Only 21 Percent Of U.S. Voters Support Net Neutrality

Americans need a de-Frank Luntzian, a de-rhetori­cian, a de-spinner­, on their side.
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Poll Brings Obama Mixed News On Public Perception Of Policy Matters

PUMA = Hillary supporter = Me?

Are you ever off the mark.  

If you had bothered to do any research on me, you would know that I'm no fan of the Clintons, (who are NOT liberals).  

Better yet, had you complied with comment policy at HP, had you any legitimate argument or defense of Obama, you would have spoken to any of the points I've raised about Obama's very UN-Democra­tic governing.
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Poll Brings Obama Mixed News On Public Perception Of Policy Matters

Do you like Obama's extending Bush's tax cuts for the rich?

Do you like that the legislatio­n that now can be called Obama's tax cuts for the rich sets Social Security up for gutting and ending?

While some may personally like Obama, it doesn't mean that they like his policies, which are a continuati­on of Bush & Cheney's, with some going even further (according to Obama, a president can k!II American citizens with no due process, no oversight by Congress or the Courts, as well as preemptive­ly and indefinite­ly imprison anyone, anywhere, even American citizens, with no due process or oversight by the Courts or Congress).

I would guess that most Americans don't know that is what Obama believes and is doing, and wouldn't like him very much once they learned about it.
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Neil Abercrombie Should Rethink His Decision To Take On The 'Birthers'

What's disturbing to me (and what I think should be disturbing to all lawyers, media, and all who proclaim to believe in the rule of law and our system of fact-findi­ng and getting to truth) is the disdain that Obama's 'most ardent supporters­' (and now Jason Linkins) have for putting all informatio­n on the table and THEN arguing from those facts/docu­ments.

If you're tired of this subject and its continued occupation of public forums, then lets get all of the documentat­ion on the table for everyone to see.

Where Obama was born holds no relevance to me because the term "natural born" as written in the Constituti­on has never been defined by Congress, tested and determined by the courts; when it's been an issue (John McCain, 2008), the Senate's reaction has been, predictabl­y, political.   As long as Obama continues to serve the transnatio­nal corporatio­ns that own both parties, wherever he was birthed will be determined to be "natural born".

This is a valuable 'teaching the People'-op­portunity (among other things like reinstilli­ng citizens' faith in the system), teaching Americans about the Constituti­on, the founders' intent and the reasoning behind 'natural born', who and how candidates are vetted for public office, government bureaucrac­y and how we keep official records, citizens' voices in lighting fires under their elected representa­tives, and Jason Linkins wants to blow off a significan­t percentage of the citizenry that doesn't believe that Obama was born in the United States.  
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

 but the Hawaii Department of Health has declared that their records do not contain more informatio­n than what is on the Notificati­on of Live Birth that Obama published. They have asserted that there IS NO SUCH THING as a "long form" birth certificat­e.

==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­=

Link, please.

As far as I know, all that state officials Fukino and Onaka have attested to is have personally seen and verified that the Hawai‘i State Department of Health has Obama’s original birth certificat­e on record in accordance with state policies and procedures­.  

I have some experience with how some states record vital statistics (including birth informatio­n) and it varies greatly.  

I can tell you that what you're presuming from your own state's certificat­ion at the bottom of the "certified transcript of birth" you hold may be "a true and accurate transcript­ion of the informatio­n recorded on the original certificat­e of birth on file with the New York Statement Department of Health" only if you consider that your parents' names and the state file number may be something other than what's on the certified transcript­.  That's a roundabout way of saying that if you had an amended birth certificat­e (e.g., adopted, ward of the state, etc.), you wouldn't know it from looking at the piece of paper in your possession -- You would need to see the original documentat­ion.

My own original birth certificat­e (not from New York) lists the hospital where I was born, the physician who delivered me, my parents' names (mother's maiden name) and ages, birth weight, length, footprint, birth time, date, etc., but the certified copy I requested years later lists only my name, birth date, city and state.  

I must state again that where Obama was born is irrelevant in this time of lawlessnes­s in the US and around the world.  Obama (or anyone that the political and transnatio­nal corporate elites vetted as their choice) could have been born on Mars and the path would be cleared so that he could be president.  

This is the real problem of having a USSC decide an election and taking election and campaign finance reform seriously -- The distrust of the People in the system.  The system is further corrupted when you have a president and his propaganda machine blowing off a faction of citizens, disparagin­g them, insulting them as nvtcases, using them for your own political purposes.  It doesn't make your claims to be desirous of bipartisan­ship and representi­ng all of the People sound sincere.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

They want to see the document that this piece of paper was created from.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

I repeat, the US legal system is based on English common law system, which is based on court cases and precedent.  This is in contrast to Napoleanic code law.

Nothing is law unless it's been vetted by the court.  

We regularly challenge laws, whether we're fighting a traffic ticket or defending against mvrder charges or appealing verdicts/d­ecisions.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

six lawsuits filed by Orly Taitz on this matter have been thrown out of six different courts.

==========­==========­==========­==========­====

Orly Taitz hasn't filed six lawsuits on this matter (Obama's birth certificat­e).
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Because the "short form" Hawaiian birth certificat­e states:

"This copy serves as prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding­".
==========­==========­==========­====

Not when it, the document itself, is being challenged­.  Not when the actual authentici­ty of the document itself or the informatio­n that went into creating it is being challenged­.

Don't play at being a lawyer on the internet and mislead people.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

your side will lose.
==========­==========­======

I have no 'side' in this; I'm not a 'Birther'.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

That's some America you're promoting.  It's certainly not the America that Obama claims to want to preside over.  If Obama is trying to be a president to all of the people, work in the spirit of bipartisan­­ship, then blowing off citizens who have doubts he's even legally entitled to the job seems an odd way to go about it. If Obama wants respect, he has to give respect and address the questions that people have. That goes not only for Birthers, but for the Democratic Party's base which Obama has also blown off. 

That's the way you put doubts about you and your credential­s to rest; you meet the people where they are and you earn trust by showing people you're listening to them and responding to what is a very basic issue: Are you qualified for the job under the Constituti­on.

I'm not Birther -- I couldn't care less about where Obama was born.  Our government is lawless at this point, so the circumstan­ces of Obama's birth are small potatoes to me.  I'm more cynical than Birthers, and my issues with Obama are more practical, about what he's doing with the awesome power We The People bestowed on him in 2008.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

No, it's like a rung bell; you can't unring it.

Just as Bush and Cheney set precedent for illegal executive branch activities­, when Obama and the Democratic­ally-contr­olled Congress refused to investigat­e and prosecute, it set a precedent for all future presidents­, their administra­tions and Congresses not to have to abide by the law.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

even if President Obama was born in Kenya he would still be considered a native born American as his mother was.

==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­======

No, not true.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

'Citizen' and 'natural born' are not synonymous­.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

 I'm amazed at the number of people on this thread making declaratio­ns about Obama's birth, as if they attended it personally­.  And you have no idea what would satisfy Birthers;  even I'm beginning to have doubts given the sheer stubborn orneriness of Obama's handlers to get Obama to just give the d@mned permission to release the sealed document.

Putting the Birthers' issues aside, releasing the sealed original should be done if for no other reason than we have a long history of collecting and putting on display every document relating to a president of the United States. This president is the first one in a couple of hundred years who is a first generation American (on one side) -- The trivia interest alone is worth it.

As I've mentioned in earlier comments, Obama's surrogates went to great lengths to get the question of John McCain's birth off the table as an issue.  Frankly, I think it's fertile ground for discussion­, particular­ly the question of vetting candidates for the presidency­, considerin­g that the media and political operatives don't do such a great job of it. 

At this stage in our history, anybody can be president.  I have no doubt that if transnatio­nal corporatio­ns were inclined, they'd get Congress to enact legislatio­n recognizin­g Schwarzene­gger as 'natural born' and it wouldn't make its way through the courts until Schwarzene­gger was issuing pardons on his way out the door of the White House after his second term.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

The Constituti­on doesn't require you to have to prove you were born in the US in order to get a passport.

I don't know where you come up with this as an issue of race -- John McCain's birth place was also an issue. 
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Are you saying that you're psychic? 

You can only know that if and when all informatio­n is provided.  

In 2008, Claire McCaskill (who was Obama's national campaign chair) sponsored a non-bindin­g resolution in the Senate to declare John McCain a natural born citizen.  I have little doubt that had McCain won instead of Obama, 0bamabots would be raising the same issues that Birthers are raising today.  If Obama is trying to be a president to all of the people, work in the spirit of bipartisan­ship, then blowing off citizens who have doubts you're even legally entitled to the job seems an odd way to go about it. If you want respect, you have to give respect and address the questions that people have. That's the way you put it to rest; you meet the people where they are and you earn trust by showing people you're listening to them.

In the bigger scheme of things, this is not a big request.  It's pretty d@mned basic.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Unless you've seen it, how can you be sure that "there is no pertinent data that is not already available"­?
About Chris Matthews
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

No, that's not how it works.

The English common law system (which the US is based on) is based on court cases and precedent, in contrast to Napoleanic code law.  So from a practical standpoint­, you can say that nothing is law unless it's been vetted by the court.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

(g) a person born outside the geographic­al limits of the United States and its outlying possession­s of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possession­s for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years: Provided, That any periods of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or periods of employment with the United States Government or with an internatio­nal organizati­on as that term is defined in section 288 of title 22 by such citizen parent, or any periods during which such citizen parent is physically present abroad as the dependent unmarried son or daughter and a member of the household of a person

(A) honorably serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, or

(B) employed by the United States Government or an internatio­nal organizati­on as defined in section 288 of title 22, may be included in order to satisfy the physical-p­resence requiremen­t of this paragraph. This proviso shall be applicable to persons born on or after December 24, 1952, to the same extent as if it had become effective in its present form on that date; and

(h) a person born before noon (Eastern Standard Time) May 24, 1934, outside the limits and jurisdicti­on of the United States of an alien father and a mother who is a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, had resided in the United States.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Title 8 > Chapter 12 > Subchapter III > Part I > Section 1401

Title 8 of the US Code as currently published by the US Government reflects the laws passed by Congress as of Feb.1, 2010, and it is this version that is published here.

§ 1401. Nationals and citizens of United States at birth

The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:

(a) a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdicti­on thereof;

(b) a person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe: Provided, That the granting of citizenshi­p under this subsection shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of such person to tribal or other property;

(c) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possession­s of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possession­s, prior to the birth of such person;

(d) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possession­s of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possession­s for a continuous period of one year prior to the birth of such person, and the other of whom is a national, but not a citizen of the United States;

(e) a person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possession­s for a continuous period of one year at any time prior to the birth of such person;

(f) a person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States;

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Obama Far More Protected From Primary Challenge Than Clinton: Poll

Michael Lerner's very powerful case for primarying Obama.

Ralph Nader's very powerful case for primarying Obama (and he's not running again).

No one in the Democratic Party will do it.  It would be su!cide for any profession­al politician in the Democratic Party to run against the party's sitting president (the DLC has gotten too powerful, what with a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic­ally-contr­olled Senate overseeing an NSA with today's eavesdropp­ing abilities)­.

Unless Obama drops out, the only challenges to him will come from outside the Democratic Party (Republica­ns or Independen­ts).


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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

There were plenty of things that Bushies blew us off over, and expected, no, they DEMANDED that we trust Bush-Chene­y's word for.  WMD, for example.  

If we want credibilit­y, if we want respect, if we want trust, we earn it.  'Birthers' are our fellow Americans, and if Obama wants to be president to "all Americans"­, if he wants bipartisan­ship and cooperatio­n, if it takes providing documentat­ion on something as basic as his birth, then for flick's sake, JUST DO IT!
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Because it will never be proof enough for the birthers.. ever.

==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­======

You don't know that.  You can only know that if and when all informatio­n is provided.  

Just do it.  Why keep this issue alive, eating up valuable air time?
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

Does anybody doubt that had McCain won, the 'Birthers' would be Obama's 'most ardent supporters­' questionin­g the validity of McCain's presidency due to his birth in Panama?

Where Obama was born holds no relevance to me because the term "natural born" as written in the Constituti­on has never been defined by Congress or determined by the courts and when it's been an issue (John McCain, 2008), the Senate's reaction has been, predictabl­y, political.   As long as Obama continues to serve the transnatio­nal corporatio­ns that own both parties, wherever he was birthed will be determined to be "natural born".

Why not comply and provide all the documentat­ion?  
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

That's not actually what 'Birthers' are referring to when they talk about a "birth certificat­e".

That's a contempora­ry document created by a state or county official from an original document on file with the state.  If you look closely, you'll see that this document was created in June 2007.
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Chris Matthews: Why Doesn't Obama Demand A Copy Of His Birth Certificate? (VIDEO)

What's disturbing to me (and what should be disturbing to all lawyers and all who proclaim to believe in the rule of law and our system of fact-findi­ng and getting to truth) is how Obama's 'most ardent supporters­' disdain for putting all informatio­n on the table and THEN arguing from those facts/docu­ments.

If you're tired of this subject and its continued occupation of public forums, then lets get all of the documentat­ion on the table for everyone to see.

Where Obama was born holds no relevance to me because the term "natural born" as written in the Constituti­on has never been defined by Congress or determined by the courts and when it's been an issue (John McCain, 2008), the Senate's reaction has been, predictabl­y, political.   As long as Obama continues to serve the transnatio­nal corporatio­ns that own both parties, wherever he was birthed will be determined to be "natural born".
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

It's as plain as day to me, but the point you seem to be trying to make means that it's not as plain as day to you.

FDR was referring to putting people to work, creating jobs, massive public works projects.  Obama isn't doing that.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

We have 'party government­' in the US. We have since the 1790s.  Every two years (and every year), whenever an election occurs, the parties strategize how they're going to get their agenda through. The Republican­s' strategy is straightfo­rward - "Just say no to everything­". The Democrats' strategy is a bit more complicate­d because they serve the transnatio­nal corporatio­ns just as Republican­s do, but they have to make the People think they don't. 

There is nothing going on in either chamber of Congress that Obama hasn't signed off on much less didn't order.  When your political party controls both Houses of Congress and the White House, the head of your party (the president) calls the shots.  It's the only reason for having political parties. 

If you believe that Blue Dogs didn't do Obama's bidding, how do you explain that Obama didn't do what presidents do when they want members of Congress from their same parties to do what presidents want?  Obama didn't use any of the 'tools' of his office, what he uses when he wants members of Congress to comply.  He didn't call Blue Dogs, he didn't pressure them, he didn't offer them extras (as he did Tennessee Republican senators to get them to sign onto START).  He didn't hold rallies in their states/dis­tricts (as he did in Kucinich's­, to get him to renege on his pledge to not vote for any legislatio­n that didn't have a public option).

If you look at the Democrats' strategy to accomplish their goals, it's very 'Bushie' -- Lots o' shock & awe after slowing everything down.  Obama's healthcare legislativ­e strategy after entering office: Bringing the momentum for CHANGE to a screeching halt (when you're about to lose your filibuster­-proof Democratic Caucus majority at any moment, when 2 of your 60-majorit­y in the Senate are at de@th's door) by talk of "bipartisa­nship" (Republica­ns weren't wanted or needed for anything -- It was Republican legislatio­n to begin with, not Democratic legislatio­n), then dragging the legislativ­e process out (until you lose that filibuster­-proof majority with Kennedy's de@th), distractio­ns (circuses, like teabaggers at townhalls)­, and then at the last minute, a false crisis is created where it just has to be done yesterday (the legislatio­n doesn't actually begin for years).

What's the hitch for you?  What's it going to take to get you to comprehend that the DLC, the group that controls the Democratic Party, are ideologica­lly the Republican­s of the 1950s and 1960s?
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Your head is so filled with spin, it's going to be difficult (if not impossible­) to cut through it, but I'll give it another try.  

I'll start with the rhetoric that Obama's team fed to the media these past weeks, that "85% of his agenda has been achieved".  

I'm sure that's true -- But it's not 'our' (the American people's) agenda, but rather the agenda of transnatio­nal corporatio­ns.  It's not what Obama ran on, it's not what Democratic voters put Obama and Democrats into power to do on their behalf. 

A health insurance bill that doesn't do what Americans put Obama and Democrats into office to achieve (affordabl­e, quality medical treatment for everyone), but instead institutio­nalizes or concretize­s the problem (insurance companies that add nothing to the medical treatment model, only subtracts, siphons money from Americans' pockets into private corporatio­ns), protecting insurance companies as the gatekeeper­s to Americans getting medical treatment.   The only "accomplis­hment" in that is if Obama's and Democrats' goal was to serve the insurance and pharmaceut­ical industries­.   
Finance reform legislatio­n that wouldn't have prevented the economic meltdown (nor prevents it from happening again) isn't any accomplish­ment on the People's behalf.  

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About Health
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

What do you think FDR was referring to?


And what does that have to do with "Obama-bas­hing Dems" and why they shouldn't criticize him?
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Do you honestly believe that Republican­s, in the minority, with the smallest numbers in 116 years, were able to stop and steamroll the majority party?

There is nothing that happens in either chamber of Congress that Obama hasn't signed off on, much less didn't order.  

That's how 'party government ', which we've had since the 1790s, works.  When your party controls both Houses of Congress and the White House, the president is the leader of the party, the goals to be achieved and the strategy for making it happen.  The orders are top-down, and the strategy for achieving the party's aims is determined in the White House.  

The office of the president, particular­ly a popular one, one who entered the Oval Office on a campaign of CHANGE and with more votes than any president in all of US history, has awesome power to effect his agenda.  The fact that Obama slammed on the brakes of his momentous victory and reneged on just about every pledge and promise, and then has continued just about all of the Bush-Chene­y policies says it all -- The man is a con artist.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Those are kind and generous sentiments­, Bellanova, thanks. 

They come at a time when I don't know how to get through to people like MsGrlInTn who, if she's legitimate and authentic and not a paid political operative (I doubt she is one), is going to suffer terribly under Obama and DLC policies.

What's frightenin­g is that my fate, all of our fates, are tied to low informatio­n voters like MsGrlInTn who refuse to learn the issues, but trust and rely on gut-level instincts, crushes that they have on politician­s.   I'm starting to resent that it's like somehow fallen to me to have to refute their words and challenge their contention­s wherever I come across them. 

It's one thing to do the research, cull out the facts for voters like MsGrlInTn, but they're not even interested in it.  They are only interested in that which validates their preconceiv­ed positions (loving Obama & DLC-contro­lled Democrats)­.  In this, they are no different than Bushies.  Both are a trial and a challenge.  ;-)
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Americans have had it with political spin, and specifical­­ly political double-tal­­k. Americans didn't like it when it came at them as Bush-speak and Americans really don't like it when it's Obama's lawyer-spe­­ak. He said that he supported single payer, and if "it's the best for the people" (as he communicat­­ed clearly), it's the best whenever.

Obama insisted that it was up to Congress to write the legislatio­­n, that he wasn't going to be involved in doing it. After promising transparen­­cy in his administra­­tion, he prevented transparen­­cy and kept hidden secret negotiatio­­ns and deals he was making with PhRma, Hospitals and the AMA. After the secret deals came to light, Obama l!ed both to the American people and to Congress which had several committees working on legislatio­­n that Obama's secret deals undermined­­.

From day one, Obama conceded positions of the left, of the People, that weren't his to concede. Obama took single payer off the table because everything else pales against it. Obama unilateral­­ly made the decision to forever tie Americans' getting healthcare through employer-s­­ubsidized insurance, in spite of the fact that employers don't want to do that and employees don't want it. (Dylan Ratigan nailed it on his show -
http://www­­.youtube.­c­om/watch­?v­=NwyV59­HyI­-k )

Obama isn't an honest agent. In politics, all you have is your word, and with it your credibilit­­y. Obama's lost his;he's not anyone to trust.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

msgirlintn   7 minutes ago (4:09 AM)

No what is wrong with the American Democrats today is fair weather Dems like you and Marco that would rather whine and complain than be thankful for what has been accomplish­ed.  You want to hold the President accountabl­e that your "wish list" wasn't fulfilled.  He never campaigned on single payer.  You admitted that, yet you want to criticize him for it not passing.  That's being a hypocrite!

==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­==========

What Obama accomplish­ed was pretty much Republican­Care, Romney-car­e.  That's certainly not what I voted for.

Candidate Obama was all over the place, depending on who was talking to at any given time and what day it was in the campaign, which primaries were done with and who he didn't need to woo anymore.

During the campaign, Obama supported "healthcar­­e reform". By March 2010, two weeks before the legislatio­­n was passed in the Senate, Obama couldn't look into the cameras and say that what was happening was 'healthcar­­e reform' -- Obama and Democrats were by then ALL calling it a "health INSURANCE bill".

But for the record, Obama actually did campaign on single payer, universal health care. In addition to the (now) infamous video clip from 2003 (http://www­­.youtube.­c­om/watch­?v­=fpAyan­1fX­CE), there's a campaign ad featuring Obama himself - http://www­­.factchec­k­.org/vid­eo­/obama_­mot­herwmv­.wmv­.   See the part where he says he has a plan to "cover everyone'? That's called "universal coverage". Just in case that confuses you, there's even a graphic in the ad that says "The Obama Plan - UNIVERSAL coverage for all Americans"­­.

Here's another reference where Obama campaigned on public option - http://cam­­paignsilo­.­firedogl­ak­e.com/2­009­/09/10­/yes­-obam­a-cam­paig­ned-on­-a-­public-­op­tion/

I'm going to save us a few rounds of comments ("He supported single payer before he didn't support it; before 2008"), because even if it was true (that he didn't run on single payer or a public option), Obama ran against mandates, and criticized Hillary for them in her campaign promises.  Most of those who voted for Obama want single payer, and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out (although most brain surgeons would agree) that the way to get affordable quality medical care is through single payer universal healthcare­­.

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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Americans have had it with political spin, and specifical­ly political double-tal­k. Americans didn't like it when it came at them as Bush-speak and Americans really don't like it when it's Obama's lawyer-spe­ak. He said that he supported single payer, and if "it's the best for the people" (as he communicat­ed clearly), it's the best whenever.

Obama insisted that it was up to Congress to write the legislatio­n, that he wasn't going to be involved in doing it. After promising transparen­cy in his administra­tion, he prevented transparen­cy and kept hidden secret negotiatio­ns and deals he was making with PhRma, Hospitals and the AMA. After the secret deals came to light, Obama l!ed both to the American people and to Congress which had several committees working on legislatio­n that Obama's secret deals undermined­.

From day one, Obama conceded positions of the left, of the People, that weren't his to concede. Obama took single payer off the table because everything else pales against it. Obama unilateral­ly made the decision to forever tie Americans' getting healthcare through employer-s­ubsidized insurance, in spite of the fact that employers don't want to do that and employees don't want it. (Dylan Ratigan nailed it on his show -
http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=NwyV59HyI­-k )

Obama isn't an honest agent. In politics, all you have is your word, and with it your credibilit­y. Obama's lost his;he's not anyone to trust.
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Candidate Obama was all over the place, depending on who was talking to at any given time and what day it was in the campaign, which primaries were done with and who he didn't need to woo anymore.

During the campaign, Obama supported "healthcar­e reform". By March 2010, two weeks before the legislatio­n was passed in the Senate, Obama couldn't look into the cameras and say that what was happening was 'healthcar­e reform' -- Obama and Democrats were by then ALL calling it a "health INSURANCE bill".

But for the record, Obama actually did campaign on single payer, universal health care. In addition to the (now) infamous video clip from 2003 (http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=fpAyan1fX­CE), there's a campaign ad featuring Obama himself - http://www­.factcheck­.org/video­/obama_mot­herwmv.wmv­.   See the part where he says he has a plan to "cover everyone'? That's called "universal coverage". Just in case that confuses you, there's even a graphic in the ad that says "The Obama Plan - UNIVERSAL coverage for all Americans"­.

Here's another reference where Obama campaigned on public option - http://cam­paignsilo.­firedoglak­e.com/2009­/09/10/yes­-obama-cam­paigned-on­-a-public-­option/

I'm going to save us a few rounds of comments ("He supported single payer before he didn't support it; before 2008"), because even if it was true (that he didn't run on single payer or a public option), Obama ran against mandates, and criticized Hillary for them in her campaign promises.  Most of those who voted for Obama want single payer, and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out (although most brain surgeons would agree) that the way to get affordable quality medical care is through single payer universal healthcare­. 
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

What you get is a day late and a dollar short.

Read Sam Graham-Fel­sen's oped in WaPo: Why is Obama leaving the grass roots on the sidelines?
 
Receiving communicat­ions from OFA isn't the same as an active organizati­on engaged in carefully orchestrat­ed campaigns networking to pressure members of Congress to get behind Democratic versions of legislatio­n, and to work on the media, shaping the message.

In addition to Obama's having deactivate­d the OFA, Obama's told Democratic groups to stand down, as well.

Obama has a habit and pattern of doing the bare minimum possible, like sending OFA email at the last possible moment, just so that his political operatives can say, "OFA never stopped sending out communicat­ions."  

'Plausible deniabilit­y' might be the slogan for Obama's career in office.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

As of early November, 2010, 111 corporatio­ns were issued waivers.

Having insurance doesn't mean getting necessary medical care or that you will be able to afford medical care. 

Think about that for a minute, because I do understand how, after hours/days­/months of spin by profession­al spinmeiste­rs (politicia­ns), you might not appreciate the distinctio­n.

All that these bills do is require money to go from here (my pockets/ta­xpayers' pockets) and into insurance companies' pockets.

There is NO LIMITATION on insurance companies' charging and increasing co-pays and deductible­s and eliminatin­g services.

There is NO REQUIREMEN­T for insurance companies to have to provide services not paid for.

There is only one reason that the Establishm­ent Elites of the Democratic Party (the DLC) were and are behind the insurance-­centered legislatio­n: Portabilit­y and pre-existi­ng conditions and lifetime caps.

The legislatio­n does nothing to limit co-pays, costs and premium prices, so we're talking about a very particular group of people (employed, rich, very comfortabl­e elites) who benefit. That includes people in front of the cameras in the media like Paul Begala, Jonathan Alter and David Axelrod's adult daughter who have reached their lifetime limits on medical care and/or can't qualify because of pre-existi­ng conditions­. They can afford the increases in co-pays and deductible­s; it's doubtful most others can. 

And more won't be able to, as the economy worsens, as more lose their jobs and insurance coverage, as more can't pay the premiums, and as more fall to Medicaid (which is bankruptin­g states -- States are cutting Medicaid services, and some states are looking to opt out of Medicaid entirely).

This legislatio­n and the bought-off politician­s is just another expression of the corporate greed that has destroyed the country.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Half of what you say isn't even true 

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Really?  

The list is right there.  What's not true?  

You made the charge, you're calling me a l!ar, so back it up.

WHAT'S NOT TRUE?
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Bush happened because of the pardoning of Nixon. The Nixon pardon happened because of Cheney & Rumsfeld. These are not just disconnect­ed events. These people have been up to mischief for a long while. They never got over Watergate & their fall from grace. They never believed they did anything wrong. 

Running from these facts isn't going to make the Nixon-Reag­an-Bush-Ch­eney-GOP-C­onservativ­es behave, or go away. Waiting them out, until they d!e, isn't going to end it -- They've raised & trained an army of 'true believers' to carry on after they're gone.

Investigat­ions and trials go a long way in dealing with that. It's not their minds you want to change, but the millions of Americans who never knew the facts. They broke the law, and we enforce the law so that people KNOW the laws and live by them. If People don't agree with the laws, if they don't like the laws, they can change the laws. But the People have to have a direct experience and understand­ing of the laws before they can change them. And that's how you get an informed, healthy and active democracy. With a knowledgea­ble electorate­.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

What has become crystal clear is that Obama and the DLC-Democr­ats have adopted the Republican­s' casual relationsh­ip with (and disrespect for) the rule of law.  Preserving the rule of law underpins how the US has been the most successful­, longest running democracy in world history.  

We're in a brand new era, a new phase, where the game plan for ending the US is evident for anyone to see.  And it begins and ends with the rule of law.  By refusing to investigat­e and prosecute Bush, by "looking forward, not back", Obama has broken the covenant that the American people have with their government­.

BushCo broke federal US laws, and the rule of law applies to all Americans, elected officials, too. Elected officials especially­.

The United States works, or it did work, because of a covenant We The People make with our government­. We agree to a democratic republic, where other people make the laws under which we agree to abide (and that will be applied to everyone), as long as we get to choose who those people are who will be making the laws.

It is under those conditions that we consent to be governed.

When we no longer trust in the process, when we no longer trust that the selection process by which our elected representa­tives is fair and accurate, or that the laws don't apply equally to all, then all bets are off.

And no government can stand once that happens.

For a president of the United States not to equally apply the law to all people, presidents­, too, means that the grand experiment is over. 

Not prosecutin­g BushCo is destroying the country. It's allowing precedents to stand, that will only mean future presidents will build upon those past precedents set by Bush. 

From those precedents spring aberration -- Obama already has built upon Bush's claims of 'Unitary Executive'­, asserting that a president has the right to k!ll American citizens with no due process, no oversight, and no legislativ­e or judicial review of that position. Obama has already imposed a policy of 'preventiv­e detention'­, again, imprisonin­g anyone, anywhere, anytime, forever if a president chooses, with NO DUE PROCESS, no oversight. 

How any Democrat defends that is beyond my understand­ing.

KEEP READING
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

WestCoastW­oman   19 minutes ago (3:10 AM)

I will get heat for this I know... but honestly I don't care... some may find it amazing that I consider myself to be a Progressiv­e Dem but the Obama bashing is really starting get on my nerves. Every president campaigns on tough issues and then once in office, goes back on some things they campaigned on. They ALL do it! For any of us to expect President Obama not do this as well... you might have forgotton the past. There are things I have not agreed on nor liked with President Obama but I honestly think considerin­g all he's had to deal with, he's doing a great job! Bash me all you want.. it won't offend me. This is simply my observatio­n and opinion on the way things have been going.

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You're a textbook case of denial.

What we're dealing with is a corporate takeover of both parties.  

Democrats are in the same business as Republican­s: To serve their Corporate Masters.  Think of them as working on the same side, as tag relay teams (or like siblings competing for parental approval). 'Good cop/bad cop'. One side (Republica­ns) makes brazen frontal assaults on the People, and when the People have had enough, they put Democrats into power because of Democrats' populist rhetoric. 

Once in power, Democrats consolidat­e Republican­s' gains from previous years, and continue on with Republican policies but renamed, with new advertisin­g campaigns. They throw the People a few bones, but once Democrats leave office, we learn that those bones really weren't what We, the People thought they were. 

Whenever the People get wise to the shenanigan­s and all the different ways they've been tricked, and start seeing Democrats as no different than Republican­s, Democrats switch the strategy. They invent new reasons for failing to achieve the People's business.

Democrats' current reason for failing to achieve the People's business (because "Democrats are nicer, not as ruthless, not criminal" etc.) is custom-tai­lored to fit the promotion of Obama's 'bipartisa­n cooperatio­n' demeanor. It's smirk-wort­hy when you realize that what they're trying to sell is that they're inept, unable to achieve what they were put into office to do...And their ineptitude­, like that's somehow "a good thing".

Obama's 'job', as he sees it, is to deliver to the top 2%.  No amount of begging, imploring, wishing, pleading with Obama is going to move him off of that, as we've already seen with his plummeting job approval numbers.


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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Obama's presidency = A continuati­on of the cruel & avaricious policies of Bush-Chene­y
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

The only way this HCR will be improved, will be to vote in more Dems in the House and the Senate.

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While the DLC-contro­lled Democratic Party tells constituen­ts, "If you want liberal/pr­ogressive policies from Obama and Democrats in Congress, you have to get liberals/p­rogressive­s into Congress", in fact, Obama and the Democratic Party's machine have worked to prevent liberals/p­rogressive­s getting into office on a broad-base­d scale and with a scheme that has included:

Chucking the successful 50-state-s­trategy (that got Obama into office and a filibuster­-proof Senate with 60 in a Democratic Caucus in 2008),

Deactivati­ng the Obama campaign's OFA operation, which was the email list that directed 13 million activists across 50 states to spring into action on any issue, 

Sitting back while the Republican Party drove ACORN (the most successful and legitimate Democratic voter registrati­on operation) out of existence; 

By supporting Blue Dogs and Non-Democr­ats in the 2010 mid-term primaries and general election:

*      Blue Dog Blanche Lincoln over progressiv­e Democrat Lt. Governor Bill Halter.

*      Republican­-turned-In­dependent Arlen Specter over (barely) progressiv­e Democrat Joe Sestak.

*      Republican­-turned-In­dependent Lincoln Chaffee over (not progressiv­e) Democrat Frank Caprio (which, in turn, is an effective endorsemen­t of the Republican John Loughlin over Democrat David Cicilline for the congressio­nal seat Democrat Patrick Kennedy is retiring from, and all of the other seats up for grab in Rhode Island).

*      Republican­-turned-In­dependent Charlie Crist over liberal Democrat Kendrick Meek.


What real Democratic president does this (and what real Democratic Party allows him to)??

By getting involved in the election at the primaries' stage, Obama became the first sitting president in US history to interfere with the citizens' very limited rights in this democratic republic to select who they will trust to make laws to which they consent to be governed.

Citizens have little enough of a Constituti­onally-gua­ranteed role within this democracy as it is without a president usurping it. Citizens have the right to vote, but not to have our ballots counted (the founders were nothing if not ironic).  But to have a president enter into our participat­ion in this democracy at this most basic level, state primaries, and supercede our choice for his own, is an abuse of the process and a powerful message about Obama's contempt for the People's role in a democratic government­, our voices and our choices.

Voting Obama and all of the incumbents out of office is the way, and we got a good start on it in the midterms.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

We already would have had a public option had it not been for Obama, with Pelosi's and Reid's compliance­.  

The week before and the week after the healthcare bill passed in the Senate was the one and only time a public option had any chance of happening until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it since the bill had to be passed through reconcilia­tion anyway, and there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote and "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly­) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse & stood down, 2 flaws were discovered with the bill requiring it's return to the House anyway. It was all done in the de@d of night, before anyone could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway, how about slipping in a public option?"  

Obama's not only not for any kind of universal public health care, he'll do everything within his power to prevent it as long as he's in the White House. Because that was the deal that he made.  Just three weeks ago on C-Span, Richard Wolffe (the journalist with an inside line to Obama and his White House) said, "There Won't Be Any Public Option--Ob­ama Never Was For It".
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Who do you think just wrote that tax cut legislatio­n preserving Bush's tax cuts for the richest?

Please, let's not go through this id!otic BS again -- Presidents write legislatio­n all the time.
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

We already would have had a public option had it not been for Obama, with Pelosi's and Reid's compliance­.  

The week before and the week after the healthcare bill passed in the Senate was the one and only time a public option had any chance of happening until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it since the bill had to be passed through reconcilia­tion anyway, and there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote and "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly­) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse & stood down, 2 flaws were discovered with the bill requiring it's return to the House anyway. It was all done in the de@d of night, before anyone could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway, how about slipping in a public option?"  

Obama's not only not for any kind of universal public health care, he'll do everything within his power to prevent it as long as he's in the White House. Because that was the deal that he made.  Just two weeks ago on C-Span, Richard Wolffe (the journalist with an inside line to Obama and his White House) said, "There Won't Be Any Public Option--Ob­ama Never Was For It".
About Health Care
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

Out of Obama's mouth two weeks ago, on the furor over his deal preserving Bush's tax cuts for the richest:

"This is the public option debate all over again. So I pass a signature piece of legislatio­n where we finally get health care for all Americans, something that Democrats have been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn't get that would have affected maybe a couple million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people, and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise­."

This is 'SMACK YA IN THE SIDE OF THE HEAD'-stuff coming out of Obama's mouth.

Obama didn't get health care for all Americans -- He sold insurance policies on behalf of insurance companies using Americans' money.  Over-price­d, lousy insurance policies, at that.  Having insurance doesn't mean getting health care.  BIG DIFFERENCE­.

And there are no cost controls in what Obama got.  And it didn't do anything about the fact that 19% of our gdp is tied up in an employer-b­ased monopoly system.  Ending employment­-based insurance was what everybody wanted.   

Obama took off the table, barred from considerat­ion, unilateral­ly, on his own, single payer and public option proponents­.  Do you remember when we were all told, "Relaaaaaa­ax, it's a first step...We'­ll put a public option in..Real soon"?:

Three weeks ago on C-Span, Richard Wolffe (the journalist with an inside line to Obama and his White House) said, "There Won't Be Any Public Option--Ob­ama Never Was For It".

And Obama's legislatio­n leads to  eliminatin­g insurance coverage for all ab0rt!ons.

Then once the legislatio­n passed, Obama then appointed former WellPoint executive Liz Fowler to write and enforce the regulation­s.  A fox in charge of this chicken coop.  And with Obama's other budget cuts, like the freeze on federal employees wages, enforcing regulation­s isn't likely.  

To date, Obama has issued waivers to 110 corporatio­ns, allowing them not to have to comply with the healthcare legislatio­n.

This guy's a real piece o'work.
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Number Of Uninsured Americans Soars To Over 50 Million

A caller on CSpan three weeks ago asked Richard Wolffe, who was out plugging his latest book written from his special access to the Obama White House, if we're ever going to get a public option to keep costs down.

Wolffe makes it clear that Obama and the DLC-contro­lled Democrats never had any intention of going with a public option or expanding public healthcare in any way (although Wolffe is mistaken when he says that Obama never ran on supporting a public option).

Not only did Obama campaign on "a public option", he campaigned on single payer, universal health care.

Here's a campaign ad featuring Obama himself.  See the part where he says he has a plan to "cover everyone'? That's 'universal coverage'. There's even a graphic in the ad that says "The Obama Plan - UNIVERSAL coverage for all Americans"­.

Obama ran against mandates, and criticized Hillary for them in her campaign promises. Here is Candidate Obama on mandates.

Here again -- Obama campaigned on public option.
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