President Obama’s Opening Statement – UPDATE

I can’t believe that the GOP’s opening statement is to “renounce” the bills that Congress spent nearly a year on. They are not serious about participating. They don’t want this to succeed.

Lamar: don’t jam HC thru recon. Uh, COBRA, dude? (thx, KT for reminding us about that – love ya!)

“Eric Cantor has big stacks of paper in front of him. Are these props for a point he intends to make about the size of the Democratic health reform bills?”

If so can we all, on all sides just admit we’re exasperated by this point. I will never, ever complain that a Republican bill or a bill not to my liking, is “too long.” They’re all long. Except when they’re too short (when they’re too short they tend to be vague and to enhance government power with accountability).

But really, it’s time for congress to stop debating the size of bills and to deal with what’s in them. It’s not the size that matters it’s how you enact it.

Maybe he’s channeling his inner Stephen Colbert.

This year long saga has created a bill that the majority of the public does not want. The polls show that there is only a 41% support for the bill as it. In fact 65% want congress to start all over.

But what you also need to remember is that in all actuality Democrats and Obama could have passed either plan without the help of the Republicans. Note I said COULD HAVE. The problem is that Obama can’t get all of the Democrats on board. He can’t even get his own party in lock step in order to pass this legislation. So now Obama stands, needing to woo the Republicans in order to get it passed.

It’s not the GOP that is the party of No, it’s the Blue Dog Democrats who are shouting NO.

Obama failed to mention this latest socialized medicine disaster:

“Patients were routinely neglected or left ‘sobbing and humiliated’ by staff at an NHS trust where at least 400 deaths have been linked to appalling care.

“An independent inquiry found that managers at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust stopped providing safe care because they were preoccupied with government targets and cutting costs.

“The inquiry report, published yesterday by Robert Francis, QC, included proposals for tough new regulations that could lead to managers at failing NHS trusts being struck off.

“Staff shortages at Stafford Hospital meant that patients went unwashed for weeks, were left without food or drink and were even unable to get to the lavatory. Some lay in soiled sheets that relatives had to take home to wash, others developed infections or had falls, occasionally fatal. Many staff did their best but the attitude of some nurses ‘left a lot to be desired.’” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article7039285.ece

Speaking of “not serious about participating”…

Eric Cantor has big stacks of paper in front of him. Are these props for a point he intends to make about the size of the Democratic health reform bills?

Hey Eric, let’s reduce the bill size to one phrase: MEDICARE FOR ALL! Got that?

And to textee: Have you ever been out of the country or is the UK just a place you read about on line? Every country has its short comings when it comes to care…40,000 (100 times more) Americans die each year for lack of health care. Brought to you by the American plan – of greed for profit.

Actually, in reply to 1.1, funny thing is…newsweek poll out this week asked respondants how they felt about senate plan, and majority opposed. Then, they asked people about specific pieces in the plan, majority of which were supported with > 60% approval. Then, they let respondents know that all of those pieces were in the senate plan, and guess what happened… the approval of the senate bill flipped to a majority of people in favor of the bill. So, the problem is that so much misinformation and negative generalizations are being circulated, and instead of working on plans that help the PEOPLE the most, keep us safer and give us more power, the republicans are fighting for things that make the INSURANCE companies stronger. Paul Ryan said he doesn’t want ‘Washington coming between people and their doctors’, well guess what… the reforms empower DOCTORS to make decisions and force INSURANCE companies to respect those decisions.

Since nobody in the administration or congressional leadership has proposed a system like that, this is a red herring like most of the objections to HCR. Even single payer would not result in such as system.

You should know by now that the plans passed by the Senate and the House in no way resemble the UK’s system. I know you know this, in fact, because you are a regular on this blog, and since you can write I assume you can read. You should also know that the NHS, despite failures like the one referenced, is very popular in the UK – messing with it is the third rail of British politics. Pointing out where other institutions fail is no excuse for the failure of our own. What I would like you to point out, instead, is one single progressive who has advocated a wholesale adoption of another country’s system. Do that, before making silly noises about organizational mistakes that have no relevance to our current discussion.

Exactly the point abou the UK system. You can always dig up some horror story to damn another country’s system…and we have plenty of our own damning stories. Whether it is the UK or any of the other nations with a national health care plan, you don’t see people marching in the streets to end them and bring in the American insurance model. They think the American system is barbaric and we are insane for clinging to it! And they are right!