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Funny how politics work.
For months, Republicans held some sway in the health care reform debate as President Barack Obama tried in vain to win just a little of their support for his proposal.
But now that Republicans appear to have dug in their heels in unanimous rejection of the Democratic plan, Obama's attention will turn to members of his own party to ensure passage.
The president is expected to unveil the final version of health care reform legislation on Wednesday.
It will be Obama's ability to keep the thin margins of support he had with the measures passed both in the House and Senate last year and even gain a few votes to protect his winning margin that will decide whether the president will achieve victory on his most important domestic policy issue to date.
It's hard to tell when fence-sitting members of Congress might go.
With national opinion polls against the current health care reform package, Democratic leadership fear that some in the party could go against the proposal to gain support with voters in the upcoming off-year elections.
At the same time, the 39 House Democrats who voted against the measure are believed to be reconsidering their earlier vote if the final proposal includes new language to reign in waste and fraud from the medical system as Republicans have sought out.
That way, they would be able to tell constituents back home that they threw their support to the legislation only after Obama genuinely negotiated to improve the proposal.
For now, head counters in the House will be like Santa in Christmas, making their lists and checking them twice, to see whether President Obama and Democrats will get a late holiday present of health care reform.
Comments: (4)
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By: Bill Watson on 3/02/2010 4:52PM
Do A Real Public Option Don't Pretend.
All 300 million people in the US could begin receiving Free Public Option health care this year and it would save $1trillion dollars every year from the $2.6trillion spent last year.
National sales taxes instead of insurance could pay for free Public Option healthcare for everyone who wants to use it no restrictions, no insurance, no copay’s, free period.
Of course not everyone in the US would choose to use public care but the cost savings illustration is dramatic.
Offering Free Public or user purchased Private care could serve everyone.
If everyone who receives government funded health care from any source anywhere in the US whether it be Medicare, Medicaid, all states, cities, school systems, police, fire, prison guards, all government employees from the President, legislators, and the lowest pay scale workers would receive their care and medications free from the Public Option it would cut government health costs in half.
Only a Free Public Option which eliminates insurance companies and uses sales taxes to pay for care, and eliminates the for profit private care providers by using government hospitals, can produce these drastic cost savings.
Veterans Government Health Care is producing better health outcomes for Vets than civilian patients are receiving anywhere else in the country, at any price, including Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Medicare, anywhere and VA’s costs are a fraction of private care’s.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.longman.html
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By: Jared on 3/02/2010 6:33PM
The American People do not want this Nationalized Healthcare Plan that the Democrats are ramming down our throats. Obama does not have the authority under the Constitution to Nationalize anything. The Democrats are in for a rude awakening come November 2010, and Obama is a one term President come 2012. When the politicians no longer listen to the will of the People, it is time for the citizens to take control from them.
There will be change come November 2010.
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By: Bill Schrier on 3/03/2010 6:19PM
Jared,
Everything you post is absolutely correct. The American people, as a whole, overwhelmingly reject Obama's socialism.
BUT blacks overwhelmingly approve of EVERYTHING about Obama, always have and always will. You and I are completely wasting out time posting here, trying to make rational arguments against Obama's schemes. The blacks would say if you oppose anything about Obama's policies, well, you must be a racist.
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By: Cy on 3/20/2010 11:27PM
Uh Bill, why are you assuming Jared is not black? People who are black, do not share a brain because their skin color is similar. There are plenty of people of color who are dissastified with Obama's presidency, just as there were many white people who weren't always happy with Bush, Clinton, etc. But as for Obama's failures to the black community, I would think tops on the list of insults is probably that black (and latino) business owners received ONLY slightly more than 1% of the stimulus dollars Obama insisted would be the panacea to a faltering economy,(http://www.onenewspage.com/news/Business/20100308/8922439/Less-Stimulus-For-Minority-Businesses.htm) even though many of these businesses were in inner cities hit hardest by the recession/depression. Stimulus dollars could have impacted many inner city environments not only providing needed jobs (actually #1 on the list - some estimates show black unemployment in big cities like Detroit as high as 35%) www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/moving_america. Stimulus $$$ to this area could also have added the value of thriving businesses to depressed areas,enhancing property values. But the money "disappeared" without proper controls on it & without going to the areas that could have used it the most. And to add insult to injury it did little to encourage jobs in any sector, not only prolonging but worsening an already bad economy, as well as quadrupling American debt that all our grandchildren will likely be still be paying on. When reality sets in, people will find out this health care bill is not really going to be good for anyone of any color other than some fat cat politicians, and the backdoor deal makers like Andy Stern's SEIU, George Soros and other socialist robber barons who want to steal the dreams Americans have for their children(no matter what color they are). People who were born and raised in the USA can't really understand how bad (restrictive and limiting) socialism can really be or how it can be implemented in stages through increasingly repressive govt. taxes/policies/programs. The scariest thing is how Liberal Progressives (Democrat & Republican) are luring people in, with empty promises of great Big Govt. programs while they slowly but slyly herd people of all colors into a new type of slavery, where Big Government will be the master of all Americans. The question is will enough people fall for this new welfare system just at the point of time where all races are not only finally being regarded as equal; but every area of life has people of all races not only in the middle class but in places of prominence. Yes there are still things to be done, but going Backwards into a subservient child/powerful,unyielding parent relationship with the Big Govt. is not the best route for anyone to financial & personal freedom, but it is the best route to a socialist welfare state! And who would have ever guessed it would be the first black President who would take us there?
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