From blog.fearnoevil.anandtech.com:
In the spirit of 'Where were the Republicans for the past 8 years on spending?' I have to ask the same about Healthcare. Where have the Democrats been for the past 8 years on Healthcare? Why did we hear virtually NOTHING about it until Bush's term was over? Why is it suddenly now a problem so important that we cannot wait even weeks to pass reform?
If one were to believe many in this forum in that the Healthcare system is nearly to the point of collapse.. people cannot get insurance to pay, they are going bankrupt left and right, people are dying because of denied procedures.. etc.. Shouldn't there have been a stronger push for this before BHO was elected if this was so out of control?
Pretty much all we heard for the majority of Bush's term was WAR WAR WAR, CRIMES CRIMES CRIMES, DEAD SOLDIERS, HALIBURTON, and CHENEY. I don't remember the democrats EVER really bringing up Healthcare problems during this time. It certainly wasn't enough to drown out the voices calling for investigations on important issues like the firing of US Attorneys. :roll:
So, can we apply the same logic thats being thrown at Republicans and say Democrats have no official right to complain, since they should have been doing it for at least the last few years. And since they have no right to complain, we should just continue with the status quo or even let the problem get worse? I mean, if we can double or triple deficits we can handle the current healthcare system for at least a few more years right? Why the rush?
Here's what I think is happening.. The Democrats had a ton of political capital to spend because of the huge support for President Obama. Rahm Emanuel and crew needed a 9/11 of their own to ram massive govern reform through. None came. So they made one up. Healthcare! Its a massive part of the economy, everyone needs it, and the insurance companies make a GREAT scapegoat. NOBODY likes them. Just start repeating over and over that its a crisis, find some people who had bad care and throw them out there, and organize your astroturfers to start chanting 'HEALTH CARE NOW' at every speech.
Brilliant! Well, not quite. The one thing people trust less than insurance companies is big government promises. Its starting to fall apart now that people realize what a massive change Obama and crew were trying to shove down our throats with little to no oversight on what the plan actually does and how much it costs. The plan is starting to fall apart and with it the likelyhood of any major reform.
I'm honestly not sure how we get past this. Healthcare does need reform, but it doesn't need a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction. I think Obama and Rahm bit off more than they could chew and now they can't stop trying to choke it down.. like some sort of rabid dog who just found a rotten piece of meat at the side of the road. You aren't going to reason with the starving dog to stop trying to swallow the disease infected piece of meat.. so you just kind of sit there and watch in amazement as they attempt to swallow it all in one huge chunk.
What we need is Obama to be the President he promised to be. Someone who truly does reach across the isle and tries to work with the opposition. We need less TV speeches spewing the same hate and fear tactics used for the past 8 years and more listening. We need someone who is going to LISTEN to the people and our concerns and not just say IT MUST ALL BE DISMANTLED and I know whats best for you.
There have been many promises of the government over the past 200+ years that they have not kept.. we are distrustful and wary of government. I don't trust the government to handle the formulation of my gasoline without screwing it up (MTBE anyone?) let alone letting them handle my healthcare. If Obama can work with both sides and come up with a plan that doesn't alienate 50% of the population, I think reform can work. Otherwise I think its doomed for failure and an even greater divide between left and right in this country.
In the spirit of 'Where were the Republicans for the past 8 years on spending?' I have to ask the same about Healthcare. Where have the Democrats been for the past 8 years on Healthcare? Why did we hear virtually NOTHING about it until Bush's term was over? Why is it suddenly now a problem so important that we cannot wait even weeks to pass reform?
If one were to believe many in this forum in that the Healthcare system is nearly to the point of collapse.. people cannot get insurance to pay, they are going bankrupt left and right, people are dying because of denied procedures.. etc.. Shouldn't there have been a stronger push for this before BHO was elected if this was so out of control?
Pretty much all we heard for the majority of Bush's term was WAR WAR WAR, CRIMES CRIMES CRIMES, DEAD SOLDIERS, HALIBURTON, and CHENEY. I don't remember the democrats EVER really bringing up Healthcare problems during this time. It certainly wasn't enough to drown out the voices calling for investigations on important issues like the firing of US Attorneys. :roll:
So, can we apply the same logic thats being thrown at Republicans and say Democrats have no official right to complain, since they should have been doing it for at least the last few years. And since they have no right to complain, we should just continue with the status quo or even let the problem get worse? I mean, if we can double or triple deficits we can handle the current healthcare system for at least a few more years right? Why the rush?
Here's what I think is happening.. The Democrats had a ton of political capital to spend because of the huge support for President Obama. Rahm Emanuel and crew needed a 9/11 of their own to ram massive govern reform through. None came. So they made one up. Healthcare! Its a massive part of the economy, everyone needs it, and the insurance companies make a GREAT scapegoat. NOBODY likes them. Just start repeating over and over that its a crisis, find some people who had bad care and throw them out there, and organize your astroturfers to start chanting 'HEALTH CARE NOW' at every speech.
Brilliant! Well, not quite. The one thing people trust less than insurance companies is big government promises. Its starting to fall apart now that people realize what a massive change Obama and crew were trying to shove down our throats with little to no oversight on what the plan actually does and how much it costs. The plan is starting to fall apart and with it the likelyhood of any major reform.
I'm honestly not sure how we get past this. Healthcare does need reform, but it doesn't need a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction. I think Obama and Rahm bit off more than they could chew and now they can't stop trying to choke it down.. like some sort of rabid dog who just found a rotten piece of meat at the side of the road. You aren't going to reason with the starving dog to stop trying to swallow the disease infected piece of meat.. so you just kind of sit there and watch in amazement as they attempt to swallow it all in one huge chunk.
What we need is Obama to be the President he promised to be. Someone who truly does reach across the isle and tries to work with the opposition. We need less TV speeches spewing the same hate and fear tactics used for the past 8 years and more listening. We need someone who is going to LISTEN to the people and our concerns and not just say IT MUST ALL BE DISMANTLED and I know whats best for you.
There have been many promises of the government over the past 200+ years that they have not kept.. we are distrustful and wary of government. I don't trust the government to handle the formulation of my gasoline without screwing it up (MTBE anyone?) let alone letting them handle my healthcare. If Obama can work with both sides and come up with a plan that doesn't alienate 50% of the population, I think reform can work. Otherwise I think its doomed for failure and an even greater divide between left and right in this country.
Aren't you missing a tea party somewhere?
Facebook
Twitter