs, that would have been great. I've seen various variations on this, but sometimes I've had to Google long and hard to really find good information -- on that front, Kaiser has been invaluable - it's only their calculator that is "off." :)

And a very good point you've had, where those who are influential in Democratic politics, and who should have known better, divided opinion on the bill by oftentimes misrepresenting the bill along the way (not saying they did so deliberately, but some of them did) and calling for its defeat. Now, Howard Dean is so excited, and even said he is proud of Obama for sticking to his guns -- even after Dean called for the bill to be scrapped and to start over -- no wonder our heads are spinning.

I could go on and on - didn't mean to write this much, but I hear you. I'm looking forward to seeing the final version - they may have even moved up the timeframe for some reforms.

But I'm getting ready, because I feel once this goes into effect, those on this board who are spitting mad about it in the first place will be looking for every single thing that goes wrong as proof that they were "right."

At that point, I may take another serious break from DU. The true far left seems to have come to dominate here, and I have to say, I find that faction in general to be just as nasty and mean-spirited as their counterparts on the right.