Thread: HealthCare Speech - What did you think?

I thought the speech was pretty well delivered (as his speeches tend to be), though the quips about HC reform being cheaper than Iraq were childish and stupid.

But coming in with the sensible goals of (a) doing this step by step and (b) building upon areas of consensus, I thought he completely dropped the ball by not talking with specificity about key ways to cut wasteful spending on HC. He made some vapid statements about "this will pay for itself," but all he talked about were reforms that would cost more money. That was dumb and a missed opportunity to focus the nation on a first stage in reform that most would agree with - elimination of inefiiciencies and waste. And listening to a hyper liberal president saying "this will pay for itself," I just didn't believe him. Whereas if he focused on how he's going to make that happen I'd listen.

Then the GOP comes on and in ten minutes zooms right in on the main issue: cost.

I don't expect Obama to convert hard core republicans like myself, but I thought he really mishandled this. First, he let hyper liberal democrats waste the last several months drafting extremist legislation the country doesn't support, betraying the trust of a country that elected him to be a moderate (ie in the middle between conservative and liberal), not a mediator between the extreme leftists and moderate leftists in Congress. Second, he had the right idea on coming at this last night with a baby steps, bipartisan philosophy, but whiffed on the chance to focus on the cost containments that everyone could agree with.

Disappointing. Hope we don't blow a chance for a useful first step towards hc reform because we have a weak President that can't keep Congress on a leash.

I watched the speech, and the last thing that came to mind was a "weak President".... Could be because I'm not hardcore to the left or right

Originally Posted by loueedacat

Disappointing. Hope we don't blow a chance for a useful first step towards hc reform because we have a weak President that can't keep Congress on a leash.

I don't get it .... we are supposed to have co-equal branches of government. Having a congress that rubber stamps whatever the 'strong' president wants is what got us into the mess we're in over the last 8 years.

I thought it was a darn good speech but then again he was preaching to the choir in my case. Too bad we can't just have the public option and be done with it.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I don't get it .... we are supposed to have co-equal branches of government. Having a congress that rubber stamps whatever the 'strong' president wants is what got us into the mess we're in over the last 8 years.

I thought it was a darn good speech but then again he was preaching to the choir in my case. Too bad we can't just have the public option and be done with it.

Personally, I think we need to model our healthcare system after Japan, France, or other similar system... Just like honing, let's do it right the first time, instead of just trying to piecemeal reform. Just sayin'

By weak president I mean abdicating his job - presenting a healthcare plan that is moderate - to Congress. He was "hired" to be a moderate, not to delegate to the left wing in Congress. He was too weak and inexperienced to seize the initiative on his own issue, left it to the Pelosi types, and now he's in a jam of his own making, trying to rescue a leftwing drafted reform package by trying to steer it to the middle, when he should have taken the initiative and presented a moderate package in the first place. That would have been strong. Delivering a nice speech isn't strong. He can speak - no one disputes that. Unfortunately, being a strong President requires more than delivering nice speeches, and he still doesn't get that. He thinks he's still a candidate.

I'm not averse to a more dramatic overhaul, but I think Obama correctly read that that just ain't happening, so no point dwelling on what might academically make more sense. And his point that whether we end up with public or private options is just a means to an end was dead on. The problem is he didn't focus on the "boring" stuff that really needs to be addressed, whether it's addressed with public options, private options or a mix.

But bottom line is he needs to lead on this, not just inspire, and he doesn't know the difference.

Originally Posted by loueedacat

By weak president I mean abdicating his job - presenting a healthcare plan that is moderate - to Congress. He was "hired" to be a moderate, not to delegate to the left wing in Congress. He was too weak and inexperienced to seize the initiative on his own issue, left it to the Pelosi types, and now he's in a jam of his own making, trying to rescue a leftwing drafted reform package by trying to steer it to the middle, when he should have taken the initiative and presented a moderate package in the first place. That would have been strong. Delivering a nice speech isn't strong. He can speak - no one disputes that. Unfortunately, being a strong President requires more than delivering nice speeches, and he still doesn't get that. He thinks he's still a candidate.

I'm not averse to a more dramatic overhaul, but I think Obama correctly read that that just ain't happening, so no point dwelling on what might academically make more sense. And his point that whether we end up with public or private options is just a means to an end was dead on. The problem is he didn't focus on the "boring" stuff that really needs to be addressed, whether it's addressed with public options, private options or a mix.

But bottom line is he needs to lead on this, not just inspire, and he doesn't know the difference.

For the most part, you nailed it for me.

The bottom line is the bottom line....

WE CAN"T AFFORD IT !!!!

Period end of story....

It will pay for itself reminds me of the old days of Solar, LMAO when they would sell a system that would pay for itself in ten years, but forgot to tell you the the panels only lasted eight before needing replacing.....

Never forget numbers never lie, only people lie and OMG "YOU LIE" was never so true....

WE CAN"T AFFORD IT...

Originally Posted by loueedacat

By weak president I mean abdicating his job - presenting a healthcare plan that is moderate - to Congress. He was "hired" to be a moderate, not to delegate to the left wing in Congress. He was too weak and inexperienced to seize the initiative on his own issue, left it to the Pelosi types, and now he's in a jam of his own making, trying to rescue a leftwing drafted reform package by trying to steer it to the middle, when he should have taken the initiative and presented a moderate package in the first place. That would have been strong. Delivering a nice speech isn't strong. He can speak - no one disputes that. Unfortunately, being a strong President requires more than delivering nice speeches, and he still doesn't get that. He thinks he's still a candidate.

I'm not averse to a more dramatic overhaul, but I think Obama correctly read that that just ain't happening, so no point dwelling on what might academically make more sense. And his point that whether we end up with public or private options is just a means to an end was dead on. The problem is he didn't focus on the "boring" stuff that really needs to be addressed, whether it's addressed with public options, private options or a mix.

But bottom line is he needs to lead on this, not just inspire, and he doesn't know the difference.

As Einstein quipped, "It's all relative". If Obama had truly just handed this thing over to the hard-core "left", the proposal would be drastically different. This is just about as moderate (read: do little) a healthcare reform as is imaginable.

Maybe if we get the hell out of Iraq and leave mars to the Martians that would help pay for some of it. It always gets me when it is said that we can't afford social programs but we can spend a billion a week on a needless war without batting an eye or whatever it is to shoot rockets out into space when there is no habitable planet within reach.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The bottom line is the bottom line....

WE CAN"T AFFORD IT !!!!

Period end of story....

It will pay for itself reminds me of the old days of Solar, LMAO when they would sell a system that would pay for itself in ten years, but forgot to tell you the the panels only lasted eight before needing replacing.....

Never forget numbers never lie, only people lie and OMG "YOU LIE" was never so true....

WE CAN"T AFFORD IT...

Let's pretend that he's completely fabricating the notion that this health care plan will not add to our deficit. We'd spend the money and just print more of it -- same thing we've been doing for years on things that we neither needed nor could afford. At least this is something needed.

Our deficit is like $11 trillion(?) without a national heath care system. $11T and no national health care, or $11.9T with national health care?

I thought it was a good speech. I fully support the idea of a national health care system and think that the arguments should be about funding, not about the neo-con propaganda regarding socialism, death panels, et al. I honestly don't see how anybody could be against the principle of national health care, but I also couldn't understand why people got upset at Obama supporting education. I felt the shots he took on the war cost were appropriate as we've spent more than $900B occupying both Iraq and Afghanistan. Both will cost about the same.

How can we afford imperialism but not health care?