On health care, Obama as prosecutor in chief (In nick of time, our President steadies the wobbles)

MSNBC ^ | September 10, 2009 | Howard Fineman

[presidio9]

The president has become a prosecutor.

Politically, that’s the news that emerged from Obama’s speech to Congress Wednesday night.

The transformation came just in the nick of time to revive (although not completely) his wobbly effort to sell a massive change in the way this country delivers health care.

Barack Obama is a lawyer, but he has rarely been in a courtroom, let alone passionately argued a case in one. Too often, he sounds more like a law professor or a writer than an advocate. While he closed last night with an eloquent, philosophical defense of the fail-safe role of government, the bulk of his speech was a stirring, accusatory statement of a plaintiff’s case.

It was, as he styled it, People v. The Insurance Company and Bad Republicans. For the most part, his tone and language was mild, as usual. But the content was crystal clear: He had enemies to name, and names to call, and Obama did both.

Even as the president complained about the lack of civility in public discourse — a complaint many Republicans had to have found annoying — Obama tore into insurance companies. He recounted anecdotes of their (alleged) cold-hearted rapaciousness and obsession with the bottom line.

As Obama described it — and as many Americans have experienced it — insurance companies are far too quick to cut off coverage, to raise rates, and to deny access to those with pre-existing conditions. In short, when you need health insurance most, you lose it or can’t get it. And if you can get it,

[LibFreeUSA]

-"The transformation came just in the nick of time to revive..."

There goes Howard. Dusting off and puttin' on his girl's cheerleader outfit for the ZERO!

[sockmonkey]

OMG, this guy is totally delusional. Get him to a Mental Ward.

[traderrob6]

He’s got a tingle just like Matthews.

[Achilles Heel]

The state run media will swoon over the speech and Zero’s charm, etc, blah blah. He will get a bump up for a week. Then we will have to post all over the place each part of the bill where he LIED. I really don’t think he read it.

[dforest]

I am laughin’ my butt off. Oh Howard, you drooling fool.

[presidio9]

The state run media will swoon over the speech and Zero’s charm, etc, blah blah. He will get a bump up for a week.

Twenty months ago the concensus among historians for top twenty speeches in American History included such varied sources as Lincoln at Gettysburg, MLK's "I have a dream," Kennedy's 1st Innaugural, Lou Gehrig's farewell, Reagan at Brandenburg, and Patrick Henry at the Virginia Convention. Serious historians have since bumped at least five of those for breathtaking sermons from our immaculate leader. Meanwhile political commentators like Chris Matthews and David Gregory are apoplectic about having to remove one Obama speech from their all-Obama top-20 so this one can be inserted.

[SueRae]

Amazing how they will write what they wish to see. TYhe Kool-aid must be extra good this morning at MSNBC

[KenD]

Something I think we miss is that Obama keeps talking about "HIS" healthcare reform but has never stated that the bills being put up in Congress by Democrats actually express "HIS" concepts.
I fully expect "HIM" to say, at some point when the bills in Congress are dead, that Congress needs to offer bills that DO implement "HIS PLAN".... sort of throwing Democratics in Congress under the bus.