Obama: All Health Care, All the Time
A couple weeks ago, you know about the time the citizens of Massachusetts elected a Republican to fill a Senate seat Democrats had held since the twilight of the Truman Administration, I thought I had read somewhere that President Obama planned to pivot away from health care and focus on jobs and the economy. And while he may have given a speech hither, thither and yon on the economy, his focus at least since last June has been on overhauling the nation’s health care system.
Of course, he’s taken the occasional break to focus on other (more) pressing issues, like the war in Afghanistan, but he really seems bound and determined not just to effect some reform in health care, but to enact some major changes to the system. While it might be smart politcally, as David Freddoso put it in the Washington Examiner yesterday, for Obama to retreat from his ambitious overhaul and seek instead “a cosmetic victory, after which he should privately acknowledge defeat and run like hell from this issue as quickly as possible,” the Democrat ”has already shut himself off from this path by committing to the position that incremental health reforms would be ineffectual.”
As another pundit put it, he “has put all of his eggs in the healthcare basket.“
Remember, the president, like all of us, only has a limited number of hours in the day, so he can’t devote his attention to every issue. But, in recent days, it seems it’s been all health care all the time. He held all all-day health care “summit” with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders. It not only took time to convene and conduct the summit, but it also took time to prepare for it. Meanwhile he’s been having meetings in the White House, trying to strong arm wavering Democrats to support his overhaul.
Soon, he’ll be traveling to Philadelphia and St. Louis to stump for reform.
What does it say about about the Administration of a president who devotes most of his time to one issue when the American people find other issues far more pressing? When he’s fighting to expand the size and scope of the state at a time when people favor a smaller, less energetic government and seek to put a lid on its growth and costs while expressing about ever-increasing deficits?
And remember this when running for president, this is the guy who promised us a “net spending cut,” saying that he’d been promoting such spending reductions “throughout this campaign.”
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What does it say about about the Administration of a president who devotes most of his time to one issue when the American people find other issues far more pressing?
Actually, I think most Americans (and the polls seem to show this more and more) not only think there are “More Pressing” issues, they are entirely AGAINST the “reform” 0bama is pushing. And, the more he pushes it, the less popular it becomes.
Even Bush, when the war was at it’s least popular only had a few who were aggressively against it. This has centrists, moderates, conservatives, and well about 3/4 of all America angered by it. And even some of his supporters are against this.
Comment by JP — March 5, 2010 @ 6:14 am - March 5, 2010
Where’s that laser focus?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — March 5, 2010 @ 6:26 am - March 5, 2010
Obama is Captain Ahab and Moby Dick is Nationalized Health Care. The Pequod is the frail ship of state and if it is lost in the battle to harpoon Nationalized Health Care, so be it. Ishmael stands on the deck trying to figure out how getting dragged to death in the icy seas is beneficial.
Or, “Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.” That’s a plan.
There is no pattern for megalomania, except an unwavering focus on a goal no matter the destructive consequences.
If you study Marxist revolutionaries in the US, you can see how people like Obama scheme and dedicate their energy.
Comment by heliotrope — March 5, 2010 @ 10:38 am - March 5, 2010
“And remember this when running for president, this is the guy who promised us a “net spending cut,”’
Which means he SHOULD be spending this time trying to pass Obamacare – given that it will REDUCE the budget deficit over the next decade – according to the CBO – the scorekeeper that all of you have loudly proclaimed to be standard by which these bills are to be judged.
Comment by Tano — March 5, 2010 @ 11:15 am - March 5, 2010
Um yeah, the CBO only says it will save money if Congress also enacts the future cuts that it says it will (they are not part of the bill). Mainly these are cuts to medicare payments (hilariously doctors are already refusing medicare patients due to not getting paid or getting paid so little, and they want to cut it more).
So yeah, take a guess as to whether those cuts will take place. Those have nothing to do with the bill, so why not pass the cuts now?
Comment by plutosdad — March 5, 2010 @ 12:08 pm - March 5, 2010
Tano:
And, if it turns out the numbers were fudged and the CBO was working with global warming quality data ….. will we get our money back?
You first, Tano. You can be the lead lemming. I prefer to take videos of you jumping off the cliff. (You really need to visit a rabbit farm and see if you can buy some smart pills.)
Comment by heliotrope — March 5, 2010 @ 12:28 pm - March 5, 2010
Well it’s nice to see Tano’s dug out of all the global warming and is back using our tax dollars to post.
Of course Tano firmly believes that the estimates are valid, and that the government will collect revenue for years without touching it so the hijinks in their accounting with the CBO will buy them a few years.
Comment by The_Livewire — March 5, 2010 @ 1:20 pm - March 5, 2010
So the people who were fooled and elected the liar and boob Obama now insist that his plan to cover all Americans, improve health care and cut medicine to old people will SAVE A TRILLION DOLLARS. There should be a dummy boob fools test before these people are allowed to vote again.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — March 5, 2010 @ 3:06 pm - March 5, 2010
Paul Ryan said it accurately. Hey guys, the CBO scores the data and facts laid before them. Obama laid a ponzie scheme in front of the CBO.
Soc Security, Medicare, Medicaide, Obama care, all bankrupt and underwater in 20 years…..
Take all the money from the health insurers and you can run the health system for two days I think the brilliant Paul Ryan also said.
On another topic, is there a hotter and smarter candidate in the field than Marco Rubio? Something about latins. I’m naming my first child Marco….boy or girl.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — March 5, 2010 @ 3:10 pm - March 5, 2010
Which means he SHOULD be spending this time trying to pass Obamacare – given that it will REDUCE the budget deficit over the next decade – according to the CBO – the scorekeeper that all of you have loudly proclaimed to be standard by which these bills are to be judged.
Unfortunately, Tano, you’ve already undercut that one. You stated when the CBO scored the Republican plan that reduces deficits without any cuts in Medicare that the CBO was wrong.
So you can state that the CBO was right when it stated that the Republican plan would reduce the deficit, or you can be hauled out as a fine example of a liar and a hypocrite.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — March 5, 2010 @ 3:11 pm - March 5, 2010
Tano: please cite one federal entitlement program that has resulted in a net spending cut. Just one. Anything since 1787. Thanks.
Comment by SoCalRobert — March 6, 2010 @ 1:53 am - March 6, 2010
“New Government Programs Always Cost More Than Predicted”
http://biggovernment.com/gknapp/2010/03/02/new-government-programs-always-cost-more-than-predicted/
Comment by Sean A — March 6, 2010 @ 6:02 am - March 6, 2010
I can’t figure out why Tano wants this mess?? He fights for something that is just bad. Why would you want the gov to take more of your hard earned money and waist it. They could just give those so called uninsured the money directly to buy an insurance policy. Let’s not talk about how many illegals are in that number because they are! We have a Pot policy now they want to sell, just think if you opened up state lines how many choices we would have it would be great. When they say certain people can’t get covered that’s just a big fat lie. People just don’t read, they are lazy they only listen to news in passing and we need to change that because they have changed or left out our history and the media doesn’t think twice about bold face lying at all. The government is not your friend people they want your hard earned money to put in their pockets why would you want that. When have you been excited to go to the DMV or PO or the SS office it sucks. Can you imagine trying to go to the doctor that way, yikes! They think our system will stay the same just paid for, puhleeeeeeez, if this goes through oh my gosh I can’t even think about it….
Comment by jann — March 7, 2010 @ 9:38 am - March 7, 2010
Jann,
Tano works for the federal government, so it’s taking your money, not his.
Comment by The_Livewire — March 7, 2010 @ 5:18 pm - March 7, 2010