Obama's summit a bust

[jeffsg4mac]

Looks like zero's healthcare summit might have backfired on him big time. Read these quotes from libs none the less.

CNN's David Gergen:

The folks in the White House just must be kicking themselves right now. They thought that coming out of Baltimore when the President went in and was mesmerizing and commanding in front of the House Republicans that he could do that again here today. That would revive health care and would change the public opinion about their health care bill and they can go on to victory. Just the opposite has happened

CNN's Gloria Borger:

The Republicans have been very effective today. They really did come to play. They were very smart.
They took on the substance of a very complex issue. ... But they really stuck to the substance of this issue and tried to get to the heart of it and I think did a very good job.

They came in with a plan. They mapped it out.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer:

It looks like the Republicans certainly showed up ready to play.

The Hill's A.B. Stoddard:

I think we need to start out by acknowledging Republicans brought their 'A Team.' They had doctors knowledgeable about the system, they brought substance to the table, and they, I thought, expressed interest in the reform. I thought in the lecture from Senator John McCain and on the issue of transparency, I thought today the Democrats were pretty much on their knees.

 

[JerryLove]

Looks like zero's healthcare summit

"zero"? Is that a new acronym like PotUS, or are we name-calling still?

 

[tonygeno]

Looks like zero's healthcare summit might have backfired on him big time. Read these quotes from libs none the less.

CNN's David Gergen:

The folks in the White House just must be kicking themselves right now. They thought that coming out of Baltimore when the President went in and was mesmerizing and commanding in front of the House Republicans that he could do that again here today. That would revive health care and would change the public opinion about their health care bill and they can go on to victory. Just the opposite has happened

CNN's Gloria Borger:

The Republicans have been very effective today. They really did come to play. They were very smart.
They took on the substance of a very complex issue. ... But they really stuck to the substance of this issue and tried to get to the heart of it and I think did a very good job.

They came in with a plan. They mapped it out.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer:

It looks like the Republicans certainly showed up ready to play.

The Hill's A.B. Stoddard:

I think we need to start out by acknowledging Republicans brought their 'A Team.' They had doctors knowledgeable about the system, they brought substance to the table, and they, I thought, expressed interest in the reform. I thought in the lecture from Senator John McCain and on the issue of transparency, I thought today the Democrats were pretty much on their knees.

Good stuff. Now maybe we can really bankrupt the country while we get raped by the health insurance companies. My healthcare costs went up 60% in the last three years of dumbo's administration, and I pay 100% for my employees. I'd love to put the $70K I spend on health insurance into taxes and get us all on Medicare. The head of Medicare makes $150K. How much does the head of BC/BS make?

The health insurance companies have two ways to make money: raising premiums and denying care. And they've done a great job of it, hence the huge salaries their executives make. They're not into making people better, but into making money. It is what it is, but I'd like it be different than it is. We spend more on healthcare than any other country in the world and we ain't getting the best outcomes. GW had a 8 years to fix this mess, but he was too fixated on Sadaam Hussein for the first four and look where that got us. Let's keep the system as is and watch health care consume 30% or our GDP (it's at 16% now). Go repugs, go. The low taxes (for the wealthy) over the past 8 years really created lots of jobs, didn't they?

 

[Stereodude]

Go repugs, go. The low taxes (for the wealthy) over the past 8 years really created lots of jobs, didn't they?

A lot more than Obama has.

By the way, nothing in Obama's outline or the plans that passed either house of Congress would do anything to fix the problems you mention, but they will raise your taxes, raise the deficit and give the Federal gov't an excuse to control every aspect of your life under the guise of controlling health care costs.

When Medicare and Medicaid are model examples of how world class health care should be done and eclipse private coverage, then I'll be more than happy to let the Fed's take over the entire health care system. I'll be holding my breath.

 

[markw]

He deserves the ridicule. McCain had him by the short-hairs and he knew it.

McCain was merely pointing out that Obama failed miserably on his campaign promises, the ones he used to fool the public into voting for him.

So, where's that change we can believe in, besides from our pockets and cutting Medicare funds?

Perhaps if he had done something to lower the costs of health care instead of getting bed with the major players he might have a leg to stand on.

As it now stands, he just wants the hard-working people that do have insurance to continue to pay more for less while the health care cartel gets fatter and fatter. As for Medicare/Medicaid, seniors paid into this all their lives and deserve to collect it.

Let's not even start on the banking and auto industry.

Apparently, people are seeing through the rhetoric. November and 2012 could be interesting. Remember Jimmy Carter?

 

[JerryLove]

McCain was merely pointing out that Obama failed miserably on his campaign promises, the ones he used to fool the public into voting for him.

McCain? That's rather pot-to-kettle.

So, where's that change we can believe in, besides from our pockets and cutting Medicare funds?

There's no way we could have a rational discussion of what when wrong where. Obama failed to deliver on several promises. Some were over-promising, some are squarely a flip-flop, some are from exigent circumstance.

Perhaps if he had done something to lower the costs of health care instead of getting bed with the major players he might have a leg to stand on.

He foolishly let the legislators craft the bills.

As it now stands, he just wants the hard-working people that do have insurance to continue to pay more for less while the health care cartel gets fatter and fatter. As for Medicare/Medicaid, seniors paid into this all their lives and deserve to collect it.

Then it can never end.

Apparently, people are seeing through the rhetoric. November and 2012 could be interesting. Remember Jimmy Carter?

Carter gave bad speeches. 1984 had a tremendous loss in American jobs which could be directly tied to White-house policy, yet Reagan won by a landslide.

There is no way, in the beginning of 2010, to predict 2012.

 

[Stereodude]

He foolishly let the legislators craft the bills.

That was part of his plan. That way he could blame it all on them when his numerous campaign promise on the issue all went up in smoke.

 

[markw]

So, Jerry, let me sum up your post here.

Obama failed miserably but it's not his fault, right?

Or, he didn't fail. He just hasn't delivered on his promises and it doesn't look like he will be any time soon, right?

And, BTW, McCain is totally within his rights for rubbing O's nose in his own fecal matter. After all, McCain isn't the one who failed to deliver.

 

[JerryLove]

Obama failed miserably but it's not his fault, right?

If you read myprevious post: you'll find I said he has failed on some things and not on others; and that some failures are his fault and some are not.

Or, he didn't fail. He just hasn't delivered on his promises and it doesn't look like he will be any time soon, right?

What are you talking about? I realize my statements were correct, but you found them so overwhelmingly right you had to put up a straw-man argument? Bad form

And, BTW, McCain is totally within his rights for rubbing O's nose in his own fecal matter. After all, McCain isn't the one who failed to deliver.

Of course he has. McCain, for example, promised to look at repealing don't-ask, don't-tell if the military leadership supported/suggested it. They did. He didn't.

Heck. I googled: http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/?page=entire

 

[JerryLove]

That was part of his plan. That way he could blame it all on them when his numerous campaign promise on the issue all went up in smoke.

Has he been blaming the legislators for what he has failed to accomplish?

Let's take a partial list and you can show me where he did so.
We are still in Iraq.
Gitmo is still open.
The earlier healthcare debates were not on CSPAN.

 

[highfigh]

Good stuff. Now maybe we can really bankrupt the country while we get raped by the health insurance companies. My healthcare costs went up 60% in the last three years of dumbo's administration, and I pay 100% for my employees. I'd love to put the $70K I spend on health insurance into taxes and get us all on Medicare. The head of Medicare makes $150K. How much does the head of BC/BS make?

The health insurance companies have two ways to make money: raising premiums and denying care. And they've done a great job of it, hence the huge salaries their executives make. They're not into making people better, but into making money. It is what it is, but I'd like it be different than it is. We spend more on healthcare than any other country in the world and we ain't getting the best outcomes. GW had a 8 years to fix this mess, but he was too fixated on Sadaam Hussein for the first four and look where that got us. Let's keep the system as is and watch health care consume 30% or our GDP (it's at 16% now). Go repugs, go. The low taxes (for the wealthy) over the past 8 years really created lots of jobs, didn't they?

Every President in hte last 50 years has had a chance to fix it and/or make sure it didn't get to this point, yet you want to blame one guy. Here's something for the cheap seats-
A PRESIDENT NEEDS CONGRESS TO ENACT LEGISLATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE THE LAWMAKERS, NOT THE PRESIDENT!. The President is in the Executive branch, not the Legislative, so he can't fix problems like this by his own decree, unless it's an extreme case.

Health care should be operated without emphasis on profit/loss and dividends for shareholders.

If we didn't have 12 million illegals using our health care system, your premiums wouldn't have increased.

 

[skers_54]

Good stuff. Now maybe we can really bankrupt the country while we get raped by the health insurance companies. My healthcare costs went up 60% in the last three years of dumbo's administration, and I pay 100% for my employees. I'd love to put the $70K I spend on health insurance into taxes and get us all on Medicare. The head of Medicare makes $150K. How much does the head of BC/BS make?

The health insurance companies have two ways to make money: raising premiums and denying care. And they've done a great job of it, hence the huge salaries their executives make. They're not into making people better, but into making money. It is what it is, but I'd like it be different than it is. We spend more on healthcare than any other country in the world and we ain't getting the best outcomes. GW had a 8 years to fix this mess, but he was too fixated on Sadaam Hussein for the first four and look where that got us. Let's keep the system as is and watch health care consume 30% or our GDP (it's at 16% now). Go repugs, go. The low taxes (for the wealthy) over the past 8 years really created lots of jobs, didn't they?

Considering that 1 out of every 3 dollars spent on health care goes towards management, administration and regulation, I think you'd be asking for your money back from Medicare pretty quickly. My math might be a little rusty, but I'd wager the salaries of the insurance execs is a very, very small fraction of that.

The current reform bill does nothing to curtail the actual costs of providing care; it only seeks to improve access to health insurance and provide some methods of decreasing the cost of insurance to the consumer. This bill isn't about health care reform. It's about health insurance reform.

It's looking more and more like any potential cost reductions are going to come from the doctors' share of the pot. The Medicare conversion factor hasn't changed in the past decade, while operating costs have increased by 45%. This means physicians have to see more patients and order more tests to make money, driving up the cost of care for everyone. Not exactly a system that encourages excellence and efficiency.

 

[tonygeno]

A lot more than Obama has.

You comparing eight years to one? LOL

By the way, nothing in Obama's outline or the plans that passed either house of Congress would do anything to fix the problems you mention, but they will raise your taxes, raise the deficit and give the Federal gov't an excuse to control every aspect of your life under the guise of controlling health care costs.

Because unfortunately they took single payer off the table. With the drug, health insurance and hospital lobbys, I guess they had no chance. It's better to have BC/BS control heathcare aspect of your life, eh?

When Medicare and Medicaid are model examples of how world class health care should be done and eclipse private coverage, then I'll be more than happy to let the Fed's take over the entire health care system. I'll be holding my breath.

The people I know on Medicare love it. In fact, most would say it does eclipse private coverage. Health insurance is stupid: insurance is for cars, homes, businesses, but not health care. Of course, the repugs want the current system to continue so their buddies can continue to make money hand over fist: let the government cover the weak, the indigent, the elderly and then complain that Medicaid and Medicare are losing money. God forbid you get cancer and lose your job: sayonara my friend. (Unless you live in Massachusetts where we got rid of pre-existing conditions with our health care reform).