Could Obama have ended the for-profit insurance industry?

[el_bryanto]

Or to put it another way, could he have politically shut down or completely co-opted the for-profit insurance industry, by passing single-payer healthcare or something similar?

Bryant

[VMI Dem]

1. No.

Too weak.

[el_bryanto]

2. Weak politically or weak in character?

[VMI Dem]

5. Good question.

Some of both maybe. Definitely a lack of courage.

[TwilightGardener]

3. No. There was never going to be a government "takeover" of health care.

[H2O Man]

4. No.

It would not be possible for any US President to do that.

[el_bryanto]

8. Fair enough - possibly I mistated the poll

Obviously the President can't pass bills; he has to work through Congress. But if he were to fight for it, and made that the standard, and the Democratic Congressional Leadership were behind him (a lot of ifs I admit), could it have happened?

Bryant

[H2O Man]

13. Only one "if" counts.

And that would be the "if" the democrats in both houses of Congress were interested in making progressive reforms. The vast majority of them were not, are not, and never will. Hence, any US President could only help to make progressive, meaningful changes "if" there were enough members of Congress who were potentially willing to do the right thing.

[el_bryanto]

16. Fair enough.

By Democrats you mean all of them or at least a vast majority of them - not just the leadership. You are probably right.

Bryant

[napi21]

11. So true! After the release of all the criminal things they have all

been doing to their subscribers the ggeneral public is still not demanding they be punished or shut down, it will NEVER happen!

[ThomWV]

6. We will never know because he made no attempt to do so.

[NJmaverick]

7. No there is a huge infrastructure involved

that can not be readily replaced. It would take a considerable amount of time to switch over, in the order of years.

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Ended, no

Reigned them in with a real public option, leaving the corporations with the options of either cleaning up their act or going out of business, definitely.

He could still do so, if he keeps his word and vetoes any shit bill without a public option.

[Enrique]

10. yes, if he had been committed to it

meaning that he supported single payer while running for Senate and for president, and that he meant it.

In other words, if he had been a completely different person than he is. (which I'm not saying is bad, I'm just saying what it would take to get single payer. We would need a president who really wanted single payer and Obama's not it).

[liberal N proud]

12. There are no constitutional powers that give the President the ability

to pass any legislation or force any business out of existence.

[hayu_lol]

15. In this case, as he has in so many others...

this president voted 'present.'

He has his. Up to us to get 'ours.'

[el_bryanto]

17. Referenced above - obviously he would have to work through Congress

That said, Presidents do have the means and mechanisms to influence Congress.

Bryant

[WeDidIt]

14. No, but DU will still blame te existance of the health insurance companies on Obama

Many DUers cannot exist without blaming everything on whomsoever is the president.

[HopeHoops]

18. Congress has to do that, and as we've seen, the GOP and some Dems are OWNED!

Money talks.

[Laelth]

19. Absolutely, he could have. Nothing says this bill MUST pass.

Many people are supporting it ONLY BECAUSE Obama is pressuring them to do so.

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth