Hard News: America: Chill out!
153 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 … 7 Newer→ Last
-
Public option: taxpayers won't subsidise the public insurer, which will have to rely on income from premiums.
"If Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."
-
"I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficit -- either now or in the future."
Govt will be obliged to make spending cuts in other areas if anticipated savings don't materialise.
Then he slams deficit-funded Bush policies: the war, and tax cuts for the rich.
-
The repeated applause is a bit grating.
I'm thinking, Why couldn't they just take a drink each time?
-
The repeated applause is a bit grating.
It's part of the drill. And he just got the Republicans to stand and applaud medical malpractice reform.
I'm thinking, Why couldn't they just take a drink each time?
Well, you could play that game at home ...
-
"My door is always open"
Every day is big block of cheese day!
Really? the potus has the most defended door in bureaucracy. -
though prison spending is probably hidden in state budgets.
Which are entirely separate from federal budgets and so not really part of the federal deficit problem. Separate states' deficit problems, now, that's another matter.
-
Going on too long? Should've wound up after reading Ted Kennedy's letter?
-
He nailed it. I think.
-
It's telling just how far some in America have slipped that Little Green Footballs is now a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness...
-
It's telling just how far some in America have slipped that Little Green Footballs is now a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness...
OTOH, look at some of the comments under the AmericaBlog liveblog of the speech.
I can't tell if it's real angry lefties or organised concern trolling.
-
Fast-breaking TNR assessment of what's news in the speech.
-
Not only are over 60% of personal bankruptcies in the USA caused by medical bills, but *75% of those people HAD health insurance*. It is FUCKED.
The reason that none of them know that socialised medicine is better is because they have a hugely insular news media and education system (at least until upper undergraduate level) and a very tiny proportion of them travel. Live there for a while: you'll never hear anything on the news channels about any other country unless the story is something disastrous. A large proportion of them think that there are millions of us ready to storm the gates to get into their country because we're all so terribly miserable in our own places. It is truly amazing how many people asked 'but why would you want to go back there?' when I said we were moving to New Zealand. (All this is obviously to be read with various disclaimers about 300 million people and it's hard to generalise and yadda. I'm just talking about the dominant culture, obviously.)
-
good speech, i thought... nice to see a little of Candidate Obama back on display...
minor WTF moment though, after Obama finished speaking and Brian Williams and Chuck Todd started talking... were they even listening to the same speech?
-
I've had the experience this year of being scheduled for a specialist appointment three months hence, with the built in expectation that in the meantime I'd get so sick I'd probably have to go through A&E.
Can I politely ask - are you OK now?
-
Well, you could play that game at home ...
Damn time zones!
-
Really? the potus has the most defended door in bureaucracy.
Yes, and he seems to have a track record of listening to Republicans that have something to say. On the subject under discussion, we can safely assume the "why do you want to kill my disabled baby, Comrade-Furher" crowd aren't getting on the schedule.
-
minor WTF moment though, after Obama finished speaking and Brian Williams and Chuck Todd started talking... were they even listening to the same speech?
Wasn't that bizarre? The most newsworthy thing was that someone heckled once? Huh?
-
Wasn't that bizarre?
Not so much -- isn't the point to get all the talking points out before the next ad break? Don't see how that had to relate to anything said or done in the actual speech.
-
Text of the letter from Ted Kennedy, delivered to Obama in his death.
-
He just threw illegal immigrants under the bus + "no federal funding for abortions".
Sigh ... America.
Yes, because even legal migrants have such a jolly time with the health care system in New Zealand (see numerous recent reports on those on work and/or student visas being refused maternity care in NZ, even when willing and able to pay for it).
As for the abortion rule, I suspect anything else would transform the proposal from "controversial" to "un-passable". He's got to pick his battles.
-
Can I politely ask - are you OK now?
Yes, I'm great - as luck has it, my GP had completely botched the diagnosis. Which is not what shook my confidence, actually - it was the appointment made at the specialist's office for a timeframe that was knowingly unsafe according to that diagnosis.
-
As for the abortion rule, I suspect anything else would transform the proposal from "controversial" to "un-passable". He's got to pick his battles.
Exactly. Abortion and illegal immigrants are just the not-so-subtle buttons the pundits can press to whip the crazies into even more of a foaming mob. It might look wishy-washy, but I suspect the middle of the road path is the only way to get anything done at all.
-
Text of the letter from Ted Kennedy, delivered to Obama in his death.
Eww... sorry, folks, but that's one section of the speech I'd have begged Obama to put a blue pencil line through. Way too much Oprah, and not enough of the grown-up thoughtful Obama I like.
-
also, got to give it up (sort of) for the Republican response... mercifully short... and didn't mention the word "tyranny" once... from the modern Republican establishment, i'll take that as progress...
-
Text of the speech - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/us/politics/10obama.text.html?_r=1
Post your response…
This topic is closed.