Posted on 08/13/2009 9:07:27 PM PDT by SmithL
A president famous for his campaign skills has let the opposition define the debate on health care reform, the central issue of his party and his presidency.
As Democrats faced raucous town halls across the nation this week, President Obama labored to squelch doubts about draft health legislation rather than tout its virtues.
He must turn the debate around by next month, when Congress returns to Washington, many analysts say, or repeat the fate of the last Democratic president who tried to reform health care 16 years ago.
"Obama has lost control of the debate, and when that happens, it's over," said health care consultant Robert Laszewski. "The well's been poisoned."
Few issues are riper for fearmongering than health care. Overconfident Democrats, focused more on the covering the uninsured than reassuring those who have coverage, may have moved too far too fast, given growing public skepticism about industry bailouts, a costly fiscal stimulus and ballooning federal debt.
Trying to avoid the mistakes of former President Bill Clinton, Obama left the bill-writing to Congress, where Democratic divisions, scant GOP support and sharp criticism by the Congressional Budget Office and other neutral experts left Obama without political cover when attacks from the right began.
Distortions by conservative activists "have spread like wildfire," said Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, a Washington consulting firm. "You've got middle Americans scared to death." Activists "start the brushfire, and since there's no one credible in the middle, no 15 Republican Senators to stand up and say it's not true, it takes on a life of its own."
Obama's stumbles have magnified the challenge. His claim this week that the American Association of Retired Persons had endorsed Democratic legislation provoked a denial from the powerful senior lobby.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Fixed that.
“As Democrats faced raucous town halls across the nation this week...”
I’ll take “raucous” as a complement, compared to some of the other descriptions that have been uttered this week by the rat media and commie legislators.
It’s good to feel the anger of regular Americans towards this bastardized regime. I hope the groundswell of dissent builds and builds until the a-holes in DC finally realize that THEY WORK FOR US.
If they continue to fail to adhere to the basic principles on which American Exceptionalism was built, they do so at their own peril.
There is a plan to “rescue” this.
The most likely tactic is a greatly scaled down bill, with a focus on the uninsured, a few constraints on Acute Care costs, (hospital build & expansion permits), an expensive buy-in to Medicare or new insurance “pools” and taking advantage of a lot of very generous concessions offered by the major insurance companies, who need national standards.
If he continues to pretend he is LBJ and this is 1965, this will go down in flames.
Too many folks in D.C. want some limited reform, both in access and cost. Hopefully, everyone has finally learned enough about the issue to at least make some minor fixes.
He will announce victory over whatever gets put out.
And if that's true does anyone here think Obama is going to be a gracious looser?
Now that there's funny!! I could've beat Juan McCain last year had I been the democrat's nominee, and you could've too! I was in radio for awhile, so I can "rip 'n read" probably better than Mr. Obama, and I dang sure know more about foreign policy than he EVER will. All this talk of his charisma, intelligence and skills, but I have yet to see any of it. He's a black Chauncy Gardner, and I mean that in every way possible.
Obumbler is losing the upper hand in everything his cootied-hand touches. He CAN’T be sleeping well at night. Oh sad.
I believe that was the co-president's plan.
Poor babies, can't even count on the useful gang of idiots.
“A president famous for his campaign skills has let the opposition define the debate on health care reform, the central issue of his party and his presidency”
I reject that statement right off the bat. Obama is the president who was given an absolute free pass against a milk toast centrist after the left campaigned against the US for 8 years.
He is a Disney Boy-Band. He is a Sock puppet that is not even close to being able to speak factually or truthfully especially when he is off the teleprompter.
He has been marketed for at least six years as a strategy. No wonder his records are scrubbed.
Okay. What was the article about? ; )
Oh yeah. It’s not only about healthcare - its about corruption and expanding government. It’s about a ruling class that has no responsiblity.
He’ll probably nuke the heartland.
But...
All they really needed to do was create government provided catastrophic insurance plan that had very limited coverage for catastrophic events. The masses would have loved it. The costs not that high. It would have been a massive win for the Democrats on health care. With their foot through the door as time went on they would have expanded coverage for this and that slowly making it what they really wanted all along. Using the slow creep method they would have gotten there.
Instead they went with a full frontal assault demanding everything all at once - and here they are...
He has completely lost the debate. Victory for conservative grass roots.
I seriously need some House. And Grey’s Anatomy is the worst tv show of all time.
What? I was in another thread.
I’m a bit tired of hearing about his rhetorical skills, when in fact he merely reads the words written by others. The man is a zero when it comes to speaking extemporarily as witnessed by his UPS/FED EX and the Post Office mutterings...lol.
‘”That is the most irresponsible statement a politician has made in decades,” said Boston University political historian Thomas Whalen. “It worries me and should worry all Americans. What was said is a complete fabrication, and it’s scaring elderly people.”’
Whalen is right. Republicans should have been making responsible statements like the Democrats always do, i.e., Republicans are going to kill the Social Security Program. All old people are going to die. The sky is falling. Elect us and we’ll protect you from those evil Republicans.
Their arrogance just may do them in.Will be fun to watch.
Could you believe he actually made that statement?What a moron and everybody knows it.
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