Wake up call for Obama and the democrats

[Assasin]

oh well don't read the fact that many supporters of Obama are now believing nothing nah gwaan and were first time voters. As I said it was a wake up call. Continue jamming everything in congress with a democratic majority and then talk to me next november.

[Karl]

Yup!

[Islandman]

I agree Sass. The "hope" and "change" messages have dissolved rapidly.

I think a lot more fault is with Congress than Obama but even with that a lot less has been accomplished than I thought would be, and I was more leaning to the pessimistic side of what change was possible. Afghanistan is worse, nobody has left Iraq, meaniningful Health Care Reform may not happen.

At least the financial system seems to have somewhat stabilized for now, hopefully there won't be another leg down in the economy before things start improving. I am looking for a 10+% unemployment rate this Friday though.

The thing that might save the Dems is that the Repugs have got so many extremists spreading thier message that it is difficult for many to see them as a vialble alternative. All in all they (the Dem leadership) are a pretty ineffective bunch though.

[Hortical]

The democrats typically will lose seats in the senate & congress during the mid term elections anyway in 2010, and that has been the case historically, ex with Clinton. If the economy does not improve by November 2010, then it will be a bloodbath for the democrats. The senate's healthcare reform legislation is stalled even though they have 60 democratic senators, and if legislation is not passed this year, that will be a significant blow to Obama's agenda and he will be weakened as a result.

[Yuttie]

Repugs? c'mon islandman

while the teabaggers are crying bloodymurder, he's advanced health care further than any president in history and is 3 votes away from a final bill. Don't know what many were looking for but the bill is a very solid one, unfortunately it won't be kill-all-in-shot. It invest heavily in preventive medicine, makes essential tests free, caps charges, ends insurance company descrimination, builds an IT database, invest in comparative treatment, caps premium hikes, strips away the anti-trust exemption, makes expensive plans unattarctive, subsidizes small business premiums, gives states the bargaining power to create a basic plan for those within 130% of the poverty line, makes it unattractive for big business not cover all employees, rewards wellness rather than treatment, invest heavily in physician home visitation, ends monopolies in medicare D, creates a heath insurance exchange for increase bargaining power, halves the cost of the donut hole, expands medicaid elegibility, extends children elegibilty under their parents plan to age 26, creates a medical tribune to dictate payments, issues subsidies, etc. Is it the best, no, is it a strong and politically achievable, yes.

Now if the Wyden and Kucinich amendments makes it as well the stripping Anti-Trust being kept through reconciliation, i'd be more happy. I'm starting to like the idea of a trigger(if properly configured); it keeps the insurance companies looking over their back if they slip. I fear what happens with Meidcare/Medicaid(participants receive $3 of treatment for every $1 they spend) may happen to that option. They need to come down a bit harder on Pharma by ending the loop hole completely and cutting the ban on biogenerics from 12 years to 5.

[Islandman]

And if the bill makes it to Obamas desk with most of that still a part of it, particularly a public option or trigger for an option (which i also like) , I will be the first one to say well done. We not there yet though.

I think they did a **************** poor job over the summer allowing the Repugs to take control of the debate. Up until very recently they had to be in defensive mode, but I think they have gradually regained the ground they lost.

[Yuttie]

they never took control, maybe they got more media attention, but never took control.