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Obama to Jon Stewart: Obamacare ‘As Significant’ As Any U.S. Law Ever Passed
Cybercast News Service ^ | October 28, 2010 | Terence P. Jeffrey

Posted on 10/28/2010 4:42:59 PM PDT by Conservative Coulter Fan

President Barack Obama and Jon Stewart

President Barack Obama gestures during a commercial break as he talks with host Jon Stewart as he takes part in a taping of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama told comedian Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" yesterday that the health care reform bill he signed in March was as significant as any legislation ever enacted by the U.S. government, but that it was only an initial step toward an even greater transformation of the health-care system which he intends to achieve as president.

Obama made the remarks after Stewart suggested the president’s legislative agenda had been “timid.”

“Yet legislatively it has felt timid at times--that I'm not even sure at times what you want out of a healthcare bill,” said Stewart.

Obama countered by underscoring what he perceived to be the historical magnitude of his health-care legislation, and by pointing to what he believes is the path forward for an even more expansive government-driven transformation of the health-care industry.

“This is what I think most people would say is as significant a piece of legislation as we've seen in this country's history,” Obama said. “But what happens is, it gets discounted because the presumption is: Well, we didn't get 100 percent of what we wanted. We got 90 percent of what we wanted. So, let's focus on the 10 percent we didn't get as opposed to the 90 percent that we did.”

Obama went on to concede that the Obamacare law had not transformed the health-care system overnight, but, likening it to Social Security, said it was a building block that laid the foundation for additional changes that he intends to pursue during his presidency.

“If the point, Jon, is that overnight we did not transform the healthcare system, that point is true,” said Obama.

“When we promised during the campaign, ‘Change you can believe in,’ it wasn't ‘Change you can believe in in 18 months,’ it was ‘Change you can believe in, but, you know what, we're going to have to work for it,’” said Obama.

“Look, when Social Security was passed, it applied to widows and orphans, and it was a very restricted program, and over time, that structure that was built ended up developing into the most important social safety net that we have in our country,” said Obama.

“The same is true on every piece of progressive legislation, every bit of progress that we've made,” he said.

“When the Civil Rights Act passed, there were still a bunch of folks down South who couldn't vote," said Obama. "And, you know, I'm sure there were a bunch of commentators out there who said, ‘You know what? This law’s not doing the job, there's still folks who aren't able to exercise their franchise.’ But the point was that we had created a structure, we had put a framework in place that allowed us then to continue to make progress. That's what we've done over the last 18 months. That's what I expect we're going to keep on doing as long as I've got the capacity to do it, as long as I'm President of the United States.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
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1 posted on 10/28/2010 4:43:03 PM PDT by Conservative Coulter Fan
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

” Obamacare ‘As Significant’ As Any U.S. Law Ever Passed “

Dr. Sowell got the ‘significance’ of Obamacare exactly right —

” For all its sweeping and scary provisions, ObamaCare is not nearly as important as the way it was passed. If legislation can become laws passed without either the public or the Congress knowing what is in those laws, then the fundamental principle of a free, self-governing people is completely undermined. “

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2616615/posts


2 posted on 10/28/2010 4:47:16 PM PDT by Uncle Ike (Rope is cheap, and there are lots of trees...)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

When Zero talked about his so called accomplishments like healthcare and the regulatory bill, none of the talking heads so far picked up on his frightening end comment

“we passed bills people don’t even know about”


3 posted on 10/28/2010 4:47:24 PM PDT by ronnie raygun (The tides coming in)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
...was as significant as any legislation ever enacted by the U.S. government...

I'll say...
Almost as 'significant' as the 'legislation' enacted by the Bolsheviks on the Russian government in 1917 ... Set them back 80+ years.
Hopefully, we can recover from this government 'power-grab' a lot faster than the Ruskies...

4 posted on 10/28/2010 4:49:25 PM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: ronnie raygun

Hell, they passed bills that they don’t even know about. That’s much more frightening.


5 posted on 10/28/2010 4:51:00 PM PDT by Carling (Remember November)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Yes, and that is why we need to pass it without reading it.


6 posted on 10/28/2010 4:59:41 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Lenin would agree: “Medicine is the arch of the cornerstone of the Socialist State”.


7 posted on 10/28/2010 5:00:39 PM PDT by givemELL (Does Taiwan eet the Criteria to Qualify as an "Overseas Territory of the United States"? by Richar)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

So was the Fugitive Slave Act.


8 posted on 10/28/2010 5:01:06 PM PDT by reg45
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To: Carling

Maybe Hussein Obama could enforce laws already on the books, like illegal immigration laws.


9 posted on 10/28/2010 5:01:39 PM PDT by profit_guy
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
The unconstitutional takeover of an entire industry?

Yes, I'd call that significant.

Significantly wrong.

10 posted on 10/28/2010 5:10:04 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This post is not a statement of fact. It is merely a personal opinion -- or humor -- or both.)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

ONLY because it paves the way for a n increasing capture of freedom from the people, and will lead to complete Socialism in AMerica.

THAT makes it “historic”.

A new law stealing the rights and freedom of America - just the sort of thing 0bama dreams about.

While is egregiously lavish wife eats lobster and travels the globe to extravagant places like the Taj Mahal on our nickel.


11 posted on 10/28/2010 5:16:52 PM PDT by R0CK3T
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

“”We got 90 percent of what we wanted””

No - you got 90% of what special interests and lobbyists wanted - 90% of that bill has nothing to do with reforming health care! Remember 1st, it was healthcare reform for whatever dumb reason - 2nd was healthcare premiums were too high, 3rd was healthcare costs were too high....by the time it was passed, the only thing it did was mess up the entire system by laying out new rules/laws to pay for the screwed up mess they created. It made us realize that these people have no business dabbling in anything important!!


12 posted on 10/28/2010 5:56:18 PM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Larry Sinclair would of been embarrassed to watch that.


13 posted on 10/28/2010 5:57:03 PM PDT by avg_freeper (Gunga galunga. Gunga, gunga galunga)
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To: givemELL

Exactly. That law put us on the glide path to SOCIALISM. He knows it. Republicns know it. The people know it.

It must be REPEALED or we are doomed. The USA will cease to exist as we know it. Our way of life will be completely obliterated within 30 years.


14 posted on 10/28/2010 6:07:39 PM PDT by SC_Pete
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
Obamacare...laid the foundation for additional changes that he intends to pursue during his presidency.

This is ominous and revealing. Obamacare's tentacles will spread. And new legislation designed to control our lives will thrust upon us if he has his way. All hail Gridlock!

15 posted on 10/28/2010 6:21:37 PM PDT by luvbach1 (Stop Barry now. He can't help himself.)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
“When the Civil Rights Act passed, there were still a bunch of folks down South who couldn't vote," said Obama

Another LIE!

16 posted on 10/28/2010 7:28:09 PM PDT by plain talk
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