"Barack gets it"

[proud2BlibKansan]

In October of 2008, Michelle Obama came here and gave a beautiful speech. One of the things she talked about was health care reform. Michelle told the story of Obama's mother, and how she spent the last few months of her life fighting insurance companies.

Michelle said "Barack gets it".

A year later, what do you think? Does Barack get it?

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. I know Margot Kidder gets it

:evilgrin:

[tridim]

3. Tiger used to get it.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Don't kid yaself

He still gets it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Sorry to say, I don't think he does...

And I have no idea why.

It could have been so much better than it's turning out to be.

It saddens me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. One of my friends who worked very hard on the Obama campaign made this sign last week

[snake in the grass]

40. He does get it.

He'd have to be as obtuse as W. not to. The problem is, he is beholden to the industry. Every other industrialized nation on this planet is civilized enough to recognize the importance of a single-payer system that covers everyone. We are the exception and are paying the price for it. Apologists will defend Obama on this, as if real reform is impossible and even unwanted, but the truth is, he has lot been a leader on this issue at all. His wishy washy "I'd like to see a public option in the bill" is not enough.

[LakeSamish706]

4. Not with standing more information do I think that Barack gets it. I wish I could

think that he does get it today, but I don't. Things have changed big time from January 20th till now IMHO. I wish he would get back to what I thought he was all about, but some how I am not seeing that happening.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. He does get it

The Senate doesn't as it is controlled by the corporations.

[dflprincess]

51. If he got it, he wouldn't have taken single payer off the table

He is as controlled by corporations as any member of Congress.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Barack gets it.

Unfortunately, there aren't 60 dem senators that get it.

I don't think you get that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. But how hard is he working to get those 60 senators on board?

I honestly don't know. But I wonder.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. OK.

You don't get it.

[JTFrog]

29. +1

[snake in the grass]

41. He's doing nothing to get the senators on board.

I can understand him wanting to get the GOP on board. He tried and they told him to piss off. At that point he should have treated them like the irrelevant pukes that they are. He could put massive pressure on the Blue Ball Democrats, but instead he has played nice. His forgive and forget attitude toward Lieberpig was enough to make me vomit. Obama offers only platitudes in the place of what is really needed, namely leadership.

[rwheeler31]

8. Yes

It is these rotten corporate congress critters who do not.

[O is 44]

9. Does Congress get it?

I wish more on this board would rant about the lousy congress. How is it that 5 losers are able to hold up legislation? And before you say Bush got whatever he wanted, I found out that the idiots who are blocking healthcare were the same idiots who helped pass Bush's agenda. If only Obama had such nice little helpers from that other side.

[Clio the Leo]

22. The more I watch them ....

.... the more I marvel that ANYTHING gets passed. Committee Hearings in the House are one grand standing charade after another and the Senate is only slightly better.

We did the President a favor by getting out of there. lol

[rockymountaindem]

10. I am not sure

He seems so interested in not getting in the way of Congress and not attaching his name to something that might not get adopted it's hard to tell exactly where he stands. He seems to be for anything that will move the ball forward. I can understand that, but I wish he would realize that if he would lean on people more publicly, maybe we could more the ball a bit more forward than otherwise.

At least that might have worked a few months ago before his approval rating tanked.

[Yuugal]

23. If he would stop punting on first down.....

we could probably move the ball forward more. :)

[babylonsister]

11. What do you think? Do you think Barack is being stupid or do you think

there's a reason behind his silence? Maybe he gets it more than any of us. I don't know, but something is happening, and he's fully aware of it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Did you notice last week right after Obama announced his troop surge in Afghanistan,

Karzide suggested he and the Taliban leaders begin peace talks?

That story didn't get much play but I wondered if Obama helped orchestrate that. A method to his madness perhaps?

Honestly, I don't know what to think. I am disappointed with health care reform but not ready to throw in the towel. It's not over yet.

[babylonsister]

17. I am amazed at what is going on behind the scenes that no one is

aware of or talking about. China/Japan is a perfect example. James Fallows from theatlantic.com threaded that needle, comparing what happened overseas vs. the media. Obama won hands down, diplomatically, but the m$m missed the whole deal.

I/we need to find people like Fallows who tell the truth and are so knowledgeable about what actually is happening; it's really sad that the regular 'newz' can't even attempt it.

[Cha]

19. The m$m missed the whole deal

because they wanted to..they can't do their job and show anything that's good about the Obama admin bc they are set on having a repuke back in 2012.

[TankLV]

35. He's playing THREE DIMENSIONAL CHESS don't you know!!!

wish he's work for US for a "change"...

[Cha]

13. Yes, he gets it. And, I'm so happy we have

him where he is.

Cross post..

<snip>

"..Remember, nothing is easier than stopping something in our political system and doing something is always riskier than doing nothing. You only need 40 votes to shut down debate and Republicans almost always try to do so. So even if this compromise totally sucks from the standpoint of what needs to be done to bring us to the level of any self-respecting European nation, the fact that it looks like it’s happening remains rather jaw-dropping. Teddy Roosevelt proposed a national health-care program in the Bull Moose platform of 1912, but lost the election to Woodrow Wilson, who had no interest. Harry Truman made it a priority in 1948, but had no power to pass it with a Republican Congress. Bill Clinton could have passed something in 1992, but screwed it up beyond belief by 1994 and lost the Democrats their congressional majority in the process. But Barack Obama, somehow, looks like he’s going to make it work.

snip//

Barack Obama took a helluva risk when he decided to make health-care reform the centerpiece of his administration’s first two years. Economic reform would have been smarter and easier. All of the Clintonites tried to warn him off. Republicans swore he was trying to murder old people on his way to creating a Nazi/Soviet/Acorn state. Millions poured into the coffers of potential opponents from those whose profits appeared threatened. “Harry and Louise” came back to life, together with the equally implausible Betsy McCaughey, who, together with William Kristol, deserved a lion’s share of the “credit” for killing health care back in 1994. (Whether in panic or in tribute I cannot say, but Kristol’s Weekly Standard Web site managed to throw up eight separate posts in the immediate aftermath of the announced compromise, alternately mocking the notion that such a bill might pass and warning of imminent apocalypse if it did.)

One impressive statistic is that despite the complexity of the issue, the considerable impact it is likely to have on individual lives, and the media fascination with the scare tactics of “the Commie/Nazis are coming” right-wing, a solid majority of Americans wants Congress to pass a health-care reform bill, preferably with a public option. And it looks like they are actually going to get it. And that, alas, is when things will really get complicated…."

<more>
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x48575

Actually Obama said he'd be happy with one term if it meant the country got Health Care Reform.

[Ken Burch]

28. One historical correction to that quote

AFTER the 1948 election, Harry Truman once again had a DEMOCRATIC Congress. They wouldn't pass universal healthcare, and refused to do so at least in part out of fear of the "Red Scare" that Truman himself had help whip up with his attacks on Henry Wallace's supporters, the vast majority of whom were just independent leftists.

[parasim]

18. Oh, yeah, I'm sure he gets it.

He probably also gets that being president of the United States doesn't mean shit. Once you get there, you realize that it ain't about you, it's just all a bunch of horseshit.

[LakeSamish706]

20. Barack does not get it IMHO... I seriously used to think he did, but do not now. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

21. He gets it. He also realizes he'll only get what he can get Congress to pass. When Social

Security was passed, the Senate had 69 Democrats, 25 Republicans (96 was the total). When Medicare was passed, the Senate had 68 Democrats, 32 Republicans and a martyred President who had campaigned on passing Medicare in 1960.

Democrats have been trying to do this for at least 70 years.

We have to keep every Democrat and two oppositely positioned Independents together to pass it.

I'm sick of people acting like this is easy and Obama just isn't trying.

There is a reason it hasn't been done before.

[Lugnut]

24. I think he does.

The problem is it's not up to him to make it happen.

[Hekate]

25. He does. Things are going on behind the scenes. And CONGRESS, not POTUS, has to produce this baby.

Why do people keep blaming Obama for the failings of the US Congress?

Hekate

[dionysus]

37. because it's convenient. it's that simple.

[Raine]

26. Michelle was mistaken

he doesn't get it ... at all. :-(

[LastNaturalist]

27. Barack gets it.

Michelle gets Barack. I wish I could get Michelle. But Barack gets Michelle.

[Goldstein1984]

30. Obama has disappointed in a lot of ways, but

health care reform failure is in the hands Congress, and specifically in the hands of Republicans, Conservadems and the insurance industry's favorite whore--Joe Lieberman.

Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Dennis Kucinich and a handful of other good people just aren't enough to overcome the institutionalized corruption in our government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street.

I like to think, "Barack gets it." But I wonder, too.

[lamp_shade]

31. Yes.... he gets it.

[elleng]

32. Yes, and I think those who doubt that he does

have no idea how difficult it is to accomplish such things here, in spite of watching The Hill day after day.

[goclark]

47. He gets it but there are some evil people in Congress

Many in his own party.

[quaker bill]

33. Far, far more

than he lets on.

[TankLV]

34. NO. FUCKING. WAY.

He didn't "get it" with McGlurkin or Warren, he won't start NOW...

[HopeOverFear]

36. Yes I believe he gets it because he talked about witnessing his mother

going through the hells of dealing with an insurance company.

[RoadRage]

38. Barack would SIGN a bill that had Public Option or even Single Payer..

However, so far I don't see anyone presenting that to him.

Again - OBAMA SIGNS BILLS INTO LAW. He doesn't CREATE THEM! This is Civics 101.... but don't let reality stop you from continuing to bash the guy for something that is beyond his control!

[dflprincess]

52. Presidents have been known to send or push legislation with Congress

FDR and LBJ both did it. Obama could show some leadership if he chose to.

[LWolf]

39. No.

I never thought he did, regardless of what Michelle said in '08.

If he "got" it, he'd have been pushing for single-payer all along.

[Yavin4]

42. Again, Obama Critics Want Him To Deliver Single Payer HCR Without Congressional Approval

Delivery of significant government soical programs is not like ordering a pizza. You can't just put in an order and get it. He's not a dictator. He's a president that has to work with pure assholes in the congress.

The reason why he has taken the light touch approach is because he was told that Hillary's heavy-handed approach in 1993 is really what killed HCR back then.

[Armstead]

45. Its more the "no touch" apprioach

No we didn't expect him to single-handed create single payer immediately. Stop making ridiculous assertions.

But he could have done a hell of a lot more to push Congress to do something more meaningful.

You don't think Obama could have played a much larger role in putting the screws to the asshole contingent, so they would go along with the majority who at least want a meaningful public option?

[Yavin4]

46. You Can Only Push Congress But So Much

Most of these senators will be in congress long after Obama is gone, so they don't fear him that much.

[Armstead]

48. Why was Bush able to (usually) ram through his agenda?

Republicans did not like everything Bush did. But with a few rare exceptions, he pretty much got what he wanted.

yes, that was often because most republicans want the same things. But you gotta admit, for most of his administratiion Bush made it pretty difficult for a GOP Congresscritter to go against what the administration wanted.

I'm not suggesting that Obama be as heavy handed. But there's a lot of room between that and "You boys do whatever you want and I'll sign it."

[Yavin4]

50. Because Republicans Are Ideologically Pure

And their moderates quake in fear of their base.

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. That is a good point

Perhaps it's time to bring up term limits once again.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

56. For the curious, this is the very definition of a straw-man argument

This is some dinosaur straw-man... the good old stuff.

"Obama Critics Want Him To Deliver Single Payer HCR Without Congressional Approval"

Wow, with opponents like that arguing would be a breeze! Too bad they're not real.

[polichick]

43. He gets that corporations run the country. nt

[Armstead]

44. He "gets it" but he is either too timid or too ineffective to do anything about it

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and niot say that perhaps he has been bought off -- or forgot the lesson once he entered the rarified air of the WH

[NJmaverick]

53. Yeah the man came from humble orgins and knows what it's like to suffer

struggles of getting health care

[Umbral]

54. It depends on what the meaning of the word 'it' is... nt

[AngryOldDem]

55. I think he gets it, but so far he's not willing to stand up to Congress.

And that is more of an indictment of both Congress and the office of the Presidency, than it is of Obama as a leader or a person.

[avaistheone1]

57. If Obama gets it. He doesn't care or have the courage to act.

The way Obama and his admin have handled health care reform is a disaster.