What should Obama have tackled during his first year INSTEAD of the health insurance debacle?

[derby378]

[underpants]

1. It wasn't a debacle

It's wasn't perfect but they FINALLY got something passed. The energy level (read: MONEY) on the other side has to maintain itself as this is administered over the years.

It took 65 years to finally get anything like this to a vote. AND. WE. WON.

[Heidi]

2. Not to be persnickety, but that's HUMAN RIGHTS including DADT and marriage. (nt)

[derby378]

16. Understood

Since I was including the abuses in Darfur and Congo, I had to draw a line of demarcation. But I see where you're coming from. :hi:

[MH1]

3. Climate Change.

Ah well, maybe folks will figure it out in a few years.

[derby378]

7. Duly noted - fixed the poll (n/t)

[EndElectoral]

4. He needed to actually tackle the health care debate, not an insurance simulus.

[Enrique]

5. Employee Free Choice Act n/t

[tridim]

6. What a lovely push poll you've posted.

:eyes:

I hear Rasmussen is hiring.

[timeforpeace]

8. By dividing up so many non-healthcare items, you guarantee that health care wins. Nice job.

[sandnsea]

9. Except for gay rights

He's actually tackling most of that. Everything isn't finished yet, and only an infantile 2 year old would have expected it to be.

[derby378]

10. The operative phrase here is "political capital"

We all remember when Bush pulled that line in 2005, but the schmuck was filled with hubris and pumped up by a Congress that had been cowed into inaction, even after Democrats took over in 2006.

[sandnsea]

12. He has a ton of political capital

For 8 years this board complained about the way the media went after Clinton and then Gore.

Well the media is at it again - and the same dumb motherfuckers who bought it in the 90s are buying it now. That's all.

The majority of people are very happy with Obama and see the changes he is making, and the ones he is working on. He's going to be just fine and has gotten more accomplished in one month this year than most politicians accomplish in a lifetime.

[Overseas]

11. I've always felt the War Crimes Trials would have made it very clear

that very significant change was required.

When we saw, through 21st Century Nuremberg Trials, how low the Bush Gang had taken our country, we would know how deeply we needed to change our modus operandi. After we had all watched and affirmed that the government appointed by The Supreme Court in 2000 had gone on to commit serious war crimes in our names, with photographic and personal testimony, for weeks and weeks-- then we might be ready for real change.

We wouldn't want to prop up business as usual and pretend that we could overcome torture committed in our name with platitudes like "we're looking forward, not backward."

The war crimes trials would set the context into which President Obama's administration was beginning. They would demonstrate one area where serious thorough change was required, and where very serious covenants with the world like the Geneva Conventions (that protect our soldiers too) were violated.

The trials would help us become better accustomed to facing the truth. Business as usual has been very cruel toward the majority of our people economically and caused a lot of collateral damage (aka murder of civilians by accident) overseas.

After seeing all of that again, we might understand how significant our change needs to be. No simple declarations on future policy interests would suffice. We signed the Geneva Conventions that said no excuses for torture would be allowed. Whatever happened to that?

[LWolf]

13. Other: Health CARE, not insurance. nt

[TheKentuckian]

14. Bank reform

Just because maybe we could have struck while the iron was hot and actually got something of impact done. The fierce urgency of now may have actually yielded substance and actual long term benefits to the people.

This one feels like a prime example of the further we get from the crisis the less crucial it "feels" to about everyone. The fundamentals of the economy are also probably the biggest short and medium term issue and the one we can most unilaterally affect.

[MercutioATC]

15. Trade policy and tax incentives for domestic hiring.

These two things could have drastically improved our employment situation.

Health care reform is important, but jobs are the #1 issue now.