Krugman: ‘I’m pretty close to giving up on Obama’

[Roland99]

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/krugman-im-pretty-close-giving-obama/

"Health care reform — which is crucial for millions of Americans — hangs in the balance," NYT columnist Paul Krugman opined Thursday. "Progressives are desperately in need of leadership; more specifically, House Democrats need to be told to pass the Senate bill, which isn’t what they wanted but is vastly better than nothing. And what we get from the great progressive hope, the man who was offering hope and change, is this:

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. Now I think there’s some things in there that people don’t like and legitimately don’t like.

The Times columnist, who has been an Obama supporter and an even bigger advocate of healthcare reform, tried to sum up what he thought of Obama's remarks.

"In short," he wrote, "'Run away, run away!'"

Can't disagree with Krugman on this.

The Corporate Takeover of America is now nearly complete (esp. with today's Supreme Court ruling)


It's almost meaningless to vote anymore. Just have to search out the few candidates that are REALLY worth of it. The TRUE Liberals/Progressives who will listen to and vote with their constituents, not some greedy corporation.

[AndyA]

1. I guess we should have asked Obama to be MORE SPECIFIC as to WHAT TYPE OF CHANGE he was promising.

Change for the better? Or change for the worse?

So far, it's a mixed bag. Not exactly the kind of change I was hoping for. :eyes:

[Warpy]

2. A few things, like foreign policy, have changed for the better

and I can't point to anything that has changed for the worse that can't be chalked up to the fallout from the last miserable 8 years or to stupid Supreme Court rulings.

My own hope for Obama was that he wouldn't make everything worse, something I knew Gidget and The Geezer would have done. So far, he's exceeded my hope.

I just wish he'd fire the dead wood like Summers, Geithner, and possibly Emanuel.

[Roland99]

4. His entire top-echelon of economic advisors are from Citigroup.

He's kept Guantanamo open.

He's not doing anything to gut or repeal the PATRIOT Act (and neither is Congress).

He's escalated things in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

He's reneged on campaign stances on healthcare.

He's alienated the grassroots that helped him get elected.

A lame duck one year in. Congrats, Obama. Heckuva job.

[agent46]

7. Change we can "believe" in

Pie in the sky - just like religion but without the expensive CGI.

[Peacetrain]

3. And next week he will embrace him..back and forth and back and forth

[BrklynLiberal]

5. I am physically ill from this SCOTUS debacle..and what is to follow.

It feels like we are careening downward along a steep highway, with a horrendous precipice to one side, and flat granite on the other. Our brakes are failing...what do we do?????????

How did it come to this??????????????????

[Rapanui1]

6. I already have given up

If Obama/dems lose in the midterm it would be their own doing. We fought for him nail and tooth yet he never raised a finger when the public option was removed. He promised to curb outsourcing. Thus far only a lip job. He promised to investigate the shrub crime syndicate. Thus far all i've heard is "The buck stops here". He and Chris dodger made sure that the bankers receive their bonus. the same rhetoric "the but stops here". Now I will say in 2012 elections "The vote stopped there". I will not be voting for inept Nobama any more

[theoldman]

8. Nothing is difficult for the guy who does not have to to the job.

Krugman is good in what he does but he would make a poor president.

[Roland99]

9. Which means what exactly? There are MANY people with good or great ideas that wouldn't either.