The 6 hour gathering is today discussing the future of OUR health and lives.

If you are watching and want to add your thoughts, enter here.

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KalimaBlues TigerKQµårk 死神AuntieChristKhirad Recent comment authors
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javaz
Member

I’d like to thank everyone for live-blogging about the summit yesterday.
I followed the comments throughout the entire thing and you guys did an excellent job of relaying what was going on!

It was almost like watching it and I could feel the tension and hear the shouts of LIES and/or LIAR at certain Republican nimrods.

Great job, everyone!

Kalima
Admin

Ok now, I’ve spent most of my morning watching the “Summit” Part 1 on C-Span, slipping in and out of consciousness as the Repubs repeat points already clarified by the President, things already covered in the existing bill or just plain made-up lies as only members of the GOP are capable of doing with a straight face.

There is an afternoon Part 2 session and I wondered if anything dynamic occurred or if one stiff arsed, stiff lipped Repub shouted “You lie” or made any sense at all in the next 70 minutes. If not I could always save it to watch before bedtime, when it could serve the purpose of sending me to sleep.

The President was great and if I were the other side, I would feel so very embarrassed by the smarting sensation coming from my behind where the President had just given me and my colleagues a firm, royal spanking on national tv. Ouch!!

KQµårk 死神
Member

The president was like a cat playing with his food after devouring the GOP point by point from what I saw on line.

It simply amazes me how the media in this country goes out of it’s way trying to lower expectations for the Republicans. I mean the GOP had doctors in their ranks that knew less about the details of healthcare than the president.

I’m pretty dissapointed with the BBC as well because they seemed to miss the point. This summit was not about reaching any kind of agreement. It was about exposing the Republicans for what they are and refocusing Dems and the MSM back on HCR.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8536469.stm

Frankly no summits these days that are played out in front of the media are to hammer out details of agreements just like the Climate Change summit. Summits are political devises where ideas are presented by all sides. The heavy lifting is always behind closed doors but then again the MSM will complain that there is not enough transparency in the process.

Kalima
Admin

I will watch Part 2 then, if only to relish when the President backs them into their “no ideas” corners, so I can see it with my own eyes before the Repubs and their lackey media outlets have a chance to distort it.

Listening to those droning RW voices of sham and doom has literally worn me out. They have no idea how ridiculous they looked and sounded. This doctor Coburn was only there for himself, trying to cover his own arse, what a bunch of overripe bananas.

KQµårk 死神
Member

For me listening to their bullshit that we have “the best healthcare system in the world” gets me angry because we have the worst access to that system. I think our level of care is very good for people that can afford it.

After just dealing with another six figure medical bill I can personally attest it’s the most overpriced system in the world.

The worst part is the idiot Republicans fail to realize with our broken system THEY probably paid for most of my bill because after I paid what I could the hospital had to write off the rest of the cost.

Kalima
Admin

Yes, that phrase about having the best healthcare system in the world used to make me grind my teeth, as well as “America is #1” or that an American President is the leader of the free world, none of which are true of course. Now I just shake my head and think that the two countries defeated in WW2 could and have provided better universal healthcare for it’s citizens by slight increases in everyone’s taxes and everyone has national health coverage paying only 30% with the government picking up the 70% slack.

These old dinosaurs need to be put out to pasture or stuffed and mounted in a museum along with their outdated ideas which so far have never worked anyway.

nellie
Member

Norman Goldman says the GOP is not the “Party of No.” It’s the “Party of Death.”

escribacat
Member

Nellie, I think you were watching that day when the house voted on their bill, weren’t you? I still vividly remember that one jerk who kept jumping up: “I object! I object!’ when the women’s caucus was speaking. That’s what I think of when I characterize their party.

nellie
Member

I was watching. That was ridiculous!

I hope these “conferences” get people to watch congress more. It’s good citizenship — but it’s so entertaining, too.

KQµårk 死神
Member

I’m glad Nancy Pelosi called out the Republicans on their lies. I just wish we had a Senate leader as feisty as her.

SueInCa
Member

You know, I was really pissed at her during the Tarp nonsense but I am beginning to really respect her. She is bright, has women’s needs in mind as well as all people. And she knows how to lay a stinger, this time in the right atmosphere.

KQµårk 死神
Member

I have to say the president’s command on the issues always amazes me. As big as HCR is it’s one issue. I’ve heard him get in the weeds on education, energy and foreign policy with the same acumen. He may not always make the decisions I would choose I’m never worried that he does not have the intellectual juice to analyze like even the most complex problems. I can only speak for my self but the only president I can remember who is as thoughtful as Obama was former President Carter. If we had listened to Carter years ago especially with regards to energy conservation and energy independence we would have simply not lost tens of millions of manufacturing jobs we have in the last 30 years. However like Carter as well I still don’t know if the country is ready for the truth that comes with a president who is a strategic thinker. Too many Americas still love to have smoke blown up their collective butts and consistently fail to accept the tough choices we need to make.

SueInCa
Member

Where people make false assumptions is in their quiet manner. They equate quiet with mousy, but then there was Dubya and he set the bar really low for non-inquiring minds

KQµårk 死神
Member

I agree W was an easy act to follow based on his lack of intellectual curiosity, not of course with the mess he left behind. But I think Obama has the intellectual juice of a Bill Clinton in all areas while Clinton was more a great political mind. Policy wise many of Clinton’s policies lacked any strategic vision and that’s why we are living with so many negative, albeit unintended consequences of his policies.

SueInCa
Member

I agree. Clinton may have been too brilliant to govern. Obama is a good “high second” to him.

escribacat
Member

I see a quality in Obama that Clinton lacked. I always got the impression from Clinton’s facial expressions that he was acting. Obama seems much more sincere and natural to me.

SueInCa
Member

yeah, Clinton was always above the fray, except when he was defending his exploits under the oval office desk. but even then I found him likable

KQµårk 死神
Member

I liked Bill too. I just always wish I knew a little more about what made him tick.

I guess since I read both of Obama’s books during the primaries where he really did expose himself I just understood where he was coming from early on. We are about the same age and growing up one of my best friends reminds me allot of Obama. He was one of the few multiethic guys in our neighborhood and was always the organizer and diplomat within our group. His parents academic background was very similar to Obama’s. His father was a college professor and his mother was a math teacher.

KQµårk 死神
Member

There is a little actor in almost all politicians these days but you’re right Clinton was on all the time. You just never knew what he was really thinking or cared about. I can actually see when Obama is in his wonk mode and then when he goes back to his talking points. When he directly responds to what people said and did that’s the true Obama but he has to cover his talking points like any leader these days to get MSM attention, I can see the actor in him.

Usually the only time the true Bill Clinton came out was hen he was angry but I can say over half of upper management I have dealt with throughout my career usually wore their facades most of the time.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Clinton was a tactician not a strategist. I think both probably have very similar raw intelligence but dealing with many experts compared to more visionary people in my career I would pick a visionary any time. NAFTA and bank deregulation were two huge areas Clinton missed the unitentional negative consequences big time.

He cared more about personal success and micromanagement than the long term affects his policies would have on the country. I also got the same feeling escribacat got from him.

He was overall a good president and had to deal with a Republican Congress but he simply did not care about the people as much as he pretended to when he was in office.

nellie
Member

I also think there’s another personality difference. Just my opinion, but I always got the impression that Clinton wanted to be one of the titans. And now he is one. I don’t think Obama has that impulse. It makes for a very different style of governance.

SueInCa
Member

Hey I wasn’t clear, I was speaking intellect only, not governing

escribacat
Member

At the risk of sounding like a misanthrope, I think most people are too lazy to gain even a basic understanding of any of these issues. They develop their “opinions” based on sound bites and emotional pitches and snatches of conversations. Very few people actually follow politics or study the issues. The intelligence and wisdom of a person like Obama is more or less wasted on many folks. Too bad for democracy.

KQµårk 死神
Member

You are probably being too generous if anything.

nellie
Member

I think garbage in, garbage out. People get so much garbage thrown at them, and so little high quality information — it’s no wonder they have a shallow understanding of things.

escribacat
Member

Good point, Nellie. The media does not live up to its responsibilities. In fact, I don’t think they even consider that they have responsibilities any more.

KQµårk 死神
Member

But people embrace the garbage without question, especially conservatives who accept GOP talking points. We just saw today examples of Republicans flat out lying but still their supporters believe the lies. Worse the MSM never calls out the lies.

There was a time in this country where if you lied your credibility was challenged by the American people. But right now Americans not only expect but tacitly accept Republican lies.

Hell Clinton was impeached because he lied but Republicans lie on daily basis and still the MSM gives them credibility.

PatsyT
Member

Thanks everyone for all the insight, info and fun !
You are the BEST !
I’ll check in later…

SueInCa
Member

Take it easy, see you later

SanityNow
Member

Later Patsy. It was fun. I am out too. Bye everyone!

nellie
Member

Later Patsy. These live threads are always fun!

KQµårk 死神
Member

Gergen saying Republicans won because expectations were so low for them. No wonder nothing changes in this country. Republican voters simply expect nothing from their leaders.

escribacat
Member

That’s what they said about the Palin Veep debate too.

KQµårk 死神
Member

I thought of that too. If the GOP put up a trained orangutan they would say it won the debate if it did not thow feces on the audience.

nellie
Member

Even if it did. They would say that was its way of getting people to pay attention to the issues. After all, that’s what they did w Joe Wilson. 😉

nellie
Member

Randi Rhodes is saying on her show that this is the time to write, make phone calls, and sign petitions.

She says there are two messages: Public Option and Reconciliation.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Pass the bill should be the message.

Chernynkaya
Member

Yes– that’s what i am emailing.

escribacat
Member

Me too.

nellie
Member

I think her pov is that there’s no doubt a bill will pass. She’s trying to get the best bill possible.

KQµårk 死神
Member

I wish I could be that optimistic. I still think passage is a long shot but at least today it probably went from a 1 in 10 to a 1 in 5 long shot. If I hear Dems whining again about leadership and wanting more specifics then I know that Dems are just trying to pass the buck up to Obama. The Repubs delay tactic has been to pull the start all over again card and the Dems delay tactic has been to ask for a more specific path forwar. Dems know how to pass legislation for fuckssake. The next 4-6 weeks has nothing to do with adding GOP plans to the bill. The next 4-6 weeks is all about getting enough Dem support to work out the details and pass the bill through reconciliation. The president has done his part he put together a specific compromise, added some new ideas and put the national spotlight back on HCR. Time for Dems to put up or shut up not Repubs.

escribacat
Member

Yep. The repubs are no longer relevant to the discussion (as if they ever were).

I am still eternally optimistic about this. I have always felt that they would pass a bill and I still think so.

nellie
Member

I’m optimistic, too. The president strikes me as someone who puts his ego into what he does, and I don’t think he’s going to suffer a defeat on this. I also think he genuinely hates the plight of people whose lives are ruined by health care issues. He can relate to that because of his mom. He has a lot of personal and political stuff wound up in this. He’s not going to let it go down.

escribacat
Member

Yes. The story about his mom haggling with insurance companies while dying of cancer is very powerful. You know that had a huge impact on him.

KQµårk 死神
Member

I shouldn’t read people’s intentions but in Obama’s case I think his intentions have always been genuine with regards to HCR. He understands uniquely what people go through with our current system because of his mother’s situation when she fought cancer and reading dozens of letters from real people. His goal has always been to get as many people access to good healthcare as possible. I hate to go to my ant and elephant analogy again but many more people who have insurance now will be affected by healthcare reform than people who don’t have healthcare right now. Not as dramatically but more in raw numbers. Obama does not want to cure the ant by killing the elephant. Besides getting people covered the biggest thing the president is trying to do is lower costs for families and make sure people that have coverage are not screwed. Again if you are not going to be able to give everyone access to a public plan the goals change to getting the most people access and making current coverage more affordable and higher quality with standards.

Khirad
Member

Mary Matalin said it is Dems that are the true obstructionists.

The gymnastics was breathtaking from a spin yogi such as herself in its epic fail.

Kyl also crying like a schoolgirl who tripped into a mudpuddle in her Sunday best.

Chernynkaya
Member

I found no reporting on the million faxes from MoveOn yesterday. Did anyone?

SueInCa
Member

No reporting but I did get a move on email and Harry Reid supposedly had the info with him today

KQµårk 死神
Member

Unfortunately not enough drama and pictures for the MSM to report it at all. It’s reported on some progressive blogs but a story about a petition even with over 1,000,000 signatures does not pay for MSM ad time.

SueInCa
Member
Chernynkaya
Member

Not much, but at least a mention.

SueInCa
Member
Chernynkaya
Member

Thanks Sue, you’re a peach!

SueInCa
Member

wrong, I will look further. This was last year. I asked Adlib to delete it.

SueInCa
Member