"Squandered Opportunity" (Obama's Retreat on HCR) by Greider

[freddie mertz]

Comment

by WILLIAM GREIDER

August 17, 2009


Many Democrats are concerned that the early promise of the Obama administration has given way to the politics of triangulation.
After his brilliant beginning, the president suddenly looks weak and unreliable. That will be the common interpretation around Washington of the president's abrupt retreat on substantive heathcare reform. Give Barack Obama a hard shove, they will say, rough him up a bit and he folds. A few weeks back, the president was touting a "public option" health plan as an essential element in reform. Now he says, take it or leave it. Whatever Congress does, he's okay with that.
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The White House quickly added confusion to the outrage by insisting the president didn't really say anything new. He's just being flexible. He still wants what most Democrats want--a government plan that gives people a real escape from the profit-driven clutches of the insurance companies. But serious power players will not be fooled by the nimble spinners. Obama choked. He raised the white flag, even before the fight got underway in Congress.

He hands the insurance industry a huge victory. He rewards the right-wing frothers who have been calling him Adolph Hitler or Dr. Death. He caves to the conservative bias of the major media who insist only bipartisan consensus is acceptable for big reform (a standard they never invoked during the Bush years). Obama is deluded if he thinks this will win him any peace or respect or Republican votes. Weakness does not lead to consensus in Washington. It leads to more weakness. The Party of No intends to bring him down and will pile on. Obama has inadvertently demonstrated their strategy of vicious invective seems to be working.

(more at link)

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090831/greider

[OHdem10]

1. Grieder is one of the best. WH should listen.

[mitchtv]

4. but they won't

Rahm doesn't need him, or anyone else for that matter

[freddie mertz]

6. At least here in GD it has a chance.nt.

[OHdem10]

14. Rahm may have lost the future of the Democratic Party if things

do not change.

Too many of us have no problem with not voting next time.


All I am saying they have a short window to admit they may
need to hit the reset button. Digging the Bush Hole deeper
is no winning solution.

Leading as Moderate Republican is not exactly appealing
to a lot of Democrats and Republicans.

If I have to suffer, let me suffer under Republicans.--not
my own Party.

[sendero]

19. Come on..

... this bill is going to be a DISASTER for the Democratic party. Health care reform was needed, but not this industry-authored byzantine pile of horseshit.

Obama has just screwed the pooch for himself and for Democrats. Between this and the economy, which is set for Disaster Part 2 any month now, things are not going to be pretty for Dems at the ballot box.

[Greyhound]

20. Please, it is a gigantic, industry-authored, byzantine pile of horseshit. n/t

[David Zephyr]

17. Grieder is one of the best.

.

[glitch]

18. Most likely views criticism from a progressive as an affirmation.

Potato potato. Greider says squandered, WH says seized.

[leftstreet]

2. The article is interesting but it's mostly bullshit

The Obama Admin had no intention of doing anything OTHER THAN catering to the Insurance/Pharma industry. (How many early meetings did the Admin have with single payer advocates?)

For the author to suggest Obama is 'weak' is kinda lame.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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[These Eyes]

25. I don't understand…

"but the CEO of Aetna, who is also a black man, visited the White House multiple times." What does that have to do with anything?

[ProSense]

3. "He hands the insurance industry a huge victory." Yet:

Health Care Industry Coordinating Effort To Opt States Out Of Health Care Reform

[freddie mertz]

5. Y'see Prosense, they NEVER give up. Unlike what you want us to do. nt.

[ProSense]

7. Contrary to that statement

they have given up. It's blame Obama for killing a public option in the Senate bill and pretending that he had no hand in the House bill.

Obama worked with the House to pass a public option.

The burden will fall mainly on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House majority. They will be under intense pressure from the White House to stay "on message" with the president.

Was the House "on message" with Obama when they passed a bill with a public option?

[freddie mertz]

15. Obama never lifted a finger, and he will oppose any effort once again..

During reconciliation.

But then, you know and endorse that strategy yourself, I am pretty sure.

[rollingrock]

12. Huh?

your link goes to an article titled "97-year-old woman in Arizona falls victim to state’s stringent voter ID law."

what does that got to do with healthcare?

[bvar22]

27. SOP for THAT poster.

I long ago stopped clicking on her links.
Always a Wild Goose Chase.

[rollingrock]

29. I get it

no wonder they call her NoSense.

[laughingliberal]

16. Certainly, they would like to water it down, further

I'm sure the health insurance industry wants a bill that mandates everyone buy their policies and has no requirement that the policies cover that. They will not quit pushing to make this bill more profitable for them, ever. Which is why I am skeptical of those who say it will be improved later. It is far more likely it will get worse over time. It's not like the industry is going to quit buying off our government once this passes.

[Greyhound]

22. Ideally the only thing to come out will be the mandate.

But that wouldn't matter, the administration can still declare victory and finish ensuring that the rich never pay anything back.

[defendandprotect]

8. Obviously, Obama and Dems have revealed "what side they are on" . . . quite clearly!!!

[Echo In Light]

10. That would be the $ side

[amborin]

11. big capital, alas! K $ R

[defendandprotect]

9. Nonetheless, good to hear from Greider . . . where's Michael Moore? Lots of silence out there!!

[David Zephyr]

13. Terrific article from The Nation. Thanks, freddie mertz, for the link & story.

K&R.

[truedelphi]

21. To me, Obama looks and sounds Orwellian.

War is Peace. The blank check for Wall Street that has destroyed those of Us on Main Street is considered "Recovery."

When he describes the bill enabling the inflated ransom payments that are demanded of we the hostage-health-industry Consumers of America as being a victory for the uninsured, I can only shake my head sadly.

But hey, the one hundred and sixty six billion bucks worth of penalties that We the Consumers are on the hook for will almost pay for the one hundred and sixty eight billion bucks worth of war expansion in Afghanistan.

[defendandprotect]

30. +1000%

[defendandprotect]

31. dupe

[shadesofgray]

24. K&R.

[Karmadillo]

26. And we're not even done with Year One. Imagine how three more years of "weak and unreliable" will

play out.

[WT Fuheck]

28. squandered the hope of an entire generation

maybe a few of us will survive long enough to get another chance in 2032 or 2036 or so.

[defendandprotect]

32. We own the debate --- the corporations own Obama and Dems . . . we lose!!