If Obama says we should gut the HCR bill and keep the good stuff that's already in it, I approve.

[LLStarks]

The bill is such a double-decker shit sandwich for us right now.

[tekisui]

1. Is he saying that?

[LLStarks]

2. Pretty much.

OBAMA: That, that's point number one. I think point number two is that it is very important to look at the substance of this package and for the American people to understand that a lot of the fear mongering around this bill isn't true. I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements of the package that people agree on. We know that we need insurance reform, that the health insurance companies are taking advantage of people. We know that we have to have some form of cost containment because if we don't, then our budgets are going to blow up and we know that small businesses are going to need help so that they can provide health insurance to their families. Those are the core, some of the core elements of, to this bill.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/20/obama-to-dems-dont-jam-th_n_430134.html

[CreekDog]

3. naive if you think it will look better after they get done with it

do you have any idea what the political process and the reform's enemies will do to it when it's broken into little pieces?

:yoiks:

[LLStarks]

4. Aside, from reconciliation, we don't have much of a choice now, do we? nt

[CreekDog]

5. it's come down to the Senate bill or nothing

Though I want it to pass, don't think I'm not upset that their mismanagement of this issue allowed things to come to this.

But yeah, it's this C- bill or nothing.

[Winterblues]

6. Do you actually think Republicans will go along with anything at all Democrats propose?

Their agenda is not to help American families but to defeat Obama. They are putting all their resources into bringing Obama and the Democrats down. They understand that can't happen if they go along with a single thing Obama puts forth..

[Newsjock]

7. If Obama says gays should be allowed to marry, I approve.

He, of course, says no such thing.

[regnaD kciN]

8. Fine, if...

...he can explain how to get "the good stuff that's already in it" past a certain Republican filibuster. I'm all ears.

[LLStarks]

10. Pass the bill in small chunks. A few GOP senators like the ban on pre-existing conditions and

removal of coverage limits.

[fourtwenty]

15. pre-existing conditions

seems to me that that is one of the things that could get passed, sure the (R)s are nasty, selfish, greedy and dumb but they are not sttupid and want to get re-elected

[fourtwenty]

12. it's a start

first off, there is no filibuster yet, we have a few weeks to get this through, once it is law, then we can adjust it and make it better... just getting anything passed will be a historical and monumental achievement

[TheIdiot]

9. should have focused on "the good stuff" from the beginning...

incrementalism works!

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Pls identify the "good stuff" that is already in it.

[invictus]

13. +1

[amborin]

14. exactly!

[Little Star]

18. yep. Once the bad stuff is gone theres not much left.

[endless october]

16. the good parts are already cut out.

everything else has so many loopholes that it is basically gutted.

they can't deny pre-existing conditions, but they can shove them into high risk pools at unaffordable rates.

i don't see how the bill is guttable, cutable, or worthwhile in any form.

medicare for all. if it takes another generation, so be it. i don't believe that it will. but we have to get the insurance lobbying money out of the process right now.

[bigtree]

17. who the f**k knows what 'good stuff will be left in

. . . or cut out?