Obama uses that "bipartisan" word again. He's like "Cool Hand Luke"

[thunder rising]

We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision."

Obama describes the SCOTUS decistion as:

"It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans

So, it is obvious that this ruling CLEARLY favors Republican politicians at every level. Yet he's going for bipartisan support. This legislation would fit clearly into reconciliation. The Republicans are laughing in their response, sure, send Baucus over we'll get started right away on this "complex" piece of legislation.

I'm getting to believe he does not want to be President anymore.

It's better to have hoped and lost than never having hoped at all.

[SunsetDreams]

1. this has already been posted...your reply could have been left there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=142976&mesg_id=142976

[elocs]

13. Gotta be real. Things on DU get reposted over and over and over again for days.

The good citizens here rarely check for duplicates.

[SunsetDreams]

16. Yes your right about that, However, it would have been hard to miss this one

This one has been hot.

[elocs]

19. I've seen people miss a big story on top of the home page and post a new thread about it.

Nothing surprises me here anymore.

[bluestateguy]

2. McCain and Snowe have already voiced their opposition

It's not a frivolous effort.

[thunder rising]

43. McCain and Snowe are also FOR health care reform if asked. Get a clue.

[Jennicut]

3. He should go ask McLame if he gives a damn.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. "It's better to have hoped and lost than never having hoped at all".

Not too sure about that. Disappointment is as real downer...especially extreme disappointment.

[NJmaverick]

5. You fail to see what a shrewd political move this is

push the Republicans into the spot light and let them tell the American public they support getting special interest corporate money.

[SunsetDreams]

6. nail meet head

[gateley]

7. I hope that's how it shakes out. Although they spin EVERYTHING, I think this

would be a tough one to paint in a positive light.

[saracat]

10. Yeah"'shrewd political move"Thats the ticket" Just like the Mass results

When are we going to place people over politics? Our nation cannot withstand these alleged "shrewd political moves". Sometimes compromise is just compromise for its own sake and it isn't necessarily a good or savvy thing. And sometimes politicians and the administration are just stupid.

[Jennicut]

11. I don't think it is totally bad to call out McCain and others to see if they actually

care about this ruling or are total hypocrites.

[NJmaverick]

14. It's not only not bad, it's great

you have to force the Republicans to face this highly unpopular position. The GOP is not going to want to be seen siding with big business over the American people

[saracat]

23. You are kidding right? As if the GOP isn't seen as doing that already.

It doesn't matter.

[NJmaverick]

12. How exactly is it a bad idea to force the Republicans to take a stand

against the American people in favor of big business????

[thunder rising]

30. Let me see, "Repblicans stand firm in defense of Free Speech" how's that?

[BeyondGeography]

32. Becasue it's OBAMA'S idea

And, Obama, he bad.

[Arctic Dave]

15. And the repugs will say they don't have a problem at all with it.

As they smile into the camera with their oversized check from the corpocracy.

Your morning meetings must be a hoot.

[NJmaverick]

21. that's when the Dems use powerful imagines

like this one:



suggest that this be the new congressional uniform

[thunder rising]

25. Hoot!! I love it.

[Arctic Dave]

44. Ooooo, that will show them. I'm sure the repugs are shaking in their boots at that image.

They will look at that and say, "How do I get me some of that action". Kind of like what the DLC does.

[thunder rising]

46. Oh hell, that's already the Republican long underwear. Just out of sight.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

18. Pssssst....

Obama Received $20 Million from Healthcare Industry in 2008 Campaign
Almost three times the amount given to McCain
by Brad Jacobson

While some sunlight has been shed on the hefty sums shoveled into congressional campaign coffers in an effort to influence the Democrats' massive healthcare bill, little attention has been focused on the far larger sums received by President Barack Obama while he was a candidate in 2008.

A new figure, based on an exclusive analysis created for Raw Story by the Center for Responsive Politics, shows that President Obama received a staggering $20,175,303 from the healthcare industry during the 2008 election cycle, nearly three times the amount of his presidential rival John McCain. McCain took in $7,758,289, the Center found.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/01/12-9




Blue Dog Coalition’ rakes in corporate cash.

The 52-member Blog Dog Coalition has been constantly attempting to weaken President Obama’s efforts to pass progressive health care, clean energy, and economic recovery legislation through Congress. According to a new report by the Center for Public Integrity, many of the industries that are opposing Obama’s agenda are now contributing heavily to the Blue Dogs:

So far this year, the political action committee attached to the fiscally conservative House Democratic voting bloc is on track to shatter all its fundraising records, raising more in the first six months of 2009 — more than $1.1 million — than it did in the entire 2003-04 fundraising cycle. Nearly 54 percent of the Blue Dog PAC’s haul this year comes from the energy, financial services and health care industries, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to analysis of CQ MoneyLine data by the Center for Public Integrity.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/23/blue-dog-cash/

[NJmaverick]

22. pssst- listen to what President Obama said

"That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision."

[Hell Hath No Fury]

24. HAAAHAHAHAHAHAAH!

You so funny. :D

[GOTV]

48. Yes, I'm sure the GOP is eager to craft a forceful response to more corporate money ....

... This will work out MUCH better than HCR did!

[saracat]

50. Again with the talking. It has worked so well!

:sarcasm: Rinse and repeat doesn't make this anymore effective!

[dionysus]

33. yeah, didn't that calculate to less than one percent of what he raised in total?

it's not honest to insinuate that's how he got the majority of his money.

[thunder rising]

38. Exactly! He raised $500M from small donations mainly the netroots.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

51. And the majority of that was from individuals.

[TheKentuckian]

29. That it would be but he, Nancy, and Reid have to shove it down their throats

painful, obvious vote after vote until they break or make Republican the foulest word in America.

We should have gone to the mattresses months ago instead of playing games and the people see it, maybe they are starting to see bullshit, even ours.

[phleshdef]

8. "Bipartisan" is a word people expect the fucking President to use. Who gives a shit?

Its not a fucking curse word. On top of that, this is one issue where bipartisan support is very likely, at least from McCain if no one else.

Get over it all ready. What kind of fucking country is this where the god damn President can't use the word "bipartisan" without some sensitive, overanalyzing harpy doesn't get all in a tizzy and cry over it?

[GOTV]

17. Bipartisanship ruined HCR so yes, it's now a curse word nt

[phleshdef]

26. No it didn't. The Republicans didn't participate. Members of our own party/caucus ruined HCR.

Don't play revisionist history this soon. At least wait awhile before you start lying about what happened.

[GOTV]

34. Right Repubs didn't ruin it, they abstained, it was bipartisanship ....

... and bipartisanship will kill this as well.

If we want to get something worthwhile, we can not depend on enthusiastic participation of the GOP.

[phleshdef]

35. Saying "I'm meeting with bipartisan members of congress" is not depending on enthusiastic support...

...from ANYONE. The OP and half the other posters in this thread are overreacting over a common political phrase. Its PETTY.

[GOTV]

47. You can "say" whatever you want - if you try to involve the GOP in crafting legislation ....

... that they don't even want you end up with garbage.

By the time they weaken the good ideas to the point they think 2 GOP senators will support it it will be crap and the 2 GOP senators will vote against it anyway.

And thus bipartisanship ruins the legislation.

[thunder rising]

36. What street corner are you getting your crack from. It's got to be good.

The Republicans DID participate and participate and participate and participate ...

Then voted against it.

[saracat]

49. Excuse me? Bacchus had a bipartisan panel and WE ruined it catering to SNOW

and Lieberman, in addition to Nelson and his GOP pals. or don't you remember that far back?

[saracat]

20. In this case that word has been used to sell out the people and f **k

us over to many times to ignore. This is the pursuit of a mythical concept at the expense of the literal lives of the people and we should be screaming from the rooftops. These aren't our grandfather's political parties and bipartisanship doesn't exist anymore.And after the tremendous destruction created in pursuit of it people are justifiably angry that its usage indicates further capitulation.

[phleshdef]

27. What a bunch of overreacting bullshit. He said he was gonna talk to members of both parties in cong.

But go ahead and feign some more anger while throwing around popular buzzwords like capitulation and the like, it really helps your point.

[thunder rising]

39. Pffft...there is no feigned anger ... it's anger. I've had it with the tippy toe dance with the pugs

[saracat]

40. Well, there sure is a lot of capitulation going on. Aren't we "waiting" on HCR

to accommodate the GOP and compromise yet more away, after it originally was an all fired rush to seat Ted's replacement so we could vote as quickly as possible? Hmm.. Not that I think the Bill is worth squat anyway.But no matter what some may think, we squandered a 60 vote majority in pursuit of a faux bipartisanship and wasted a once in a generation opportunity to really make change.And we still didn't get bipartisanship. There is nothing feigned about my anger. The reverberations of this faux bipartisanship are now filtering down and detrimentally affecting all our lives.But hey, some said I "overreacted when I said Stupak would pass". Some see reality as overreacting.And some folks think this is "just words".

[thunder rising]

45. Good point, yes we are; however, that does not mean the Republicans will delay and water down

an issue that is so clearly in their favor. They are Americans first. I'm sure they'll be lining up to vote YEA on any measure that limits corporate money and strengthen the voice of the American people.

:sarcasm:

[thunder rising]

28. McCain is FOR health care reform too ... just not the way Dems want to do it. Words vs Action

Just watch. There will be no legislation before the midterms and if there is any it will take effect after 2012. Betch'a

[phleshdef]

37. I'll just say it like this. Your OP is a bunch of overreactive pettiness and nothing more.

[thunder rising]

41. Your concern is noted.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. I think Vizinni is a more apt comparison -

I don't think that word means what he thinks it means.

[salguine]

31. "Whenever I hear the word 'bipartisan', it lets me know that some larger than usual

deception is afoot." —George Carlin

[saracat]

42. +! Million. I knew George and I grow to admire him more every day.

unlike most political idols, he was a genuinely great man.

[w4rma]

52. I think, perhaps, instead of trying to be "bipartisan" Dems should be "conservative".

True "Conservatives" should not like this ruling any more than "liberals". We should help the "conservatives" fight against the monied interests that want *their* money.

[depakid]

53. "Republicans are laughing in their response"

They surely are.

And have been for quite a while now.

[Vidar]

54. K&R.