So says NBC News
Per NBC’s Mike Viqueira, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has a health-care reform bill ready and will send it to the Congressional Budget Office today for an evaluation of costs, according to a top aide. The measure will include a public option with the “opt out,” whereby states could individually decide to remove themselves from the government plan.
I feel like the opt-out is less than ideal, and gives an opportunity for red state governors to take their constituents to the cleaners – again. That said, the clock is ticking on reform. The wheels of congress move slower than molasses and legislation has to pass before the holidays or it will never get done.
“The clock is ticking on reform” … that, if signed into law before I finish typing this sentence, won’t be enacted until 2013.
Or is this a tacit admission on your part that Obama and the Democratic’s goals are less popular than a sack of rocks and the American public is slowly waking up to that fact.
Actually its a “tacit admission” that the likelihood of any seriously contested legislation passing in an election year is nil, and now is the time to make it happen.
Last I checked, the “public option” had more than 50% approval in most polls. And as I recall, the Republicans have historically low levels of self-ID among Americans. Also, I seem to recall that the Democrat, Barack Obama, beat the Republican, John McCain, in a national election last November.
So yeah, you’re right. The Democrats’ ideas are the ones that are totally unpopular. Right. Dipshit.
…American public is slowly waking up to that fact.
In your dreams, SF. In reality the teabaggers, the deathpanelers, the Fox news screamers have shot their wad, and the American public is quickly waking up to the fact that they’re full of it.
I don’t like the opt-out idea, and I like it even less that Obama is barely pretending to want any public option in the bill.
Opt-out is indeed ‘less than ideal’, but a ‘trigger’ is so far from ideal that it doesn’t even exist in the same universe as ideal.
Con governors can sign away the public option while living in tax funded mansions
The information I have seen on the opt out had provisions where it had to be approved by the state legislature or a referendum (no idea if that made it through to this version though).
Remember all of those red Guvn’rs huffing and puffing about refusing stimulus money? Most of them didn’t continue to hold out when the political pressure inside their own states became obvious.
I think the opt out thing is fine. Let the morons opt out and then face the voters of their state.
What Tom says. If they’re so worried it’s teh soshulism then let ‘em continue on business as usual and at least let the rest of us have a public option.
You’d think opting out would make for some interesting state by state comparisons. And interesting subsequent rationalizations by wingnuts. But you know damned well that with their low level of integrity the True Wingnut Americans will eventually take the plan and move on to their next irrational target.
Yep. The red states have held down this country for too long — if they’re dumb enough to opt out and their citizens let them, screw them. I’m being totally selfish; I need the public option and I live in a blue state and that’s that.
Besides, opt-out makes it even harder for Republicans to be in the mainstream than they are already.
I’m for it!
The idea of everybody paying for everyone else’s medical bills but their own certainly makes complete economic sense. Ain’t no free lunch, who’s gonna get stuck with the bill?
I’ve heard this song from you before. You’re stale. Perhaps you should mix it up a little bit.
You’re already paying for the uninsured through your stratospheric insurance premiums.
MORON
SaveFarris (I think it’s spelled “Ferris”)
“Obama and the Democratic’s goals are less popular than a sack of rocks and the American public is slowly waking up to that fact.”
This is great — the goals are unpopular and the American people are ’slowly waking to the fact’ that they are unpopular. So who are they ‘unpopular’ with? The American people, who are only slowly waking to the fact that the goals are unpopular, to themselves?
It’s like a Zen puzzle!
@SaveFerris Notice Obama’s popularity dipped (along with the health care plans) when the public option was looking less likely? Thats because the vast majority of people are in favor of it. Obama’s policies in general are quite popular, and the unpopular ones are largely necessary due to the massive crisis our government is going through (propping up banks and car companies). More importantly, the dips in democratic support were not accompanied by an increase in popularity for republicans. In reality, republican numbers have been stable around 20%, for most of the year. So the big issue is, who will be the party that challenges the democrats? Because at the moment, republicans don’t stand to gain from democratic mistakes.
Obama’s “policies are quite popular” because he’s offering a free lunch: when have they ever been unpopular? When the bill finally comes due (in 2013: How convenient…), Obama figures he’ll just rape 49% of the voters and count on the other 51% to be grateful for his mercy (and, of course, all the “free” swag.)
Hope! Change! Unity!!!
You are right though that Republicans need to get their act together if they want to capitalize on the Tea Party movement. Not nominating RINOs like TJ Houshminzada (or whatever her name is) for NY-23 would be a step in the right direction.
Obama figures he’ll just rape 49% of the voters and count on the other 51% to be grateful for his mercy
Fuck you, Farris.
I should add, if you don’t like the American style of representative government, leave the fucking country. Asshole.
figures he’ll just rape 49% of the voters and count on the other 51% to be grateful for his mercy
If you cared about this, you would have said something in the last 8 years.
If you cared about this, you would have said something in the last 8 years.
Yeah, because the last 8 years were exactly the same.
Now the question is: when will Oliver denounce mambo for questioning someone’s patriotism? After all, statements like that weren’t to be tolerated “in the last 8 years”.
Well goddamn, Farris, if you don’t like being part of a minority political group in this country, and you don’t like losing fair elections, that’s tough shit. Suck it up, deal with it.
For the record, that was my attitude for Bush’s second term. I thought the people who voted for him were idiots (and they were/are) but I didn’t make stupid statements like the ones you make.
See, Obama actually counts the war, and doesnt imagine its costs away. There’s projected deficits and actual ones. Bush came in with a surplus.
There’s projected deficits and actual ones.
When you’re right, you’re right. It’s all about “actual deficits” and Obama’s got scoreboard.
That’s a great idea. Kick all the moderates out of your party. Banish yourselves FURTHER to the fringes of society. Keep taking your marching orders from Rush and Beck. That’ll win elections.
because he’s offering a basic and uncontroversial service enjoyed by every citizen of the rest of the industrialized world
Fixed that for you, sport.
I am not sure about your view. An interesting take can be found at http://www.anonymousliberal.com/2009/10/politics-of-opt-out.html
Essentially what the link says but boil it down and you get my response below.
I disagree with your assertion here, Oliver. When was the last time a red state governor refused a massive amount of aid from the Feds or tried to shut down something the Feds are paying for (and not just talk about shutting the program(s) down so that they could get wingnut votes).
Ronald Reagan played the same game on a national level when he talked about the EPA. Never shut it down.
One-two governors, TOPS try to pull this mess within 2010-2012 so that they can look good but by 2016 no governor who wants to stay in office would do it.
I believe this is the right move. Calls the wingnuts on their bluff and enacts good policy.
Or is this a tacit admission on your part that Obama and the Democratic’s goals are less popular than a sack of rocks and the American public is slowly waking up to that fact.
Yeah, that’s why Republicans have been saying that stopping the public option is critical to the success of the Republican party, and that if people get it, they will like it.
Wait, what?
Now the question is: when will Oliver denounce mambo for questioning someone’s patriotism? After all, statements like that weren’t to be tolerated “in the last 8 years”.
What part of “turnabout is fair play” don’t you understand?
Why is it only the wingnuts around here posting in every comment section that someone should be banned for some ridiculous reason? Oliver made it really clear that he was tired of people making incredibly specific personal attacks (you’re a drunk, slut, unemployed, living abroad kind of things). Trust me when I say it’s not flattering when you whine about banning someone who says something poignant to you.
because he’s offering a basic and uncontroversial service enjoyed by every citizen of the rest of the industrialized world
Silly Parthenon, we shouldn’t follow the examples of Switzerland and England, we should strive to be more like Honduras and Dubai.