Pierce writes: "The president finally has found the six-word answer on why health-care reform - any health-care reform - couldn't wait..."
President Obama reacts to health care decision. (photo: Luke Sharrett/AP)
The Progressive President Speaks: About Damn Time
28 June 12
o hang your fortune on chance.
The president finally has found the six-word answer on why health-care reform - any health-care reform - couldn't wait until the second term, or on a jobs package, or on a Wall Street bailout, or something else that tickled Rahm Emanuel in his funny places. People were getting sick because they couldn't afford to stay well. People were dying because they couldn't afford to get well. This is a moral imperative with which every industrialized nation on the planet, except this one, had grappled successfully. And today, in reaction to the Supreme Court's decision largely upholding his own admittedly flawed attempt to come to grips with it, the president was more eloquent, and more convincing, than he's been at any point during the prolonged - and occasionally ridiculous - fight over the law itself. He talked about all those American citizens who had to worry "not just about the cost of getting sick, but the cost of getting well." Those people, he said, shouldn't be forced to "hang their fortunes on chance."
Contrast that with the Romneybot 2.0, meeping away on a balcony in Washington, forgetting that the Supreme Court also handed Governor Romney a considerable vindication of the (immensely popular) program he put in place here in Massachusetts - the one in which he called the individual mandate "a personal responsibility issue" - and talking in bloodless banalities about what he would keep and what he would throw out, and tossing out all kinds of meretricious figures about what's going to happen, and never really coming to grips with the millions of people who, at the moment, at least, do not have to hang their fortunes on chance.
The popular opinion among the pundits is that the president should now walk softly on this issue, or that the issue will fade as the campaign rolls on. I think that would be as big a mistake as his pulling back in the face of the manufactured outrage of 2010 was. The president should talk about this every day. He should pin the Massachusetts program to Romney's forehead. He should force the issue out of economics and into an argument about the general welfare (And he should, for the love of god, stop talking about our need to pay down The Deficit.) He got a win today. So did the people who no longer have to hang their fortunes on chance. To hell with repeal-and-replace. The president should run on maintain-and-improve. His defenders back when the law passed kept saying that the ACA was worth passing because it was the first step toward the progressive goal of universal coverage. If he really meant what he said today, that should be the president's position now and forever. We'll see how many fortunes the system will force to hang there on chance.
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Comments
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The "president" should do a lot of things.
For the public.
But he won't.
Now, if you're a wall street investment banker, or you're an insurance company executive, CEO, or salesman, you can count on the "president" to fall all over himself doing everything damn thing he can think of to enrich you.
As long as you contribute to his campaign financing fund.
And if you can't or won't contribute to his campaign financing, you aren't worth the time of day to the "president".
I can attest though that it does change periodically... a little.
Sadly, most Obama supporters are not big on truth. It's inconvenient.
They mostly would rather just "win", or be able to convince themselves of a win, even if they and the country have to lose for them to "win".
Hence the downrates up there.
Romney is the real rich one and is so out of touch ,I doubt if he has never had to wait in an emergency room in his life.
He is so much the rich mans candidate.
I know that there are lots of people who hate Obama with a frenzy, but I think there are more who like him.
In his address, he clearly laid out the case for the Health Care legislation. He needs to do that again and again with the major issues that voters will consider coming into November - speaking clearly, without being afraid of what the right wing will think. Asking for compromise has been proven not to work with this Congress and the people who manipulate them. These are not voters who will vote Democratic anyway.
Appeal instead to the Democratic base and its sense of morality, and appeal to Independents who can be persuaded by your logical argument, your sense of decency, and your eloquence.
this was a republican bill, drafted up in the Cato institute, a conservative think tank. The Heritage Foundation was pushing for individual mandate,
The republicans were wanting this because; taxpayer money was going toward paying for the medical bills especially Emergency room visits, because of the "freeloaders who are too cheap to buy themselves health insurance".
THe GOP was for this up until Obama joined them and had decided they were right.
Of course, since they had sworn and oath to un-seat Obama as top priority, they couldn't work with HIM.
Then they turned against.
NDAA = you + indefinite detention
Still occupying Iraq and Afghanistan
Still have unlabeled GMOs in corn
Wall Street still running amok
Big Pharma is bigger
Your dollar's value is less than 75 cents
How 'bout them gas prices?
Women still being raped in the military
And you want me to vote for Obama?
I refuse to vote for the 'lesser of two evils' any more.
If I were a one-issue voter like people who will vote for someone who is anti-choice because of their stance on that single issue, maybe, but this guy is wrong on so many issues that I cannot and will not in good conscience vote for him.
Vote for whoever you want that is your right but show me any one who gives a damn about anything but themselves and I will vote for them....
Gas prices are coming down however, I would like to see us keep them down. But that takes people making statement and stop driving unnecessarily. We did a gas revolt in 70's nowadays people are tooooo selfish to even think about working together so hence you created the two evil system.
Many times Obama has had the opportunity to do something campaign promise-related , but has either wussed out in the guise of so-called 'bipartisanship ' or just stared off into the distance as opportunities to act disappeared. Why vote for more of the same? Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.
It's time to push for third parties and/or proportional representation. Until we have a truly representationa l democracy, we have no voice and this is not a government of the people, by the people and for the people, but of the people, by corporations, and for profit.
TAXES ... LIES!
Yep, it is a TAX not a penalty, and Obama-care MAKES people BUY a product they may not need if the GOVERNMENT judges a citizen needs that product.
I buy it, I am not stupid enough to think I do not need insurance. since no one wants to work together to get the Politicians to give us Universal Care I need health insurance.
I am tired of people raking up bills at hospitals, Seniors, Workers have to pay for them.
You do not want HealthCare fine, then you will have to pay a fine to be used towards that emergency room you may need one day. I can understand if you created yourself, have no family to be so arogant, but if a member of your family has need for an organ, needs chemo...where is that money coming from.
Read how much parents pay to keep their children alive...it is not a cheap, their lives are never the same.
Grow Up Work for Changes, this is only a raw bill, it needs improvement after all it was created by Man
If 'they' did the right thing, 'they' would have to leave their posts of power.
While an Obama supporter, I still believe he will continue to low-key his presidency then leave, graciously, after one term. He is still young and will make a fortune. It really makes sense.
The backfire to come is when business realizes that it--business--i s the real target of the right wing control nuts. Own, and in this case seize, business and you control the nation. That's the end goal. Most are no longer concerned about the people, as the Supreme Court and voter fraud have seized all their power.
None of this is my wish. Just what I foresee. Tried to warn about 911. Tried to warn about the economic collapse. No one listened then, either.
Businesses like corporations are still not reading the fine print because they allow everyone else to do so...the owners just want the money not the headaches so I hope they all fall down. Meaning the ones who do not care or are not here and hiring Americans.
The smaller companies, and small business already saw Insurance nail them to the cross on the last Workman Comp Law. That was a great play on words...only ones who made out were Ins Companies. We are too soon oldt and too late smart .... Amish Proverb I believe
And this is where, once again, the hypocrisy of the Republicans rears its ugly head ... they want "personal responsibility" , except when they don't.
If members want to walk out of a Vote that has yet to show any facts, that is their right. I have the right to Walk, March, Protest...so does anyone else.
Don't like it...fine, your opinion. I do not like Holder myself but I am tired of people wanting things that may not even exist. I want have lots of questions on that botch job in Arizona.
I also would like to know why we are making such a big deal, Holder gets a fine. How about the Bodies of those people in Arizona ... killed due to color, maybe illegal? How about the prejudice we show people because they are different. Then we call ourselves Christian or whatever. Funny, there was no just 'white' mold made.
I have no intentions of Voting out People who take a Stand. I would rather Vote out the ones who hide under the desks.
The Chief Justice put the issue of Obamacare back where it belonged. If Congress cannot debate without theatrics then come November those who believe walking out is a debating method should be replaced at the ballot box.
'Those who do not speak for the people but for themselves'...J oeconserve YOU MUST examine that concept with a more critical eye for those you describe WERE doing just that!
This was a good thing, and it can be improved upon. Better than nothing at all.
One Step at a Time.
Shiney things Smeagle, shiney things.
Right, good observation!
Some of this lot are like the know-bugger-all 's all who complains about the cutlery or place-settings in an restaurant where the food and service is decent and improving.
The expressions "Common good" and "We the People" are losing their true populist meaning in this mean-spirited and introspective era, driven and followed by the same types who would put Christ (I'm just using the name as an example here; whether I believe it or not ain't nobody's business!) in jail or execute him if he did indeed show up again with the same message.
Let them eat their own blinkered and medievalist cake but leave those of us alone who are into helping each other.
Two comments in response to yours:
First we have other ways to get the word out its called social media and blogs!
Second if you are right, then we should all just give up and admit defeat!
We now enter a very dangerous period in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election.
If Obama is not re-elected, and people don't work towards returning workable majorities in the House and the Senate to the Democrats, then the country only continues its decline, and all will be lost.
It may be the end of a two century great social experiment unequaled in human history.
Returning the Democratic Party to the glory days of house and senate control that it had until Obama and the party were unable to convince enough people that their batsh*t crazy drive for bipartisanship with batsh*t crazy republicans was the only way to go, is the only way to go. There is no other reasonable way to go.
There were huge socially progressive strides made towards thinking about gradually thinking about progressively moving forward by Obama and the Democratic Party during that time, and the only thing holding them back is that not enough people clapped loudly enough.
MORE:
Keep On Rockin' In The Free World: Give Obama and the Dems Some Credit For A Change
http://antemedius.com/content/keep-rockin-free-world-give-obama-and-dems-some-credit-change
Sorry, But I can't agree with you!
This should lift a great deal of stress from anyone worried that Barack Obama might not win the November election, and save a lot of heartache and soul searching for all those people who would much rather support Obama than support real progressive change.
Losing to win will be such a minor unimportant price to pay to have their guy in the oval office, after all. It just doesn't get any better than this.
Think of it! No one will have to spend 4 years pretending all over again to be opposed to most of what Obama has been doing the past three years while getting 4 years of the policies they've been cheering for the past three years, and cognitive dissonance could probably be treated with proper medication anyway....
Not only that, the economic "recovery" will thankfully continue. Why, if you've been wanting to launch a new business Obama soon will have the business climate improved to the point where you'll be able to hire an American workforce for your new venture for no more than the cost of labor in China! Thanks to the first trade agreement entirely negotiated by Obama....
20% of Republicans leaning to Obama!...
Obama a Shoe-in for 2012 Re-election!
http://antemedius.com/content/obama-shoe-2012-re-election
- George Santayana (1863-1952)
Perpetual war. Rampant unemployment and under-employmen t. Environmental degradation. Self-interested corporatists run amok.
The difficult times America now faces, though challenging, are hardly new.
...
Those who nurtured the first Progressive Era ran the social and political gamut. They were Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, Independents, Anarchists, suffragettes, farmers, immigrants, freed slaves, lawyers, teachers, trade unionists, physicians, ministers, and businesspeople. In short, Progressives were America’s working classes.
In just 25 years - from 1892 to 1917 - the Populist Party and then the Progressive Party delivered a one-two punch that shook the federal government from its complicity with elites in the oppression of workers, families, farmers, and small businesses. One hundred years later, our oppressors are re-entrenched. We must rise up again to put them in their place - and this time make our victory permanent.
MORE:
UNIFIED PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM
NPA: New Progressive Alliance
http://newprogs.org/unified-progressive-platform-ratified
Until we get PUBLIC funding, the funders are in control.
(Would also help to have an informed electorate, but that’ll be a while since our main source of information is the CORPORATE media.)
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