In the past couple of weeks, the President put a big 'P' on his chest and ran with it

[bigtree]

I've never really seen a President use his office this way in such a focused and determined fashion to advance planks of a progressive agenda.

We can certainly argue that the measures he's enhanced and implemented by Executive fiat fall far short of the remedies we need to transform our economy or provide lasting relief. Yet, many, many of the President's initiatives along those lines have been held up by republicans bent on denying him a legislative victory to carry into the election. If he had his way, it's clear that he would go far in fleshing out a good deal of our progressive platform.

I'm intrigued by his (election season) activism and protest-influenced populism. I'm looking anxiously to see what's coming next from this WH.

[leftstreet]

1. What are these measures specifically? n/t

[cliffordu]

2. Google rules!

[bigtree]

3. iniatives

Helping Americans Manage their Student Debt

--taking steps to help homeowners refinance their mortgages. the Federal Housing Finance Agency is expanding eligibility for the Home Affordable Refinancing Program.

-- Helping more responsible borrowers refinance their mortgages (10/24/11):Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a set of changes to help a greater number of creditworthy borrowers refinance – particularly those who are underwater on their mortgages. By eliminating the maximum cap on underwater borrowers participating in the program, as well as eliminating certain risk-based fees and encouraging competition by addressing the issue of representations and warranties, these changes should help more Americans save several hundred dollars each month by taking advantage of today’s historically low interest rates.

Helping Prevent Foreclosures and Keep Families in Their Homes

Providing 12 months of mortgage forbearance for unemployed borrowers (07/25/11): The Administration announced it was extending the minimum forbearance period that unemployed borrowers could receive on their mortgages to a full year, up from four months in FHA and three months in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). This change will help borrowers stay in their homes while they look for jobs, which is not only good for those families but for the housing market by reducing the number of homes that go into foreclosure. These changes went into effect on 10/1/11.

Encouraging servicers to speed up the HAMP modification process (07/06/11):To help encourage servicers to move quickly to modify distressed borrowers’ loans, the Treasury adjusted the incentive structure of HAMP payments to servicers. Treasury reformed the system from a flat $1,000 fee to variable fee to encourage modifications earlier in a homeowner’s delinquency. The new incentive structure is $1,600 for modifications before 4 months of delinquency, $1,200 for 4-7 months, and $400 afterwards.
Single point of contact for HAMP borrowers (05/18/11): In conjunction with Treasury, the Administration has provided significant resources for homeowners seeking assistance through HAMP. On May 18, the Treasury Department provided guidance requiring the 20 largest servicers participating in HAMP to provide a single point of contact for homeowners. As of September 1 for new applicants to the program, and November 1 for homeowners who have already begun the application process, servicers are required to implement a Single Point of Contact system of customer service for their non-GSE loans, so that a homeowner seeking a modification or foreclosure avoidance assistance has one single relationship manager. The relationship manager works with the homeowner throughout the loss mitigation process until all options have been exhausted.

Right to neutral third-party appeal of modification denials (02/01/11): In the event a homeowner is not eligible for a modification HAMP requires servicers to notify the homeowner of this decision in writing using commonly understandable language, and to give homeowners 30 days to dispute the decision before a foreclosure sale can take place. If a homeowner has been denied due to a negative net present value (NPV) result, servicers must disclose all of the variables that went into the NPV calculation and homeowners can also work with staff at the Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline and the HAMP Solution Center to resolve any issues. Treasury has also made available online an NPV Calculator to help homeowners better understand their eligibility.

Reducing Housing Inventory to Increase Home Values, Improve Economy

Transitioning vacant property owned by the GSEs/FHA into rental housing (8/1/11 – ongoing): In August, the FHFA, in conjunction with the Obama Administration released a request for information on ways to help address the growing inventory of Real Estate Owned (REO) foreclosed proprieties on Fannie and Freddie’s books, including transitioning properties to rental housing. Together, the GSEs and FHA own about half of the REO properties across the country. These REO properties are at the end of the foreclosure pipeline, usually vacant and often not well maintained. As such, they have a disproportionate downward impact on local and regional housing prices. Taking steps to transition some of this inventory over into rental properties or other productive uses will help stabilize neighborhoods and home values, and encourage greater private investment into the real estate sector at a crucial moment in our economy.

Helping Hardest Hit States

Implementing the Hardest Hit Fund (2/19/10 – on going):Treasury has allocated $ 7.6 billion to help homeowners avoid foreclosure in the areas hardest hit by steep home price declines and unemployment. All 18 states and the District of Columbia are now accepting applications for the Hardest Hit Fund foreclosure prevention programs.

Increasing Transparency and Accountability

New compliance reporting for the largest HAMP servicers (06/09/11 - ongoing): Since inception of the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA),Treasury has conducted a comprehensive compliance program to ensure that homeowners are being fairly evaluated for the program and that servicer operations reflect the primary aim of both Treasury and the Administration: assisting struggling homeowners who may be eligible for assistance and ensuring that homeowners are being treated appropriately. This past June, Treasury enhanced its public reporting by publishing servicer assessments for each of the 10 largest servicers in the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA). These assessments are designed to provide further information to the public about servicer performance and prompt servicers to correct identified deficiencies by holding them publically accountable. In the second quarter of 2011, two servicers were found to be non-compliant and, therefore, their incentive payments have been withheld.


--Instead of waiting for Congress to fix No Child Left Behind, the President directed his administration to move forward with a plan to give states the flexibility they need to help students meet higher standards. The Administration acted to cut dramatically the time it takes for small businesses who contract with the federal government to get paid. And last week, the President eliminated outdated regulations that will save hospitals and patients billions of dollars in the years ahead.

--Obama Administration challenged each of the 8,000 Community Health Centers around the country to hire one veteran, effectively opening up 8,000 jobs to our unemployed vets.

--the Administration will make it easier for veterans to use the training they have received in the military to become physician assistants.

--last week, First Lady Michelle Obama announced that the American Logistics Association (ALA) and their 270 affiliate companies committed to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013. This commitment is part of the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to support veterans and military families.


--more . . .

[Matariki]

10. Thank you for taking the time to put together that post.

[leftstreet]

28. So that's a 'P' for Pandering to the GOP. These are mostly rightwing initiatives

Putting housing and schools into the hands of private profiteers

Good grief

[bigtree]

29. I disagree with that premise

there are plenty of public education initiatives advanced as a result of this presidency (notwithstanding, many other controversial moves regarding teachers) . . . and there's no way anyone is going to make headway in nationalizing housing.

[defendandprotect]

31. Exactly -- !! Obama has delivered rule by the GOP -- !!

[defendandprotect]

4. What's coming next is Obama selling himself and government to corporations/elites -- !!

[bigtree]

5. that's another thread

these initiatives are real -- have real impact on real peoples lives -- they should be recognized and encouraged

[defendandprotect]

19. Dems selling themselves to corporations effects every decision they make ...

Unfortunately, the really important issues -- like continuing the wars for three years

after the election -- and in fact Dems have continued the wars since the '06 election! --

and the back room deals with Big Pharma and the private H/C industry which trampled

single-payer MEDICARE4ALL are the things which would make a substantial difference in the

lives of citizens.

Don't know what your specifics are -- don't think you've given any, but we have 50 million

citizens suffering without health care -- and 66 million living in poverty -- and another

25 million who need real jobs -- and after three years, Obama is still compromising with

the GOP!

[bigtree]

22. it is as it always was

. . . with a few exceptions.

here's the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/us/politics/obama-bundlers-have-ties-to-lobbying.html

"As a matter of policy, Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign goes beyond what campaign law requires by refusing contributions from any “individual registered as a federal lobbyist.” Registered lobbyists are not even allowed inside his fund-raising events, and the campaign routinely returns checks from those trying to contribute."


another argument from the WH: http://www.barackobama.com/news/missing-the-forest-for-the-trees

"Barack Obama hasn't accepted a dime from federal lobbyists or political action committees (PACs). He led the way in disclosing major volunteer fundraisers for his campaign, disclosing both the names of the individuals who raise money for the campaign as well as the levels of contributions that they raise."


All of that is not to suggest that money doesn't still play a big part in politics, but it does show that this President has gone further than anyone else in that office in working to reduce that corporate influence.

And, look, most of what you're looking for on health care comes almost exclusively from Congress, although there are several actions the President has taken, unilaterally, to enhance or reform the health care delivery and insurance system.

No, they haven't yet solved the problem of universal, affordable coverage, but they certainly made some strides with the bill that passed. The objectionable parts are still developing, but Congress isn't set in stone. They can still revisit provisions and adjust them. The important thing is the notion of universal coverage IS set in stone now because of the persistence of Barack Obama. Let's not ignore the other provisions like pre-existing conditions, visitation reform, etc. that are already making a positive difference for many Americans.

On the edges, the WH is still engaged in reforming the system to make health care accessible and efficient.g


example from the WH: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/18/reducing-regulatory-burdens-health-care-saving-more-1-billion

The Department of Health and Human Services announced three sets of important reforms that are expected to save more than $1 billion every year in health care overhead and paperwork costs. These reforms are aimed at reducing unnecessary, obsolete, or burdensome regulations on American hospitals and healthcare providers.

While some of the reforms are a bit technical, they are going to save doctors, nurses, and patients a lot of time and money:

Streamlining Conditions of Participation.

“Conditions of Participation” are federal health and safety requirements that hospitals must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS estimates that today’s burden-reducing initiative will produce $940 million in annual savings to hospitals by giving hospitals more flexibility in deciding how to best treat their patients. Without compromising safety, these new rules will increase the time and resources hospitals and providers can devote to patient care by eliminating outdated, bureaucratic, and unnecessary requirements.

Reducing burdens on end-stage renal disease facilities and ambulatory surgical centers.

The proposed Medicare Regulatory Reform rule would identify and eliminate duplicative, overlapping, outdated, and conflicting regulatory requirements for healthcare providers and suppliers, including end-stage renal disease facilities and ambulatory surgical centers. CMS estimates that first year savings will total $170 million and that another $37 million per year will be saved thereafter through the elimination of outdated standards and by ending requirements that these centers purchase and maintain unnecessary equipment.

Simplifying conditions for coverage for Ambulatory Surgical Centers.

HHS is finalizing a rule to update the conditions for coverage regulations for Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs). Specifically, the final rule eliminates a provision that required ASCs to notify patients, the patients’ representative, or the patients’ surrogate of their rights on a separate day from their procedure. Before today’s final rule, regulatory requirements led to significant problems and inconveniences for patients who needed ASC services on the same day that they received a physician referral. CMS estimates that the final rule will result in $50 million in annual savings for ASCs.
"

more . . .

[defendandprotect]

23. Only as long as we continue to vote for the "lesser evil" -- and only as long as candidates SELL

themselves and our government to corporations/elites -- !!

And Obama has undeniably been rather busy doing just recently -- !!

[bigtree]

25. I'm not one who believes

. . . in completely tearing down the (Democratic) house to rebuild. Experience has shown that the interim is as dangerous as it is uncertain. I certainly do believe in supporting the 'lesser evil' in presidential elections. The alternative can be positively catastrophic.

[defendandprotect]

33. After 20 and more years of Koch Bros. Funded DLC ... what's left of the Dem Party?

Turned over now to Third Way and Jonathan Cowan, Pres. Third Way made clear

on C-span two weeks ago that the policy/stance now of the party is ...

"to ignore the base of the party" ---

and that "populism or populist discussion/debate is the equivalent of Karl Rove

propaganda of extremism" -- !! :eyes:


What you're saying about voting for "lesser evil" suggests it is completely

based on FEAR.


Rather, I would say that it is Obama and Third Way who are "tearing down the party" -- !!

[Fumesucker]

6. There's an election on the horizon..

Time to head fake to the left..

[bigtree]

7. that's how our political process progresses

Without the pressure of regular elections, politicians wouldn't have much incentive to respond to the public mood or opinion. I wouldn't be so cynical about election-year conversions. Some of our best political and legislative progress has come out of hard-fought-for elections and protest.

[Fumesucker]

8. I loathe being pandered to, makes me want to shower..

And it gives me an extremely strong feeling of distrust for the person doing the pandering.

I've read you enough to think you're genuine and mean well so I'm going to be honest with you.

There are about five or six of you "pragmatists" that every time I interact with you about politics I end up wanting to go and commit seppuku after because you discourage me so.

You think it's good that Obama is trying to fool people into thinking he's someone or something he's not, that practically makes smoke come out of my ears from the cognitive dissonance.

That's one of the things that OWS is upset about, you can't trust any politician to be what they appear.

[bigtree]

9. well

. . . many of these initiatives that he's acting on were carried into the presidency by Barack Obama, himself. As I said, they are real and make a real difference in real folks' lives. I'm good with being skeptical. I think that skepticism is a necessary part of our involvement in the political process. But, I believe we should support and amplify actions from those we elect that are in line with our expectations.

Remember, at some point protestors will be challenged to transform their agitation into action. That effort will require building the necessary coalitions to advance them into action or law. Otherwise, critics and protestors will be guilty of doing the exact thing they abhor; just talking.

[Fumesucker]

12. The question everyone is going to be asking themselves is this..

Am I better off than I was four years ago?

For way, way too many of them it's not just no but hell no!

I cannot shake the strong suspicion that the great majority of the posturing we see is nothing but kabuki, the deal is already done and the only people who don't know how it's going to come out is the audience, the 99% in other words.

I know that after the last four years in my own life the only person I will ever trust again is a literal blood relative and I don't have many of those.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fumesucker]

20. Here's a post I put up the day after Obama's inauguration..

I was happy and positive, went out of my way to post some of my art in a positive manner.

Note that I called my photo "first sunrise of a new era"..

Now all I feel is used and lied to.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x49419

[Kennah]

11. Can't take the politics out of politics

[Fumesucker]

13. The Janus effect has been accelerating for decades..

Tricky Dicky was considered a put down of Richard Nixon at the time, nowadays it would be considered high praise for a politician.

[defendandprotect]

32. "Politics is the shadow cast over government by corporations" -- !!

[Edweird]

15. Yeah, whatever.

[inna]

16. huh?

what?

you're joking, right?...

[bigtree]

17. hey, if you want to highlight the flaws in this administration I'm all for it

I'll even echo those complaints.

But, if you're going to discredit the positive actions from this administration that make a real difference in real peoples' lives, I have to wonder just what it is that you're fighting for.

We should certainly protest actions ( and inaction) that we oppose, but we should also encourage measures supported and advanced by the ones we elect which make a positive difference for folks out here.

[defendandprotect]

21. Wars/drones and lack of MEDICARE4ALL is what's making the negative difference in all our lives!

If you want a list to think about -- try this one -- !!

Here's Rahm Emmanuel "crowing" about how business should be "grateful" to Obama ...

In a Thursday interview, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel argued that rather than recoiling against Obama, business leaders should be grateful for his support on at least a half-dozen counts: his advocacy of greater international trade and education reform open markets despite union skepticism; his rejection of calls from some quarters to nationalize banks during the financial meltdown; the rescue of the automobile industry; the fact that the overhaul of health care preserved the private delivery system; the fact that billions in the stimulus package benefited business with lucrative new contracts, and that financial regulation reform will take away the uncertainty that existed with a broken, pre-crash regulatory apparatus.



http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B2F85DDF-18FE-70B2-A835FE1E7FA8D74C

the fact that the overhaul of health care preserved the private delivery system

If that doesn't make you sick to your stomach, nothing will -- !!

[bigtree]

24. like I said

. . . there's usually plenty to complain about and protest about, and this presidency isn't an exception from all of that. It certainly hasn't stood firm on many progressive principles -- sacrificing more than a few in favor of continuing or enhancing republican initiated militarism or some corporate interests. Government is pretty much as it has been.

What this presidency has provided and furthered, though, is the notion that government can be a positive catalyst for progressive and social change. That's something that Bush and his conservative party worked to discredit during his administration.

The activism of this presidency on many, many fronts has spurred modest advances of planks of our progressive agenda. Of course, politics is always going to be an ongoing process with much to defend and much to advocate, especially in this election season. Let's have the protests, let's have the debates and, hopefully, move forward.

[defendandprotect]

26. I don't see Third Way as being based on "progressive principles" ... !!!

Rather, I think that Obama may turn out to have been the most harmful mistake

this nation has ever made on Election Day!

We need a liberal challenger in 2012 -- !!




And also notice that you found it necessary to ignore the Rahm Emmanuel list of

things that business should be "grateful" to Obama for --

including "preserving the private health care industry" --


:nuke:

[bigtree]

27. what happened in that election

. . . reflected the myriad of diverse and disparate interests and concerns from around the nation which made up the vote in our electoral system of advancing folks into the presidency. That process has yet to nominate a more progressive candidate than Mr. Obama. I'm not going to be dissuaded from participating in that process, though. We still benefit greatly from the elevation of our Democrats into positions where they have the potential to make the changes we want.

The Democratic party still remains the most effective vehicle for advancing that agenda -- not dismissing the obvious flaws and contradictions that exist with many of our legislators. Many folks see that as impetus to look outside the two-party system for leadership and representation. I'm good with that, as long as that effort isn't going to result in a republican taking a seat in Congress just for the sake of sending some signal or making a political point about adhering to one agenda or the other.

I think the primary season is the best place to make our stands. The general election is going to be limited, however, to the two parties until progressive alternatives can generate the necessary amount of support to actually gain office. Thereafter, they will still be challenged to build the necessary coalitions within government to advance their initiatives into action or law. That effort will require compromise, because of that myriad of diverse and disparate interests and opinion from around the nation which is represented in Congress and inherent in the votes for president.

[defendandprotect]

30. You must be replying to some other poster because you're not replying to what I'm saying to you....

Respond to back room deals with Big Pharma and Private H/C interests -- purposeful dealing

to betray single payer/MEDICARE4ALL -- about which Rahm Emmanuel "crowed" -- saying how

"grateful" business should be to Obama!!


What happened in the '08 election is Obama was given the trust of the public in a MANDATE to

create positive change. Obama threw away the mandate and proceeded to resurrect the GOP from

the ashes.

Rather than a "progressive" candidate, Obama immediately dropped his mask and has shown us that

he is the corporate candidate.


As long as we have candidates selling themselves and our government to elites/corporates then

the "process" is BS -- which is why people are coming out into the streets!

Government has been made "dysfunction" by corporate/elite wealth -- as poll after poll repeats.

Guess you just happened to be ignoring them? ROFL


The Democratic Party is under the control now of the Third Way -- if you don't know anything about

that hook into Madfloridian's Journal -- or I'll shoot you some info. The policy of the Third

Way is to "ignore the base of the party" -- which is 80% which want an end to both wars and

74% -- 83% of Catholics -- who want MEDICARE4ALL. Plus another 90%+ who want a government run

as Scandanavia is run! This is a hugely liberal nation -- a huge liberal bloc of voters --

and the will of the people is being ignored.

Rather that makes the Democrats the second least likely party to deliver anything the voters want!


And we both know that Obama is backed by so much corporate money that no challenger with any

reputation will risk a run. All that adds up to is elites/corporations running our government,

our elections and our lives!


What we have seen from Obama and his endless compromises and "bipartisanship" is that they have

essentiall delivered ONE PARTY RULE . . . The Republican Party's agenda!!

[Tatiana]

18. I've been very pleased. It may be pandering, but it's going to help real people.

And, in the end, that's all that matters.

So many of my colleagues are over the moon regarding the new student debt rules which will take effect next year. This is the type of thing the President needs to be doing in order for us to re-energize the base and win back Congress.

It also looks like someone is finally taking a close look at what can be done to curb the disastrous finance sector and we are finally starting to see some prosecutions in that area.