Somebody explain to me how Single Payer would have passed the Senate?

[kratos12]

Or even the house for that matter.

Even before Brown, Nelson, Nelson and Landreu had to be paid off and Lieberman had to be given an assurance of no PO to secure their votes on the eventual bill.

So how could Obama have gotten Single Payer or even a robust PO through the Senate under these circumstances?

Again I say, Obama never had the votes so how the hell can we tear him down when the fault lies not with him but with the Rs and Blue dogs whose constituencies clearly opposed HCR?

[laughingliberal]

1. Are you spamming this board?

Here's a post of yours which is not an hour old with, essentially the same message:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7873854

[kratos12]

12. Maybe I'm just sick of watching Dems on this board tear down this president

over things that were out of his control.

The Republicans are united in lockstep against this bill, the only hope that Democrats have this fall is to pass this bill.

We can argue about the bill's shortcomings all the live long day, but I can assure you that if Democrats don't get behind it we will be back to whining about how mean those nasty Congressional Majority Republicans with their President Romney are.

Instead of complaining that HCR doesn't go far enough we will be complaining about Mittens cutting the upper bracket to 28% and the invasion of Iran.

[ibegurpard]

14. you are seriously deluded if you think passing this health insurance mandate

is going to help Democrats.

[kratos12]

20. You don't follow politics much do you

Failure will most assuredly doom our party, success will blunt the momentum and force the Republicans to run against HCR.

If we fail, it's most definitely over.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

26. Republicans will seize on "mandates" like stink on shit.

And you're deluding yourself if you think otherwise. Suddenly, they'll be the Great Protectors of the Middle Class, and Idiot America will fall for it.

Va. health bill could foil Obama proposal
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/03/08/va_health_bill_could_foil_obama_proposal/

"The Virginia Legislature this week is poised to become the first state to pass legislation that says citizens cannot be required to have medical insurance.

Dozens of other states are considering similar measures, possibly setting the stage for one of the greatest tests of federal power over the states since the civil rights era.

If states are allowed to opt out of the mandate, the foundation of Obama’s effort would be undermined, turning the nascent revolt here into one with national implications.

...

Versions of the bill have passed the Virginia House and Senate, with final passage considered all but certain. The Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, supports the measure."

[pnwmom]

27. Why is a mandate -- with a public option -- any worse than

requiring universal taxation to pay for universal health care?

[Bluebear]

15. ' tear down this president' my ass. Why didn't he prosecute torturers?

There's a conversation starter.

[pnwmom]

28. He's only been in office for one year, and he's got other more pressing matters.

The statute of limitations hasn't run out on that one.

[Bluebear]

30. Wrong. He already announced it's time to "move forward" & will not prosecute

[laughingliberal]

21. Okay, then here's the response I made to your other, almost identical post:

"Well, we'll never know if Obama taking a stronger stand for a more progressive bill would have moved votes in the Senate because he didn't. The facts of his deals with PhRMA, the for profit hospital lobby, and AHIP have lead me to believe he did not want a good bill. He wanted this bill and he has enlisted Senators like Nelson and Lieberman to take the fall for it.

Had he fought for a better bill and failed I would be more inclined to believe he would continue to work to improve this bill if it passes. As it is, I think he got just what he wanted and once it passes, any 'fix, will be down the same memory hole the 'fixes' we were supposed to see to NAFTA went down.

BTW, 4 out of 5 committees passed bills with a public option out of their committees. 3 in the House, 1 in the Senate. Never heard the President, one time, thank any of those committees for their work. He was too busy praising the gang of six thugs who were appointed to protect his side deals with the industry."

And before you snark at me, I follow politics a great deal and have for about 40 years now. I have also worked in health care and studied health care policy for over 2 decades. I was pushing for health care reform before most people in this country knew there was a problem.

[Octafish]

24. How are those wars going?

Commander in Chief can end them today, if he wants.

[brentspeak]

2. If I were President, I'd never stop talking about single-payer in front of the cameras

I would push it and hammer it and yell about it, TR-style, until the public was with me on the issue. That's one way to get it done.

[ibegurpard]

6. yes

And then we might have actually ended up with a REAL compromise

[DJ13]

3. Its too late now

If Obama had wanted it he could have used his high (at the time) popularity after first taking office to go over Conress's heads and promote it directly to the people.

A full on public assault in the opening days of his administration would have put the conservadems into a corner.

[yodoobo]

4. Super majority

just do it.


Unless of course we need a "super duper majority"

[kratos12]

9. There was no supermajority

The supermajority included Lieberman, Nelson, Licoln and landreu NONE of whom were on board with SP.

No matter how hard y'all wish it those mutts were squared to kill it, so in addition to wasting time and resources we would have suffered a big f-in loss.

[KingFlorez]

5. It was never possible

I don't see how anyone ever thought it would be.

[Better Believe It]

7. By having Democrats win control of the Senate? Maybe that will be accomplished in 2010 .... or

2012 .... or 2020 .... or 2110.

[w4rma]

8. Don't care. A public option can pass the Senate right now. (nt)

[Better Believe It]

10. Especially if President Obama rejected his "deal" with the insurance industry and supported a P.O.

[Unvanguard]

18. Maybe, maybe not. What number are we up to right now, 37? n/t

[Bluebear]

11. How about if they actually listened to their constituents instead of lobbyi$t$?

[Unvanguard]

13. Faerie dust and lots of wishful thinking. n/t

[WorseBeforeBetter]

16. Persuasion, influence, twisting arms, knocking heads, using the bully pulpit...

Chicago-style politics (that I heard so much about) -- SOMETHING.

But the Big O never wanted Single Payer, so no effort was made.

[leftstreet]

17. All Obama had to do was go on tv and tell people to call their reps

He had that kind of political capital

[Jennicut]

19. Really? I called Lieberman and wrote him an email. I got crap back from him.

Some of us are in denial.

Obama probably was never for it but if he was he would never convince more then 20 Senators at most. The Senate has about 2 real progressives in it. Sanders, Feingold. Now I do think he might have gotten public option. But single payer? I doubt it.

[laughingliberal]

23. "if he was he would never convince more then 20 Senators at most."

Well, we'll never know because he didn't fight for it. If he had fought for it and failed he would have some credibility now when he promises to 'fix' it after it passes. Why would I trust him to fight now? I did not think he'd fight for single payer after he remained silent while Baucus sat grinning as he had doctors and nurses arrested for showing up to advocate for single payer. But I did expect him to fight for a public option.

You think he could move 20? Good, then we should be able to get a public option under reconciliation. Oh, wait...he already said it was dead. Great strategy. Declare defeat in the 11th rounds of the heavy weight championship fight.

[leftstreet]

25. I don't mean 'us.' The 10 brazillion people who voted for Obama

If the Reps and Senators heard from them en masse, they'd shit themselves

[metapunditedgy]

22. Senators (from both major parties) suddenly decide to do what's good for America?

And if they don't, Obama tells them so, publicly, over and over.

[last1standing]

29. Explain to me why Single Payer advocates weren't even allowed at the table - literally.

They were thrown out of the meetings by force.

I don't think single payer would have made it through but this administration and congress is trying to keep the public ignorant of the concept. That sounds very republican to me.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

31. Call it "Medcare for All" --

for a start. (Americans love their Medicare!) Educate the public on what it would mean to them. Ask Americans to contact their reps to support it. Send Rahmbo after any recalitrant Blue Dogs.

That is how you get "single payer".