I wonder how Obama (IQ off the charts) and his administration (super smart) would have dealt with Health Care if they hadn’t learned from the terrible, horrible, rookie mistakes from the not-ready-for prime time, bumbling Clinton team.
Any thoughts? This is an open thread
UPDATE
Commenter Edgeoforever just went into her treasure trove and came out with this gem:
They might sit side-by-side in Barack Obama’s Cabinet room someday, but Tom Daschle didn’t much like Hillary Clinton’s tactics for fixing health care 15 years ago – so much so that he wrote a book critiquing them.
Now as Obama’s point-person on health care, Daschle’s approach is a simple philosophy of ABC – Anything But Clinton – that he’ll start to lay out at his confirmation hearing Thursday for secretary of health and human services.
Daschle wants an overhaul plan moving on Capitol Hill by spring. Clinton waited almost a full year. Daschle wants lawmakers to take the lead in drafting it. Clinton kept the job inside the White House.
Perhaps the biggest change: Daschle is planning a major grassroots push to build public support for his plan outside Washington, possibly with spokesman-in-chief Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN at the helm as surgeon general. Clinton let opponents carry the day with their famed “Harry and Louise” TV spots.
“It is just a world of difference in so many ways,” said Sheila Burke, the chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) from 1986 to 1996, who followed Clinton’s process. “You’ve got people paying close attention to what those lessons were, and they have already avoided some of the missteps.”
Some lessons these guys have learned!
Filed under: General | Tagged: Clinton administration, Health Care Reform, obama administration |
The Confluence 
LOL, good thread.
If it weren’t for those pesky Clintons, the Obama team would have put their healthcare smarts on display on C-Span, oh yeah, “you betcha.”
😆 Gosh, that one made me laugh…ayup!
I thought they had learned so much that they would tell the Clintons” This is how you do it”.
I don’t know how many times I’ve read in the last 24 hours that Clinton wouldn’t have been any better, that she would’ve been more partisan, etc. Their guy won and they still feel the need to remind themselves that they made the right decision and Clinton is just a mean witch who can’t get along with anyone despite all of her actions since Obama’s coronation which prove the exact opposite.
I just want to slap people who say that. Obama has it so much easier than the Clinton’s ever did. He’s got a Dem majority in congress and a country that is ripe for some reforms. The red carpet has been fricken rolled out for this fool and he still can’t get it done. What a weenie.
I’ve actually seen in a few corners some “Hillary would have been better” remarks popping up and some real regret that they only judged her on AUMF vote instead of her entire domestic agenda (which was indeed stronger than Obama’s.)
Yes, I’ve seen those too. Several comments at the NYT said that we should gear up for Hillary in 2012 and another person said that she should’ve voted for Hillary because at least she has balls and Obama doesn’t 😛
Ditto – I’ve seen similar comments from 0bots praising Hillary.
LMAO! That’s why they insured she would lose to O’Blah Blah!
This is just like taking your car keys and handing them to someone who driving abilities you don’t even know.
It’s more like handing it to the 15 year old on a Cinderella license.
Seriously, could this health care debacle look more like amateur hour?
a wise clown once said
the failure is a feature not a bug.
The failure isn’t just the feature, it’s the raison d’etre.
Well, after seeing that a West Coast newspaper was doing ‘their’ job, I have to agree.
Exactly!
Does anybody know why congress is not looking at opening up the lines of insurance across state lines? That would immediately increase competition and lead to lower rates.
Critics were saying something about state laws…each state has its own Insurance laws, blah, blah….
PA has an insurance commission, It’s only purpose seems to be skimming off the top of their profits because they don’t want to here it if you been hosed.
I think you answered your own question
Good catch.
Because they want you to get taken to the cleaners, and filing for bankruptcy after and grovel. If you work in one state and your insurance only covers you in that state, well hello…you have to pay another premium.
Funny thing is the GOP claims to be looking out for business…what a joke! So, it is to get money from you, and to get double drippings in the premiums.
Before you go on vacation make sure and get travel insurance, or that too can get you into bankruptcy.
The photo is only appropriate if you believe that Obama and the O’crats wanted to really do something for Middle and Low Americans but FUBARed it.
Me?
I think this was the plan all along, Obama, Reid, Pelosi, My Senator Bob Casey jr and the rest have sold us out.
But even that, they can’t execute properly. They are walking all over their own feet, sending out colliding messages, looking like complete fools.
If the plan was to remind the country why they don’t vote for Democratic presidents very often, it’s working nicely.
Well, how hard do they have to try and still keep the typical Obama supporter?
Exactly MaBlue! so many conflicting and contradictory messages, simultaneously, from Democrats, the White House, and Obama.
I guarantee ya – if Repubs were in the same position, they would have had the slogans and talking points synchronized and perfected months ago – with only a few Repubs selected to be talking heads on TV, mouthing almost identical verbiage.
Everything would be perfectly aligned and READY FOR WAR!
Repubs wouldn’t have taken the “Magic Circle” and Kumbaya route.
Wall Street is already dancing on the public option’s grave?
http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSTRE57G4BU20090817
So sad. After Obama stated the public option was “just a SLIVER of the health care insurance reform bill” – (ain’t no biggie, voters!) – it only took a sliver of time for the CORPORATE media to pounce and declare it dead!
Like I said, President ‘BOWING to GOP’ Obama is the President of The Wall Street POOR MILLIONAIRES!
Working folks can take a hike as far as he is concerned, because he can’t get anything done…someone please schedule a World Tour so he can give a speech in front of a big, big, really big monument.
OK, I have to confess, I actually thought he was going to make good and do something with the working folks and the Health Care crisis. I guess my cynicism is showing as I am still upset about his BOWING to GOP pressure before going to fight for the little people.
What do people think about Jeralyn’s opinion that Obama should pass the bill even without a public option?
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2009/8/17/05321/6086
It seems like she’s more concerned about the Dems and Obama winning even if we never get single payer or even a public option. She will back the Dems no matter what Republican lite policies they pass so I was not surprised to read this from her today.
That is why Republicans walk all over the working folks, and why we are the LAST WESTERN COUNTRY, that is one of the wealthiest without Health Care for its citizens.
OBAMA SOLD US OUT!
more and more, it seems that Obama is the d-version of W.
Remember how Bush passed aweful programs, increased deficits, passed tax cuts, borrowed money, … and still Republicans supported him, since they thought he is ensuring that they win again.
Bush reassurred his own election (I see the same dynamics here really), but after 5-6 years, the voters understood what a cr–py load of goods they’ve been sold.
Yes, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
Yes, Jeralyn and Obama are thinking about 2010….and 2012.
But if the public option isn’t included, coupled with all his OTHER disappointing actions, Obama could be a one-term president.
Is Jeralyn suggesting that Obama declare a win by losing single payer/public option etc.?
MUST READ!!!
Wendell Potter, the guy who used to work for Cigna (the one did that really stunning interview with Bill Moyers) speaks:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/is-obama-planning-to-sign_b_260816.html
Wow – he’s really telling it like it is!
Excellent piece. Truly a must read.
Obama’s base ‘FAT CATS’! We were SOLD OUT!
I think Arianna wants to run for Governor and they are saying ‘OH my’, as even they can see the holes in HOPE/CHANGE.
WE WeRe SOLD OUT!
I just posted on the last thread—I think HRC would have planned a nation-wide town hall/forum in which she would have done lots of educating the public. She would have emphasized time in the Red States; she would have known that the big resistance was going to be on a government program—-she would have had all kinds of things running about the truth of health care in the industrialized world. She would not have done back door WH deals with pharma and the insurers.
But the big thing about HRC—she would not have f%$# up the finance system bailout or the stimulus.
And she wouldn’t have called her detractors nazi, whackos either
She wouldn’t have expected Americans to snitch on other Americans over who opposes HC reform on a WH site either.
I’m sure that was done deliberately to rile up Repubs…
You remind me of Tom Daschle. remember him? His lesson? “Anything but Clinton
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17206.html
I need a laugh track.
Go read the piece edgeoforever linked to. I’ve been laughing so hard I’m in pain. And I still can’t stop laughing.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Do we get to line them all up and put lipstick on them? What complete incompetent idiots.
Heckuva job Tommy!
Heckuva job !
Darn html filtering silliness. I tried to say”
Heckuva job insert obot name here!
In person, she is a hoot.
HRC would have educated the American people and mapped the political landscape in preparation for putting a bill together—-and she would have worked with Republicans to get some key ones to co-sponsor ONE bill.
It really doesn’t matter what they pass if public option is not in there. Everyone knows that it was a failure attempt. Signing anything is not the way to go. If it has no teeth. the “lack of plan” is not worth it.
It doesn’t even matter if the very weak “public option” in the House bill stays in (it’s in quotes because the option is only available to a very small slice of Americans and is thus doomed to fail). The bill benefits the for-profit health insurance industry. It doesn’t benefit the people.
Who is the “very small slice of Americans?”
Another piece by Wendell Potter today, he sure is on a roll:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/17/potter.health.insurance/index.html
And an interview with CNN’s Sanjay Gupta:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/17/potter.health.insurance/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
Clarification. I think the video was from Friday (the 14th), but the opinion piece on CNN is from today.
In one video he said if I remember correctly that he was working against Michae Moore’s film…OK, we know now he is ‘Chicke Little’ and runs away, but still that was a revelation.
Slightly OT: News tonight/the Obie administration has overestimated the number of H1N1 flu doses that will be available by this fall—45 million instead of 120 million. 600 needed.
What idiots gave those teenagers the keys to the country… oh yea, idiot failure obots. Nice.
With the mess we’re in right now, I know HRC would NOT have passed this off to Congress to come up with a bill!! She knew she had a plan..something that this dimwit never even considered.
Yes, health care was never a big deal to Obama. But he sure liked giving the Banks and the Auto industry overhauls and brand new leases!
And since Cap & Trade was FIRST – Dems used up a lot of capital for that – with little left over for health care reform.
Indeed. But she would have come up with a bill that took care of sick people….so it would be a “non starter” in DC.
As Max Keiser might say, “Those Americans are a strange lot. They bailout the bankers who caused a 9 trillion loss in the market, a 4.5 trillion loss in housing value. They pay for stimulus that produces very few jobs. And, when they get a chance to do something for themselves, they say Nooo we can’t do that. Instead, let’s take care of the insurance companies first. Those Americans are a strange lot.” On the other hand, he might just say “Stupid, stupid, stupid”.
They are pretending the Hill of ’93 would be the same woman as President Hillary Clinton would be today and would make the same ” mistakes” . At the time I felt her biggest mistake, was being too accommodating to the GOP….as if their objections were made in good faith, when really they only wanted to kill the bill off ( lol! I didn’t know what accmadating the GOP meant until I saw Obama in action) . She tired putting their shit and it became harder to get across ( score one for the GOP)
But let’s not kid ourselves , Hillary did NOT have the support Obama enjoys or anything near it . Much less standing up for their president, the Dems would go on the Sunday talk shows and pile on along with the GOP . You would not catch them going out to these profiles in kabuki town halls to support anything his White House wanted ! . At the time I wished they made it every child was covered as a start cause even the GOP of that time might have voted for that
Back then they needed GOP votes to get it though . Today the Dems do not. To compare Hillary and this crew and say Hillary would not have done better is ridiculous and laughable. A frozen head of lettuce would have done better !
The Cerebral Team has a bad case of ADHD and it is showing.
This is just great. The Cerebral Team may drag down the entire Democratic Party.
GOP gains steam as health care bill sputters
I believe they already did in the primaries. The Democratic party is dead to me. Well, actually both parties are dead. I’m going to be sort of like Stephen Colbert, I don’t see labels. 🙂
This is worse than watch Donna Brazile hold back Big Dawg when running Al Gore’s campaign, until the signs were upon them and then in desperation they set him loose but it was to late.
I often wondered what repressed anger Donna Brazile had towards Big Dawg that she didn’t want him near the party. We see how well she is doing selling Health Care… Where is Oprah, and why isn’t she out helping?
I don’t think Donna wanted Al to win frankly …the question for me is, WHY did he ever hire her? And why Lieberman? Weird choices imo
I told that to people and they kept says that they were following some plan and that they had been told to keep Big Dawg out?!? Go figure! He got a thousands of folks to show up in a days notice.
People Bring Assault Weapons/Pistols To Obama Event
Ah, so now a legal pistol is an assault weapon/pistol. Not that they’re adding any hyperbole or anything.
Dandy Tiger,
You’re saying that long rifle looking thing is a pistol? The pistol was around him, the long rifle looking thing was hanging from his shoulder.
I protested Bush and I took put on my fancy long dress, sandals and my big signs… Nope I didn’t pack any weapons, of course I don’t have any, but you get my point…not even a broom.
Dandy Tiger,
I think (friend are the ones to tell ya) that you need your eyes checked, I took a second look and that isn’t a pistol.
Oops, was just reacting to the guy the other day with the pistol. Should have watched the video. As Emily Latella would say, never mind.
I am 100% pro-gun rights, WomanVoter, but anyone bringing a gun to any political event, especially one involving the president, should be arrested immediately. That’s not a political statement, it’s an implied threat.
I’m a supporter of the 2nd Amendment but I would have no objection to a law that allowed the Secret Service to temporarily confiscate weapons and/or detain the people holding them for the duration of a presidential visit.
I just think that bringing a loaded weapon that can scope someone out from 200 yards only serves to intimidate.
What next, the LEFT shows up with their guns? It is getting out of hand, and I am concerned, I truly am. I am upset about the Public Option being dropped, but I wouldn’t show up to protest with a gun (OK, I know, I don’t have any, but if I did in another reality).
I hope I am wrong but the climate seems very disturbing.
Shooting 11.5″ AR-15 at 200 yards
Now, I don’t own guns, but I am pretty sure that is not a pistol.
This is the freaking gun?That would be a pistol only for Paul Bunyan!
Yup, they brought guns, and an assault rifle. 😯
Oh man, you folks are on fire tonight. Thanks for the mood modification. Laughing sure beats banging my head against the wall.
You made me laugh, and it isn’t late yet!
Well, single payer was never ON the table. Not by hillary, not by edwards, no one who had a chance. As for a public option, I will be you almost anything it goes through. Romney care is not going to work for a whole country, and the pretendident and president Rahm know it.