DISQUS

AMERICAblog: The goal isn't to be bipartisan. The goal is to pass effective health care reform that helps everybody.

  • tlsintx · 6 months ago
    to the GOPers, bipartisanship means they get it all their way.

    f that.
  • Houndentenor · 6 months ago
    The priority has to be to help the 46 million people who are uninsured. Imagine the drop in hospital expenses if suddenly they no longer had to treat people who were never going to pay them. That cost currently is passed on to everyone else. I'm not sure why the public doesn't get that by having so many people with no insurance we are waiting to treat them in the most expensive and least effective way possible. This is one of the reasons that we spend more per person on health care than almost any other country while only covering about 85% of the population.
  • Õ¿Õ · 6 months ago
    And companies have the most to gain. But the inurance lobbies have incredible power in corrupt Congress. That's why I'm cynical. Not jaded, but savy.
  • Steve · 6 months ago
    You must be the dumbest person in the whole world How the hell is having public health care going to save money with people that dont have PRIVATE INSURANCE were still paying for them if they have no insurance or a public insurance. This country is bankrupt we have no money look at medicare that is a goverment run service look how bad that is
  • michaelt · 6 months ago
    it's disingenous to imply that only the republicans are beholden to the insurance/healthcare companies.

    in fact, i'm willing to bet you right now that it will be a democrat who fucks this thing up.
  • Jophus · 6 months ago
    I'll one-up you, I'm willing to bet it will be several democrats in multiple branches.
  • timncguy · 6 months ago
    A very important question is:

    Do you REALLY believe there are 51 dem senators that would support and vote for a REAL public option that hasn'r been watered down to kill the competition with private insurers?

    Max Baucus certainly will NOT support it.
  • tlsintx · 6 months ago
    "Although the Democratic-controlled Congress might be able to pass health care legislation with little or no Republican support, such a measure would be less widely accepted and less sustainable over time, Baucus and others have said."

    this is utterly false. i call BS.
    this is just "Baucus and others" trying to stay in office.
  • Chauncey Gardner · 6 months ago
    Bipartisanship means the Dems get the same bribe money from the insurance and big pharma lobbyists and think we are too stupid to know why we are getting screwed again.
    It's all about bribes and representing health related corporations and the Dems are pretending that the the republicans are the only crooks taking bribes.
  • Õ¿Õ · 6 months ago
    Go ahead on Obama. We got your back..
  • brian · 6 months ago
    That's a great idea, but I have no faith in the weak Democrats perusing something that helps everyone. For some reason the politicians believe that they need to help business more than people.
  • Indigo · 6 months ago
    John's goal is to pass effective health care that covers everyone. It remains to be seen what Obama's goal is.
  • S_in_Tokyo · 6 months ago
    The US needs what the civilized world has. A national healthcare program that covers all of its citizens.
    Simple? Yes.
    Why can't it be done in the US? Stupidity.
  • Õ¿Õ · 6 months ago
    That's cold man but to the truth.
  • Jophus · 6 months ago
    Is single payer on the table still? Is there any website you can go to in order to see exactly what is going on? I don't know what is going on in congress/senate besides the single payer protest and Obama writing Kennedy a note.
  • Gorgonzola · 6 months ago
    Our goal should be a health care system that includes an option to purchase into a government plan like Medicare. Private plans that pay 100 million dollar bonuses to the big shots while denying claims and dumping off sick people will never be able to survive. Private plans will get the slow death they so richly deserve.
  • Õ¿Õ · 6 months ago
    It will have to be slowly moved from HMOs to goverment health care and all will move there because of covered scale. Expect the insurance companies that get rich off of being being sick and dead to fight it to the bitter end.
  • Busboy1 · 6 months ago
    Whatever plan they come up with should require the congress people to be subject to the same plan like everyone else. That is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that they don't want to talk about.
  • Blacks4Barack · 6 months ago
    Great Post John !
  • Gridlock · 6 months ago
    OT: Supreme Court rejects challenge to DADT

    "Jun 8th, 2009 | WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting a request by the Obama administration.

    The court said it will not hear an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy."

    http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2009/06/08/D98MHP...
  • caphillprof · 6 months ago
    If Obama pursues the half measures he has pursued in the banking crisis, it will be another generation before we can hope for any reasonable national health system.
  • Õ¿Õ · 6 months ago
    "In court papers, the Obama administration said the appeals court ruled correctly in this case when it found that "don't ask, don't tell" is "rationally related to the government's legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion." "

    Jeez, that looks really bad.
  • Milli · 6 months ago
    You are exactly right John. Bipartisanship is a load of crap because what the Republicans want and stand for is a load of crap. The stimulus fiasco is a perfect example. Obama is essentially telling us that that he IS obligated to cave in to the republicans so we shouldn't expect too much. Nice.
  • kalithiotis · 6 months ago
    If we had strong Democratic ledership in the Senate we would not be in this situation. A strong Senate leader would taken Max Bauchaus and Ben Nelson commitee leadership away and assigned the a broom closet as office space if they continue to screw up on matters that are critical to election winning demacratic costituenties.
    Mr. Reid you are on notice. May be you can hire Tom Delay as a consultant!!!
  • kalithiotis · 6 months ago
    It is delusional to think that the insurance companies are going to negotiate their demise. Lets kill this dragon not reason with it.
  • dula · 6 months ago
    Obama told us what his intentions were when he picked his pro-corporate economic team. Don't expect anything that will really benefit The People.
  • Jophus · 6 months ago
    Maybe that is limitted to finance?
  • dula · 6 months ago
    Paying for a healthcare plan is finance, no? Summers has had debates of possible healthcare reform options amongst the economic team. Summers, of the filthy Rick Rubin school of economics.
  • Tony ChiTown · 6 months ago
    "This administration has a bit of a fetish about bipartisanship."

    They do? based on what? What they say? You can't go by what they say. BO is a habitual liar. Look at what they have actually done. Based on actions, there is no evidence they are interested in bipartisanship. The Dems in Congress want "bipartisanship" so they can have co-conspiritators in the crime of destroying our health care system and our economy.