democrats kill the public option in health care reform

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 10:04pm

it's dead. stick a fork in the public option. democrats declare it so after a behind closed doors meeting that didn't involve joltin' joe lieberman.

lefty bloggers have now turned their attention on defeating what's left of the bill.
lieberman is a god among mere mortals

[Q]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 10:07pm

Who says you can't do nothing with the majority capability?

All hail incompetence!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 10:19pm

aravosis says:
kill it

[strummergirl]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 10:30pm

Harry Reid makes Daschle look attractive right now as Senate Maj. Leader.

[Q]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 10:30pm

". . . we the people handed this President and this Congress control of the White House, the US House of Representatives, and filibuster-proof control of the US Senate. We handed them a GOP that was in tatters, and a populace that desperately wanted change. And they blew it. They gave us weakness and cowardice and fear in return. The President went back on his promises from almost day one, and then stayed out of the entire debate until - well - he's still not really involved in the debate, other than to occasionally have his staff secretly try undercut his own campaign promises."

Succinct, to the point, and SHAMEFUL.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 11:14pm

For the record, the Medicare buy-in that Lieberman is allegedly opposed to is something he campaigned FOR in 2000 and 2006, and supported in a radio interview as recently as three months ago.

In my opinion, if they strip the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid out of the bill, it should be defeated.

I am going to write to my Congressman, Senators, and President to voice my concenrs.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 11:17pm

So we won't have affordable health care in my lifetime, and we won't have gay marriage in my lifetime.

Things could be worse.

Sarah Palin could have been a heartbeat away from the presidency.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 11:34pm

To be clear, if they pass healthcare without a public option or an expansion of Medicare/Mediciad, the only winner in all of this will be the insurance industry. People will be required to buy insurance, but there will be no effective change in the level of competition in the marketplace.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 11:40pm

I will back-up MadBrian. The only way the system worked is if the anti-trust law was lifted from big pharma monopolizing state-to-state. I actually hope this is attempted, but that is wishful thinking.

Nobody's going to like it if there is not only a PO or expansion in Medicare/Medicaid(the latter still has hope). Conservatives- Democrat or Republican- were never going waver no matter how gutted the bill was in their eyes and progressives will probably won't touch this with a ten foot poll.

But first thing's first on the table. Strip Joe The Bummer of his chairmanship so he can live on a plain. GOP, you can have him.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/14/09 at 11:46pm

My solution: let them filibuster. Let them speak as long as they want. Make them stand there and read the phone book while Americans die every day due to our broken system. Put tote boards up in Times Square and DC counting the number of citizens who die due to lack of coverage during the filibuster.

Updated On: 12/15/09 at 11:46 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 12:14am

I am so angry with Obama and company right now. He was elected with a mandate and has **** footed around! He has lost a supporter in me. Change we can believe in my ass!

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 12:18am

I share your frustration, but I'd advise you to vent at www.whitehouse.gov in addtion to here. You should write your Senators and Congressperson, too.

[Q]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 1:14am

"You should write your Senators and Congressperson"

Because they have a track record of listening to the people?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 6:21am

i don't think joe's gonna suffer any backlash for this and here's my conspiracy to 'splain why:

they realized that they didn't have the votes no matter what they did. realizing that, they needed a strawman to blame. joe's hated on the left anyway so he's not gonna pay any real price on the left for this. what are they gonna do? drive him outta the party and run a progressive democrat against him in the general election?

so you've got the guy the left hates anyway. if they cut a deal with him that he takes the heat for killing this without losing any of his status in the senate, why wouldn't he do it?

it makes sense. the left just hates a guy they already hated and everyone else throws up their hands and says, "well, it's that doggone joe." meanwhile they pass a bill that is a giveaway to pharma. just like tarp was for the banks. just like the bailout was for the auto industry.

the big pockets lobbyists leep the money flowing in what looks to be a brutal year for incumbents in '10.

the white house spins it that even though it's not perfect, it's a step in the right direction. so they get their victory.

joe gets pillioried on the left and burnishes his rep with independents and the gop and pays no price with the party.

so, everybody wins. except the american people.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 7:20am

Papa, I disagree with just about every syllable in your conspiracy theory, and I hope I'm right and you're wrong, and I hope I'm not just so angry right now that I'm blind to reality.

That said, I'm and independent who got on board the Obama train last year. For me, it was a major commitment, giving my time and money as I never have before. Rigth now, they've lost me, and I find it hard to believe that I'm the only one.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 7:45am

so, everybody wins. except the american people.

That means you and yours lose too, Papa.

And not a single Republican did a damn thing to help you.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 8:32am

Just as well. The taxation would have started immediately, but the healthcare wouldn't have kicked in until 2014.

And the Medicare idea was dumb from the start. Medicare is already in debt, putting millions of people on it would have broken the system.

But expect Obama to continue to blame Bush for all his problems. It's all he knows how to do.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 9:00am

Oh come on, everybody. Obama and the Dems have so much on their plates, they're so busy, they'll get it right eventually, just be patient.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 9:25am

The problem is Roscoe, they won't have the majority for long. Now is the best time to make the major changes.
I am afraid that Obama, by trying to be everyone's friend and inclusive is in fact turning ineffectual. What change have we actually seen that really means anything?

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 9:40am

I was being sarcastic in my earlier post, recycling the arguments that people were making when some got angry over Obama's lack of interest in keeping his promises to the gay community.

Obama's just another lying politician, only the latest in a long line of untrustworthy scumbags in the pocket of the big businesses that really own the world anyway. It is all too evident that Obama had no intention of being a real agent of reform -- he's sold us all out far too readily.

Updated On: 12/15/09 at 09:40 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 9:47am

oh, pj, i'm sorry that last bit was kinda sarcastic. unlike billy bragg i don't look to the government to help the working man.

roscoe's right. you complainers just ought to be glad that they're even talking about reform! remember, words matter.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 10:01am

I loved repeating that argument, Roscoe, until I got a smackdown for it. And yet I was right.

I don't understand what happened to all of the screeching Obama harpies that where everywhere (including this board) all throughout the primary. I don't understand how the people who were all "wait, gays, wait" after the election and the Rick Warren, and the reaffirmation of DOMA etc, happened are surprised now.

None of this should have been a surprise. The only surprise is how many people fell for Obama's big bag of BS.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 12:42pm

Remind me again what was so awful about Hillary.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 12:48pm

Let's not get all sentimentally "what if?" about Hillary. She'd have done the exact same thing that Obama has done.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/15/09 at 1:09pm

She probably would have done something similar, but her MAIN focus and pitch wasn't universal health care reform, was it? The election seems like a lifetime ago. Seems like this administration is doing everything they can to make it look like this isn't a complete failure, which is exactly what it is. "Solid B" my ass. I understand that every president has the best of intentions and upon actually getting into the office is faced with a rude awakening.

I don't know the answer, but I do know that I am losing my health coverage in January. With 2010 increases, it has become too much for my employers to pay and I really can't afford it on my own. I am not asking for a free handout. I work hard. I just can't budget $389 per month for bare minimum coverage on top of what I am already paying out. Neither of the two jobs I work are for companies. There are no group discounts. It's pretty ridiculous.

Updated On: 12/15/09 at 01:09 PM