Obama Vows To Deliver on Health Care

[harvey007]

Source: New York Times

“I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last,” Mr. Obama said to a standing ovation from members of Congress.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/us/politics/10obama.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

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A great speech, well delivered.

[Chef Eric]

1. I want to know the name of the Republican who yelled "Lie"! nt

[Posteritatis]

4. Joe Wilson, R-SC (nt)

[JTFrog]

6. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-Scumbag)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6504554

[DonCoquixote]

2. He hit this out of the park!

He spoke directly to people, in clear, honest,blunt terms. He took on the liars who tried to summon up death panels and medicare killers. Yes, he did not support hr 676, but he did defend the public option, and tell people we would not waste time with them if they did not come to build.

I was worried that I had made a mistake back in Nov 2008, now I know I did not. If this plan fails, it will not be because of Obama, but because people failed. Call me an Obamabot, I do not care, because for the first time, in a long time, I feel ready to "shape the future, rather than fear it."

GO OBAMA!

[AsahinaKimi]

13. I have to admit ...

His speech made me cry.. just like when he won the election.

[Barbara2423]

3. I want that name ot the GOP Nut who yelled during the

President's Speech. We should definitely know by tomorrow morning.

[Posteritatis]

5. See #4 (nt)

[zanne]

7. I was ready to stop all my volunteer work for health care reform...

If the speech had gone differently tonight, I'd be off DU and off two fine organizations working toward reforming health care in this country. After two years of working my ass of for it, this speech meant everything--and he delivered! Thank God!

[lovelyrita]

8. I am not impressed with this speech at all.

Mandates, tax credits, and only people without insurance can buy into the public option.

Insurance exchange in FOUR years! Comparing the left with the nut jobs on the right. I am not happy at all.

[polpilot]

9. Americans will not have the right to health care ever...not on my watch.

Tax credits for poor, blah...blah...blah

[Bette Noir]

12. Yeah, that was my take, too.

He favors a public option that has been so watered down that it's meaningless. Only the uninsured can buy into it, and there can't be any subsidies? Only 5% of the public will choose to buy into it? That tells me that it'll carry a stigma-- anyone showing his ID card will be tagged as a loser, and it won't be a significantly better deal than private, for-profit health insurance, anyway.

I was expecting better. I was expecting to be finally free of the murderous health insurance industry. And, before anyone tell me that I'm exaggerating, or making wild claims with the adjective "murderous," when I was working as an RN, I was bluntly told by an insurance company rep that (certain patient)"better be dead by Monday."

[SandWalker1984]

18. Obama is strong on mandates, short on Public Option

That's my take on what I heard tonight.

What everyone on both sides seem to be saying is the public option (ie Medicare type option) will be killed from any final bill.

That leaves MANDATES FOR EVERYONE TO BUY EXPENSIVE, PRIVATE, CORPORATE INSURANCE. I didn't vote Obama into office to be sold into corporate slavery in the name of health care!!!!

I heard in the speech that the sorta kinda public option will not get any government financial help getting started and will only be open to people without insurance. How is that going to get a large enough pool of people to reduce costs? It's a plan set up to fail.

Finally, you cannot have a free market with MANDATES. You cannot have a free market if the PUBLIC CANNOT HAVE FREE ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC OPTION.

Free market, my ass. I am so disappointed with Obama's speech tonight.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. WHAAAT?

I was at choir practice and didn't hear the speech.

Only people without health insurance can buy the public option?

Oh great, then the insurance companies will still have their captive audience.

[wisteria]

10. I thought it was a good speech that touched on many things that need to be done to reform

health care. Of course, some people will not be happy on both sides, but some compromise does get things done-stalemate just maintains the status quo.

[colsohlibgal]

11. Underwhelmed As Well

Beyond that he seemed to kiss up to the right and chastise us on the left. We need to consider this, the bar should be pretty high here after he already gave away the farm on drugs.

I know this, I kept finding my self yelling BS!! at him on the screen. Good grief, a public option that is no option, and sounds more like Conrad's coop deal.

Also the out of pocket yearly max sounds good but exactly what that max is would seem to matter.

In the end it still seems like he takes his progressive base for granted.

I'm not as school girl giddy as Keith and others, not even close.

[AusDem]

16. seemed to kiss up to the right and chastise us on the left?

really, and which part/s of the speech gave you that impression?

agree that the public option was watered down in the speech, but hes made a smart political move of reducing its importance to the general public, so that it doesn't continue to cloud the debate so much.

[colsohlibgal]

22. I disagree

I'm tired of watered down health proposals. And I did think he in so many words told us on the left that we were unrealistic. Meanwhile he still seems hung up on being Mr. Bipartisan. He had a few nice concepts but with no detail at all. So more of the same, for 30 years, we play bipartisan, they do what the hell they want, that's why the political baseline is way to the right and why the last 2 democratic presidents have governed largely to the right of Eisenhower. I'm sick of it.

[Bette Noir]

29. "To the right of Eisenhower"?

To the right of Nixon.

[krkaufman]

14. but deliver what?

Progressives have already compromised by passing on single-payer and going with a public insurance plan choice to compete with private plans -- yet Obama says the Progressives need to compromise even more.

Can anyone say exactly what will be in the legislation? No. So exactly what will Obama deliver? Any bill is not sufficient, except for those simply looking for political cover.

[jasonberlin]

15. AMAZING speech

That is a true leader. Classy - fair - brilliant - yet passionate. He stated the moral case for health care reform in terms so human and compelling that it exposes the monsters for what they are. I am so proud to have voted for this guy. Now the sad clowns of the Senate better not mess it up! I'm talking to you, Feinstein - Landrieu - Baucus - Reid...

[Toasterlad]

17. Mr. President, Tying a Bow Around a Piece of Shit Doesn't Make It Not a Piece of Shit.

In other words, you can pass whatever you like and call it reform, but history will not agree with you.

For the sake of our country, you had better NOT be the last President to take up this cause.

[wisteria]

19. I thought it was a good speech that reach many people who feared any change.

This speech made they feel more comfortable with the possible changes and also less fearful.

[AusDem]

20. EXACTLY!

he wasn't TRYING to reach out to the progressive base. Yes we shouldn't have his back automatically, particularly if he's doing things that are fundamentally against our beliefs and our positions, but to change the opinions and the motivations of the rest of americans, he needed to do what he did.

He mentioned that its still a popular proposal, but hey, its not as scary as it sounds, there's nothing to worry about, the idea is to get reform passed.

[DonCoquixote]

24. Exactly

A lot of so called progressives hated Bush we he ran around, acting like they did not matter, but when we have a president who realize he needs to convince joe and jane in cornhusk, middle america this will work, he has to speak to them. Even if we could have St. Dennis Kucinich be installed dictator and ram through single player, it would not be democracy, just one mob running the show until another mob kicks them out.

[Mari333]

21. he used to believe in single payer

http://www.breitbart.tv/obama-in-03-id-like-to-see-a-single-payer-health-care-plan/

too bad he sold out.

[Iowa]

26. Yep. Another sell-out.

[colsohlibgal]

23. Big Caveat

Remember, all you people giddy about Obama's speech - he has already given the drug companies exactly what they wanted. I don't think it was worth it off what I heard tonight.

[lonestarnot]

27. They are next biatch!

[AusDem]

28. i do have one question, why does everyone keep standing up

and then sitting down again when clapping?