Posted on 02/18/2010 12:03:44 PM PST by seanmerc
WASHINGTON -- Enough already. President Barack Obama’s admirable quest for bipartisanship is a voice crying in the wilderness.
Oh yes, he has another chance at bat when he hosts a summit meeting Feb. 25 at Blair House, the president’s guest house across the street from the White House.
He has invited the leaders of both parties to the televised meeting designed to "jump start" the discussion about health care reform.
Obama said he does not want the talks to devolve into political theater. "I want a substantive discussion," he said.
The summit follows Obama's televised sparring with House Republicans at their retreat in Baltimore last month. Many Democrats believe Obama succeeded for the first time in months in making his case to the public. If they play true to form, the Republicans will continue to buck every proposal with a Democratic tag on it. Since Obama took office the-not-so loyal opposition has said "no" to every Democratic legislative initiative. They walk in lockstep.
Apparently, Republicans think they have the Democrats on the run because of the election of Republican Sen. Scott Brown to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. It’s easy to overstate the significance of Brown’s victory if one ignores the historical trend that the party in power almost always loses seats in midterm elections.
As shown by recent polls there is no question Obama has lost some popular ground because he has been making tough decisions -- the difference he has found between campaigning and governing.
Some critics have contended that it was a mistake for the president to emphasize health reform instead of jobs creation in view of the nearly 10 percent unemployment rate. Obama now has made jobs the main focus of the administration.
At the same time, Americans are having a hard time defining Obama’s politics. He has caved on many issues in pursuit of his goal of pleasing all factions. He could be called "the great compromiser" but the Republicans apparently see his attempts to get along as a weakness, an Achilles heel that they want to exploit.
The president gave away his needed leadership in the health reform debate by catering to Congress to draft the main framework, hoping to avoid Hillary Clinton’s big mistake in bypassing Capitol Hill in her failed 1993 blueprint for universal health care.
In my opinion, Obama blew it big time when he refused to fight for a single payer program like Social Security and Medicare -- essential government programs-- to meet the needs of a reported 31 million uninsured Americans.
The insurance companies poured millions into a campaign against almost any reform for fear that they might lose their power to charge high premiums. And they have won.
As a result of his non-support of a government health plan, Obama disappointed liberals in his party. So he faces solid Republican opposition without solid Democratic support. That’s a bad combination.
Hey Republicans. Don't buy any paper or magazine with an Article by her or that respects her. Don't buy from their advertisers. And if you are really pissed, call the advertizers companies and tell them you are so offended that your telling everyone to buy from their competion.
She obviously doesn't want Republican readers or viewers. So I think we should oblige her to the maximum extent possible.
“Obama blew it big time when he refused to fight for a single payer program like Social Security and Medicare
Helen, you actually got something right: Obama blew it big time. But as a homework exercise, please take another stab at trying to figure the reason for this, as your explanation above turns out to be DEAD wrong.
Of course, so long as you and other progressives believe this clap-trap, it will help ensure that Obamacare is mired down in perpetuity, leading to decades of futile efforts to resurrect it. So by all means, get as many of your pals to drink this Kool-Aid as possible.
Face it, Helen. If your messiah couldn’t sell this swill to gullible Americans, the chance that any future president your party elects can do so is ZERO.
What the hell...if I looked like THAT, I’d rebel against reality too!
Obama said he does not want the talks to devolve into political theater. “I want a substantive discussion,” he said.
I do too Obango!......Let’s discuss your butt leaving the White House A.S.A.P.!
Ummmmmmm, nice. Thank you.
Why should I suffer alone?
“And now young skywalker.....you will die.”
And the question remains, why should the republicans support what the democrats wouldn't?
Helen must not be getting called on in Gibb’s ‘news’ conferences.
Criteria for substantive discussion:
1) Behind locked/closed doors with invitees in attendance only and meetings to begin at midnight on a holiday weekend; or
2) With an army of ACORN and/or SEIU members wielding the power to convince attendees to make the "correct" decision...........
OK, we have the broad shoulders. But gosh, Mr. Obama, you have a huge majority in the House and Senate, and until last week, a Super Bullet-Proof Top Secret Probation majority in the Senate.
How can a few wimp RINOs (who hate Diesels just as much as any gay Socialist Democrat) prevent the passage of the crisis legislation that will end the death of humans on this planet and guarantee that every one will be a Lotto Winner, regardless of Age, Handicap, Race, Creed, Color, Gender Orientation, or Country of National Origin?
OTOH, who can blame our Glorious Leader? I wouldn't talk to those anti-diesel pansies either! Besides, BHO, Jr., our popular Kenyan-American POTUS, doesn't need any legislators by his fearless side. Like his hero, Hugo Chavez, he, from this point forward, intends to reign by Executive Order. That is he intends to rule by fiat, and I don't mean the cute little 65 mpg diesel that Chrysler will never sell.
Barack Hussein OBama, Jr. was born a subject of Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Why shouldn't he rule over us? Or as Larry Sinclair might say, "God Save Our Gracious Queen."
I’d hit it.
Even you have higher standards than that...
If I had a dump truck and a heaping pile of horse scat, I would dump it in DC on the Blair house steps on the 25th. Kinda like this photo in this thread...
LOVE your user name. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has my vote for greatest Western ever made.
Thanks.
Yeah you're 'theatre" alright. But then politics is pretty macabre. How did they ever miss this woman for the cast of "Rocky Horror Picture Show"?
Miss me yet?
Yeah, like I miss a vampire bat.
The Chinese, who own our debt, told Obama not to meet with the Dali Llama so Obama dutifully met with him in a back room and let him out through a back door by the trash cans.
Helen, Obama’s troubles are many and deep. The biggest is that he’s simply a jack a_s.
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