Democrats Chafe as White House Wavers on the healthcare Bill
08 February 2010 8:59 pm by Lake Lady
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32619.html
This is just nuts! What is going on? I kept rerunning the SNL skit in my mind when he calls Hillary pulling his hair out.
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This should REALLY make anyone worry about a 3:00 am phone call.
He had this pretty much wrapped and ready for delivery before he decided to chart a rudderless course in as a bow and scrape to bi-partisanship. Check out the disgusting display from Collins this week and Snowe isn’t far behind. All the while the likes of the Republican naysayers punding nails in the working man/woman’s coffin.
Obama had this “pretty much wrapped and ready for delivery”?
I don’t think he’s handled health care well at all, with the Congress proving a spineless blob, but I totally disagree with the assessment above.
As for Hillary, it wouldn’t have been easy for her to get done either. She absolutely has more passion on it and wouldn’t have allowed Congress the reins for so long, but don’t kid yourself, HRC would have met much of what Obama has met.
People “chafing” about Pres. Obama are wasting good energy. This is who he is and there was never anything in his resume that proved otherwise. He’s a deal maker between opposing forces, a mediator. So, if one group, aka Republicans, doesn’t want to make a deal, Pres. Obama is stuck, because there is no evidence he’s willing to use the power of the presidency or tools inside Congress to push legislation through, while also making the case forcefully & with attitude that “… since we do not have a partner in doing the people’s business, with Republicans willing to see people and small businesses bankrupted by a failing health care system, Democrats will lead and get it done by whatever means necessary. This is their last chance. Join Democrats and make history, or be left in the dust. Your choice, because we are going to pass health care legislation with you or without you, by whatever means it takes.” Consider that a rough draft of something that Obama will never say. There simply isn’t an LBJ gene in his entire body.
I did not mean to imply that Hillary would have had an easier time but I do think she could have avoided many of the delays by being a leader.
There are three branches of government. The Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary. The Executive, Obama, proposes a Bill. The Legislative, Reid and Pelosi, disposes of those Bills. The Judiciary rules on the Constitutional legality of the Bills the Legislature passes. If Obama were a Dictator (super-leader) he could get passed through the Congress any Bill that he wanted to get passed through. But, alas, he’s just an ordinary guy who must rely on the Legislative branch to help him do his job. Lots of people live in some fantasy world which demands that our President, whoever he or she might be, act like a Dictator and “get things done.” George W. bush acted like that. He got things done, and pronto. Now look at the mess that “we the people” are in. Better we learn some patience so that evolution can take its course. Otherwise who knows what additional silly mistakes we will make? Maybe elect Sarah Palin??? Peace
He has waddled steadily in reverse in an environment highly favorable to health care reform. Then he pissed it away in wooing the Republicans who had no intention of cooperating for the benefit of this nation and it’s people.
And that’s AFTER he started the conversation by meeting them MORE than half way.
So you would have Obama do what? Yell and scream and stamp his feet? Until we are all notified by some official decree, this is still a republic and democracy is a big fat pain in the behind. Which is why most of them don’t last very long. Get real. Peace
There are two obvious things Obama could do. (Not that he ever would.) He could start working with Reid on dismantling the filibuster, or raising the number of votes needed for cloture. As I understand it, it only takes a majority to rewrite Senate rules. Watch health care reform take off like a jackrabbit at that point.
Also, the FDIC has the power to declare weak banks insolvent, take them over, and fire management; no Congressional approval needed. By taking out the banks that are insolvent in reality if not in name (and selling off bad assets through an Resolution Trust type of structure) he could (1) send a strong signal that he is in charge, (2) emasculate the banking lobby, and (3) free up the banking system to lend as it would no longer have to worry about protecting capital from future writedowns of bad assets.