The Republicans wont present it this way, their story will be that despite their best efforts to help the Democrats blew it, and everyone should blame the Democrats for the failure.
But we shouldn’t worry, it’s only been 20 years since a Health Care bill got thru, so whats anouther 20 or 40 years?
Oh my God. What an intellectually dishonest toon. Healthcare and the economy are inextricably intertwined! How quickly we forget this is what the President stressed over and over again at the beginning of this “debate.” Our usual sound bite overheated rhetoric turned to death panels and fears of rationing, seniors losing benefits, etc. and the point, the very real point, that slowing the increase in out-of-control healthcare costs is essential to the economy was lost in the delirium.
The commission Obama proposed to recommend savings in Medicare was the very mechanism needed to reduce growth in entitlements, reduce the deficit, find a fix for the essential program that Medicare is. It was a very smart way to take this process out of the hands of the Congress that is utterly incapable of dealing with keeping Medicare solvent without sneaking in their own little sweet deals. It was a brilliant strategic proposal by Obama — Congress would retain final approval of the commission’s recommendations, but they could not nitpick, earmark and pork them to death like what happened with Nebraska’s Nelson and others.
Every cost-cutting measure Obama proposed, including the commission to find savings in Medicare and the reductions in the over payments to Medicare Advantage private insurers was turned into fear-mongering by the GOP. Both Reps and Dems also opposed the proposal because it reduced their control, their ability to wheel and deal under the radar, as they do now, allowing them sneak costly bennies for their districts and states and then demand reductions in spending at the same time!
Now these same jerks in Congress are pontificating that Obama has to deal with entitlements, the very jerks that killed the proposal to do just that.
We’re in a shameful state in this country. The “liberal” Obama proposed the best effort to slow the growth in Medicare spending that has been proposed in decades and the conservatives led the fight to kill it.
Hyper partisanship is suffocating our precious democracy.
The Conservatives are right, Obama hasn’t done much in his first year, so lets forget about how much the GOP blocked him, and that most of the problems are ones they created, and just throw Obama out and bring back the GOP – yeah that will fix everything.
“Hey, Obama, You had 1 Year to Focus on the Economy, You should have made The Economy your #1 Prioirty You should have worked on geeting The Unemployed back to Work. You had your order of Business bassackwards.”
Just because the economic policies of the administration weren’t as controversial or hotly debated didn’t mean they didn’t exist, Tigger. Obama pretty much started his term with the APRA and the bailouts - you may not like them, but if that’s not economic policy I don’t know what is. The Dems have also pushed for laws to limit foreclosures, limit credit card companies, and additional regulations. The GOP wasn’t happy with any of that, what else is new.
You may not agree with some of those measures, but if you claim Obama didn’t care about the economy that just shows your bias. Did you notice that the push for healthcare reform waited (except SCHIP, but that was a no-brainer) until after the US economy stopped its free fall? Yes, the US isn’t exactly doing great now, but try to look up the news from about one year ago and you might notice just how crazy things were looking back then. Sure, NOW it’s easy to nitpick and to complain that it could have been done better.
One more thing: try to act more mature, and please learn to spell and capitalize better before calling people idiots. You don’t have to call people names just because you disagree. Slogans like Obama care might be nice to shout, but they won’t help you actually convince anyone. Here is what “Obama” care has basically amounted to: Obama is okay with whatever the House or Senate passes, public plan or no, exchanges or no, as long as it’s relatively balanced for the deficit (as in, any extra costs are covered by spending cuts or taxes) and changes something.
kennethcwarren64 over 14 years ago
The Republicans wont present it this way, their story will be that despite their best efforts to help the Democrats blew it, and everyone should blame the Democrats for the failure.
But we shouldn’t worry, it’s only been 20 years since a Health Care bill got thru, so whats anouther 20 or 40 years?
Motivemagus over 14 years ago
You mean 45 years, Ken? Medicare/Medicaid was the last big one I can recall. And Teddy Roosevelt wanted to try and implement something 100 years ago…
kit_jefferson over 14 years ago
He should focus on writing the rest resignation letter he can.
believecommonsense over 14 years ago
Oh my God. What an intellectually dishonest toon. Healthcare and the economy are inextricably intertwined! How quickly we forget this is what the President stressed over and over again at the beginning of this “debate.” Our usual sound bite overheated rhetoric turned to death panels and fears of rationing, seniors losing benefits, etc. and the point, the very real point, that slowing the increase in out-of-control healthcare costs is essential to the economy was lost in the delirium.
The commission Obama proposed to recommend savings in Medicare was the very mechanism needed to reduce growth in entitlements, reduce the deficit, find a fix for the essential program that Medicare is. It was a very smart way to take this process out of the hands of the Congress that is utterly incapable of dealing with keeping Medicare solvent without sneaking in their own little sweet deals. It was a brilliant strategic proposal by Obama — Congress would retain final approval of the commission’s recommendations, but they could not nitpick, earmark and pork them to death like what happened with Nebraska’s Nelson and others.
Every cost-cutting measure Obama proposed, including the commission to find savings in Medicare and the reductions in the over payments to Medicare Advantage private insurers was turned into fear-mongering by the GOP. Both Reps and Dems also opposed the proposal because it reduced their control, their ability to wheel and deal under the radar, as they do now, allowing them sneak costly bennies for their districts and states and then demand reductions in spending at the same time!
Now these same jerks in Congress are pontificating that Obama has to deal with entitlements, the very jerks that killed the proposal to do just that.
We’re in a shameful state in this country. The “liberal” Obama proposed the best effort to slow the growth in Medicare spending that has been proposed in decades and the conservatives led the fight to kill it.
Hyper partisanship is suffocating our precious democracy.
kennethcwarren64 over 14 years ago
The Conservatives are right, Obama hasn’t done much in his first year, so lets forget about how much the GOP blocked him, and that most of the problems are ones they created, and just throw Obama out and bring back the GOP – yeah that will fix everything.
Nurb over 14 years ago
Wimp
4uk4ata over 14 years ago
“Hey, Obama, You had 1 Year to Focus on the Economy, You should have made The Economy your #1 Prioirty You should have worked on geeting The Unemployed back to Work. You had your order of Business bassackwards.”
Just because the economic policies of the administration weren’t as controversial or hotly debated didn’t mean they didn’t exist, Tigger. Obama pretty much started his term with the APRA and the bailouts - you may not like them, but if that’s not economic policy I don’t know what is. The Dems have also pushed for laws to limit foreclosures, limit credit card companies, and additional regulations. The GOP wasn’t happy with any of that, what else is new.
You may not agree with some of those measures, but if you claim Obama didn’t care about the economy that just shows your bias. Did you notice that the push for healthcare reform waited (except SCHIP, but that was a no-brainer) until after the US economy stopped its free fall? Yes, the US isn’t exactly doing great now, but try to look up the news from about one year ago and you might notice just how crazy things were looking back then. Sure, NOW it’s easy to nitpick and to complain that it could have been done better.
One more thing: try to act more mature, and please learn to spell and capitalize better before calling people idiots. You don’t have to call people names just because you disagree. Slogans like Obama care might be nice to shout, but they won’t help you actually convince anyone. Here is what “Obama” care has basically amounted to: Obama is okay with whatever the House or Senate passes, public plan or no, exchanges or no, as long as it’s relatively balanced for the deficit (as in, any extra costs are covered by spending cuts or taxes) and changes something.