Huffpost: "Let's face the harsh reality -- Obama has blown health care reform, big time. "

[edhopper]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/the-health-care-reform-de_b_258893.html

Let's face the harsh reality -- Obama has blown health care reform, big time. The opportunity of a lifetime has been squandered. The most recent revelations about backroom deals with Pharma and the other vendors of medical services drops the curtain on any hope of serious change in our costly and inefficient non-system. This is a painful admission to make. Not only does the country remain handicapped by grossly sub-par arrangements for health delivery, we also are burdened with a president who has been discredited as a progressive dedicated to a betterment of how we conduct public business.
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I am sorry to say I cannot disagree.

[aquart]

1. Nor I, goddammit.

[babylonsister]

2. Fer cryin' out loud, the Senate hasn't even presented their part

of the plan, yet these clowns are eulogizing?

Gimme a break.

[Curtland1015]

7. Yeah, this for me too.

I'm certainly not happy with all the rumors I've heard, but I'm not gonna pass judgement way before we've got any kind of soild bill in place.

[BlooInBloo]

11. (shrug) The number of people in line to declare Obama a failure is long....

And that's not counting republicans.

[AuntPatsy]

14. And not be able to shout down a dem president...they live for such...

the masters are at work ensuring the loud cry of dissent remains strong and loud regardless if such a plan is yet merited..

seven months in office...and all that he has had to do and yet it honestly seems it will never be enough....I seriously believe people conveniently forget just how fucked up our government became under the watchful eye of the gop...and it was just not for eight years...they did all they could during the clinton years to keep real change from occuring..

I don't understand why more people do not see just how corrupt the gop is and has been for quite some time..its always a fight...always...lets not take time to fix things...not them....and even some Dem's fall for the obvious use of misdirecting priorities so time runs out until the next election......

[Threedifferentones]

26. I don't see why you don't see that they are the same party

But for a variety of "wedge" issues that they make a huge deal out of, ie red herrings, most of which are social issues like gay marriage, abortion, guns, etc, the parties are the same. Our army must be huge, rich people must remain solidly in control and be getting richer, poor people must not expect help from "their" government. Clinton did not change this status quo, Obama will not either.

George W. Bush was ruder and more extreme about being an asshole, but I almost prefer those eight years to those I am foreseeing under Obama. At least he was obviously evil, the BFEE makes a great uniter of little people. Obama is in that sense more sinister, he talks our talk to us, but will never deliver when it counts.

He can admit the CIA used to control Iran, something no American official would acknowledge for decades. But, he will not insist that we slash our war, errr, "defense" budget and give medicine to everyone. I fear Obama's greatest moments will always be symbolic, and that none will equal his election and inauguration.

[redqueen]

17. Yep.

It's long past old.

[deaniac21]

25. Actually, there are 5 or more proposals in both the house and

senate. Ergo, the debate. Which set of our corporate masters will win?

[kstewart33]

3. This is far, far from over.

Don't be so quick to condemn Obama. Let's wait and see what is passed into law before crucifying him.

So quick to judge. On this, the left media is as guilty as the right.

[Holly_Hobby]

4. It should have been pushed through months ago,

thereby not affording wingnuts the opportunity to organize and disrupt.

[babylonsister]

8. What month, since February, should that have happened?

Ridiculous.

[BlooInBloo]

30. How many months ago, precisely?

:rofl:

[Vinca]

5. It's like waking up in the middle of a nightmare.

All the work and money raised for a bona fide Democratic agenda . . . for nothing. Or so it seems. I hope I'm wrong.

[kjackson227]

6. It's not over til the fat lady sings. Let's not kill it BEFORE the fall...

What's with HP anyway lately???

[WI_DEM]

9. There is no plan out yet so stop the hand wringing.

[UndertheOcean]

10. Obama is a progressive? , that is news to me , he always seemed a centrist to me. n/t

[G_j]

12. I just wish someone could explain the Pharma deals nt

[Cant trust em]

13. It wouldn't be a HuffPo article if the world didn't end by Obama's hands. nt

[polichick]

15. The rumors of backroom deals are definitely disturbing. nt

[liberalmuse]

16. Huff Po and all the other tabloids agree.

Obama's failed before he's even finished. FluffPo???? The place that shows pictures of women in bikinis and men's pecs all the time? :rofl:

[earth mom]

27. And DU doesn't have crap?! There's a load of fluff and crap on DU too.

Stop living in DENIAL about Obama.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

32. To be fair, DU does try to get rid of the crap--they deleted that Alex Jones video you posted

several times.

[npk]

18. Oh please this country isn't even ready for a "public option"

Essentially a government add on program to medicare that would give health insurance to 45 million or so people that currently don't have access to any form of health insurance. Can you imagine what would have happened if Obama had come out with Single Payer from the start. The same thing that happened to Hillary in 1993. It wouldn't have even made it to the floor for a vote. Single Payer is a radical transformation in health care, Obama's current plan is a small overhaul, and it's barely hanging on by a thread. Lets face it Obama is not a magician. He cannot perform miracles. All he can do is try to get some actual necessary health care reform passed. The President understand that, and is working in the system that was created before him, not by him.

Just to clarify I am in favor of "single payer" But I can see reality and the current prevailing winds that say most Americans are not ready for this, much like the President.

[kjackson227]

24. Great post!

[HughMoran]

19. Well if that's how you feel

Then I think you're thinking is messed up.

:hi:

[MichiganVote]

20. Huff is totally tabloid. Their headlines are abysmal.

[KakistocracyHater]

21. Something could easily come out of Left Field & win the public option

don't give up, there can be GOOD surprises, from the Left, not the 'Other Right'.

[customerserviceguy]

22. There's something about that first one hundred days

Because if you don't get something really big done in that time (or at least the second hundred days) you're probably not going to make it happen. As soon as Congress traipsed off for the August recess, this thing was cooked.

On the other hand, you have to prioritize. President Obama got through a major stimulus package that looks like it is already causing the economy to avoid sinking into total anarchy. I really believed that was possible six to nine months ago, and while it will take some time for jobs to come back, I do think we've stopped most of the bleeding.

If that had failed, President Obama would have probably refused to run for the Democratic Party nomination in 2012, he would have been saddled with the label of defeat.

We may very well have another shot at comprehensive healthcare reform in 2013. By that point, we will have less enemies to deal with, as more people will sink into a healthcare crisis and be ready for action.

[madfloridian]

23. To those who condemn everything from Huff Post for a few you disagree with.

Look at the other authors listed on the page. You can't condemn every website because of a few articles that criticize Obama.

Hon. Eric E. Shinseki
Investing In Veterans

Robert Reich
How to Fight Healthcare Fearmongers and Demagogues

Adlai Stevenson III
Why I Support Dan Hynes for Governor of Illinois

Bill Maher
New Rule: Evolutionary Guard

Howard Dean
The Media's Treatment of Palin's Outrageous "Death Panel" Claims

Dr. Andrew Weil
Let's Take the Stomachache Out of Health Care Reform: One Patient's Story

[SemiCharmedQuark]

33. HuffPo has some great writers, BUT the editor choose to put the most inflammatory stuff as headlines

Sometimes they even change headlines to articles to make them more inflammatory.

[spanone]

28. the bill isn't even written yet.

i disagree.

[MasonJar]

29. Obama had the chance to go down in history and he chose to get

more contributions in 2012.

[babylonsister]

31. How do you know what will happen? Did I miss something? nt