What did you make of the presser? A lot of people have got to be disappointed. Let's discuss it. I'm here for the hour.
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First swipe: where’s the moral leadership? Even knowing as I did that Obama wasn’t going to come out guns blazing for single payer (which would have been the right thing) this pitch on health was a downer.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Lost opportunity imo. Too cautious. Insurers probably breathing a bit easier.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
The guy’s actually honest: this isn’t about healthcare reform, it’s about “health insurance reform.” And that’s a message not to the pubilc — 70+ percent of whom want publicly driven care — it’s a message to the insurers: This administration’s not going to scupper your system — it’s only going to reform it.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Which means profit, not people’s health, remains at the center.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
And that Skip Gates comment was the most significant thing he said. Sadly, the squawkers will be all over it. That, and the idea that a public plan might assign a “nutritionist” to advise people with diabetes… You can hear it now, can’t you?
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Not what I expected nor wanted to hear for sure. While “redecorating” can be called change, it’s not reform.
I don’t think Joe American in Smalltown USA got any information to feel good about.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Why was any other topic even discusssed? Wasn’t this supposed to be all about health care?
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Obama thinks, were he to jimmy into his (the White) House, he’d be shot? Ouch… the true kind of ouch…
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I did like the part where he said he was moving fast because people were taking the hard hit now. Maybe that’s something for “the people’.
OTHO he lacked the passion needed to instill hope in those who really need health care reform. He needed “There is not a red American and Blue America” kinda moment and there was none.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I think he meant the WH comment as in “the security here is intense”. He’s trying to transcend race in this instance maybe?
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Talk about care…. The president needed to talk care. We can’t get it as long as health insurance CEOs like the top dog at AETNA rake in $24 million in compensation. That’s enough to pay 160 internists $150,000/year or run a community clinic. We can’t keep costs down and or give care with skimming like that. Those profits come from one thing only: charging people for insurance and then denying that healthcare, or making it as expensive (and uncovered) as corporately-possible.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I’m under FEHB for my health care. Let me tell you it’s nothing like it used to be. I’m surprised folks still brag about it.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Exactly, care should be the issue. Most Americans have no concept what constitutes good health care. Too many have some boutique view of care when really it’s all about prevention and detection and maintenance.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 pm
He lost maybe the best chance he had to educate a lot of people tonight. As Hightower would say it was a Rooseveltian moment lost.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Nor do they have a clear sense of what they’re paying. We sent reporters out to ask: what do you pay? Utterly vague and confused replies spoke volumes. At least the president mentioned hidden costs and cost of uninsured.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
This is fun — spur of the moment — but fun. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a few tries to get registered to comment… I’m getting a few frustrated emails.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Ouch — retweet from Joan Walsh: @TeresaKopec PREDICTION: Cop who arrested Gates will be the GOP’s new Joe the Plumber/Frank Ricci by midnight.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Right they have no idea John Aravosis had this post last week on the topic that really brought home that point.
Here’s a snip: (might make a good guest/topic)
That headline was posted by Sardine over at Eschaton. And they’re right. It’s a point I’ve been trying to make for a while. Health care reform isn’t just about poor people, and we should stop trying to sell it to the rest of America by using that argument. I think most Americans feel a sense of empathy with those in need, but when the economy, their job, and their family’s livelihood is hanging by a thread, I think that most Americans become less generous and more selfish. And I propose that we play to their selfishness when pitching health care reform.
No matter how good you think your health insurance, answer me these questions off the top of your head:
1. What’s the annual limit on prescription benefits under your plan? Do you have a limit? I didn’t think I did until last year when Blue Cross cut me off and I had to pay for my $250 a month asthma medicine, and more, out of my own pocket.
2. What’s the lifetime limit on our major medical plan? What do I mean? Lots of health care plans only cover your major medical up until a certain point, then if you cost them too much, they cut you off. What’s your cut off, and would getting cancer push you beyond that cut off?
3. How much does an appendectomy cost? (see link above for more)
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Ouch about the cop, it’ll be a no brainer if he’s captain of his block’s birther club.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Our Insurers changed the teeny tiny small print: a $500 deductible per hospitalization (bad enough) became a $500 deductible per day of hospitalization — that’s a first class ticket to bankruptcy with insurance!
I do credit Obama for mentioning the profits insurers are making. But the sad thing is — some day some American leader is going to get the country out from under the private insurers’ thumb. Sadder thing – we’ll need publicly funded elections first!
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Tee hee on birthers, although I’m not really tee heeing.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I agree and support Change Congress for that reason. I don’t see how anything will ever change until we have campaigns funded by the public. You have any shows coming up on that topic?
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 10:00 pm
gotta go. we’ll do this again. With warning, next time!!!
Have a good night Maggiesboy…. miss you on the radio.
By Laura Flanders on July 22nd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Seems Tweety agrees with you tonight. Glad I’m sitting down.
Oh shoot it’s 10:00. Thanks for the chance to chat Laura.
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Miss you more! ‘nite!
By maggiesboy on July 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Interesting to me that Barack’s struggles with laying out a case for health insurance that’s at once succinct, stirring and indicative of any kind of wonky mastery of details goes back to the primaries.
As a friend of said in an e-mail following last night’s presser:
Neither I nor my friend question President Obama’s sincerity or commitment to the cause of health care reform, which, yes, is staggeringly complex and thus not easily reduced to soundbyte nuggets when one wants to speak to the nation as if it were made up of adults, but it seems that Obama–in terms of presentation, not content–channeled Mike Dukakis last night rather than Ronald Reagan, who would have simplified everything, told an anecdote that would have been compelling & memorable (true or not, he wouldn’t have cared, such being his audacity) and thus been effective.
(By the way, I’m new to this site, and this is my first post. Think I’m going to like it here!)
By redneck4obama on July 23rd, 2009 at 8:21 am
Pretty eloquent writin’ for a redneck, but you and your friend really nailed it. My 20/20 hindsight today thinks he should have politely deflected the Gates question and kept the topic on health care
I thought I’d never say this but Obama may need to do one thing Bush did a lot…..take a trip to “Crawford”. I think the skinny kid needs a couple days off to recharge, refocus and reengage.
.
By maggiesboy on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:13 am
PS
Not that an illustrative, shapely Reagan fairy tale would have passed the fact-checking standards of The Weekly Reader, and not to imply that Reagan would have embraced sweeping reform of the health insurance industry. But he would shown some PR mastery at the tell-tale televised moment when an impasse arrived for any first-year major agenda item of his.
Let’s remember, this moment is the greatest for domestic Democratic Party legislation since 1965–since Medicare, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Maybe, even, since the New Deal 1930s.
So, you’d think President Obama and his “handlers” would have been a bit more artful…
By redneck4obama on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
Well (as Reagan always began), thank you maggiesboy. Yeah, maybe there should be some truth-in-labeling with my monicker. I’m a native, small, lumber-industry town native of Appalachia. But one who spent years working as an editor of semi-scholarly books in New York City, albeit one who has been back home (though that’s debatable; I’ll always consider my beloved New York my true spiritual home) again for several years now.
So maybe I should be “redneck”4obama. Or perhaps it should be said that I’m simply channeling my Appalachian inner Ed Schultz.
Here’s who I am:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comm…..s2008.race
Anyway, I agree with you. Barack looks to be needing that vacation on the Vineyard.
By redneck4obama on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 am
You would think. Truly the moment is here but the Democratic Party is out to lunch. There is no incentive for much of this crop of ‘crats to pass sweeping legislation because they are being financed by the industry we’re trying to regulate.
Without publicly financed campaigns we will never have another major bill passed that is for the good of the voters. I’ll bet the bank on that statement.
By maggiesboy on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
maggiesboy, and now this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..43235.html
By redneck4obama on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:50 am
Having read Taibbi’s article I’m not the least surprised but I am just as outraged. Speaking of “warrants“, I’d like to see some of the other kinds of warrants issued for the perpetrators of these financial crimes.
Off topic but I moved to WV in 11th grade and went to WVU. Your Guardian piece was spot on man.
By maggiesboy on July 23rd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
maggiesboy: Wow. I’m a WVU grad, too. And, yeah, I’m a big Taibbi fan as well.
By redneck4obama on July 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
After this is over, America will know who runs this country- Our elected officials or Corporations and big money. The way I see it, the people have no say in Health Care, Banks, foreign policy and most of all,the people have no voice in the media. All that is a prescription for world war. Or, are we already there?
I noticed, Last Night, Hillary claiming that N.Korea was violating this or that agreement. She forgot to mention that the US screwed them big-time. She forgot to mention she just struck a nuclear deal with India. She forgot to mention that Russia, China and India are mobilizing their armies. It all looks warm and cozy on the surface but this world is about to explode.
Maybe, instead of single payer Health system, we should have a single payer funeral system.
By Neanderthal7 on July 24th, 2009 at 11:01 am