Today's AP article starts out "The bill by Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee, would make major changes to the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system, including requiring all individuals to purchase health care or pay a fine, and language prohibiting insurance company practices like charging more to people with more serious health problems."

So more government enforced enslavement of citizens to benefit insurance companies and medical industry, against all economic reason.

I'm a Christian Scientist and refuse medical treatment - I want to die - do I still need to pay for insurance?

America is becoming a very expensive, dirty, hateful place to live.

Good plan to keep out them immigrants. Bad plan to pay for the dying old Americans.

Disrupt IT

"Baucus is one of the leading congressional recipients of campaign donations from the private healthcare industry. "

"some $3.9 million in contributions from the health care industry since 1989"

How is it six Senators from states that don’t have even 10 million people tell the people of the United States of more than 300 million that they can’t have the kind of health care they need?

Why are these Democrats and Republicans able to get away with this?

Sen. Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, a state with fewer than 1 million people, has given us an inferior health reform bill with no public option.

I don't think anyone has gotten away with anything so far. AFAIK, the Baucus bill doesn't have the support of any Republicans--not even Sens. Enzi, Grassley or Snowe. Because many to the left of Sen. Baucus (e.g., Sen. Rockefeller) don't support it either, I'm skeptical that the bill is going anywhere.

As to the fact that six Senators representing 10 million people have so much power ... Well, I guess we'll have to chalk that up to Article 1, Section 3, of the U.S. Constitution. Good luck on amending that.

Roldo,

Thanks for pointing out the obvious.  And in a nation that can't see the forest for the trees, it should come as no great surprise that this healthcare reform process has turned out to be nothing more (video below) than an "Absolute Gift" for the rich and wealthy; the insurance companies.

Meanwhile, true to form, President Obama offers up yet another generous round of fluff, with nary a bit of bite.  It seems Mr. All Talk - No Walk prefers to play patty-cake instead of Family Feud; living amidst the rose-tinted fantasy that race is no longer relevant for discussion within the decorum of these united states.

Yes, and exactly what America is he living in?!?

Both Reagan and Clinton were every bit as good looking, saavy and charming as Obama.  However when deemed necessary, they had no problem putting a foot up somebody's ass!

I voted for Obama.  I support Obama.  BUT...I will not let him off the hook just because he's friendly, got nice pecs, a great smile and a beautiful wife.  Those are wonderful attributes and qualities for a friend, but I've already got lots of nice friends. 

What I need now is a President who's got my back.  And from what I see and feel, confirmed by what (a white Canadian) Naomi Klein recently said, Obama definitely ain't got my back. 

It looks like he ain't got yours either.  So no thanks POTUS...I'll pass on the kool-aid!

Now for those who want to place the blame of all this hullabahoo elsewhere...oh no!  This is about Obama, don't let nobody fool ya. 

This healthcare dilemma is all Obama; every bit of it.

Jimmy Carter lays it on the line (video) then Obama, ever eager to please his Republican friends, whitewashes the whole thing; denying that race has anything to do with the FOX News driven, white supremacist ruckus that occured all summer at the town-hall meetings (which would have become lynchings 50 yrs ago).  It's been a many-month fiasco that has now culminated with a white South Carolina Congressman (a complete and utter jackass) screaming out "LIAR!" during the Presidents recent address to the Congress; televised internationally.

And would somebody please tell me why Obama has no problem calling a black man a jackass when he acts like a jackass, but when a white man does it, he glosses the whole thing over; chalking it up to a non-issue. 

What-the-fu*k???

I see the line of logic, but it's so completely morass that it isn't even worth contemplating.

I don't know who we should send to the gallows first, the congressman for humiliating the nation on the world stage, or President Obama for being such a mealy-mouthed  coddler of all things pathetic and evil.

STILL, thank God for folks like Dennis Kucinich, who unlike Obama, is a TRUE PROGRESSIVE; not just a guy playing one on TV...like our Commander-in-Chief.

Eternity

Obama has been a disappointment so far. He would make a  good actor, model, or maybe even a museum director (the CMA is hiring). He seems to care more about being a smiling, hand shaking crowd pleaser than tackling the problems with health care in America, our insane destruction of the enivironment and our sick economy. Is he just a puppet president for the same old super rich corporate criminals that have been destroying America for decades or is he for real? He needs to show some back bone soon. 

Chris Hedges writes today that we need to "Stop Begging Obama And Get Mad" and Robert Sheer writes as well, in a similar vein, saying that "Obama's Presidency Isn't Too Big To Fail". 

Both Hedges and Sheerer are spot on.

I got much love for my brotha Obama.  He's a true gentleman.  BUT...BUT...should his presidency go down in flames, it will be of his own doing and no amount of lipstick of that pig will change that reality or simple fact.

POTUS talks a good game, but he's a wet noodle when it comes to fighting for what's right.  Which is what he said he would do, but so far has not done.

I mean how many banana peels can one slip on in a mere 9 months.

The President boycotted the World Conference on Racism, which was held in Geneva earlier this year.  And rightfully so, many called him on it.

Now, Obama is currently seeking Patriot Act extentioins, and he (aided and abetted by Hillary Clinton) is actually considering provoking Iran further; as if the ongoing psych ops to destabalized that nation isn't enough already!

I didn't vote for that bullshit.  I DID NOT VOTE FOR THAT BULLSHIT!!!

From Rober Sheerer's article "Obama's Presidency Isn't Too Big To Fail"

A president has only so much capital to expend, both in tax dollars and public tolerance, and Barack Obama is dangerously overdrawn. He has tried to have it all on three fronts, and his administration is in serious danger of going bankrupt. He has blundered into a deepening quagmire in Afghanistan, has continued the Bush policy of buying off Wall Street hustlers instead of confronting them and is now on the cusp of bargaining away the so-called public option, the reform component of his health care program. 

Those are not happy sentences to write...But to remain silent about his errors, just because most of his critics are so vile, is hardly an example of constructive concern for him or the country.  Read more.

Obama has class and he has a good education and does not stoop to the level of the uneducated man.   He leads with caution and listens to what others have to say and promotes bipartisanship.  I don't find fault with him.  He is doing a good job bringing a very diverse population towards a common goal.  We are all Americans and the old divisions have to be put aside if we are to prosper.  Obama knows this.  Maybe the rest of us will learn it under his leadership.

Yea right, keep believing that.

While Obama continues to put the rubber stamp of genocide on the Middle East, too many of his adoring fans as all too willing to bask in the glow of his cult of personality instead of facing cold hard facts on the ground.

Oh no, not the facts...better cover your eyes!

Spare the rod, spoil the child...or in this case, the President.  And furthermore, all that FOX News rhetoric about bipartisanship is a total fraud! 

Some situations are definitely one sided; like the right for women to wear pants, to have a career or the right to vote.

It is bipartisanship which kept women second-class citizens for so long; keeping Blacks enslaved for aeons.  But the Quakers knew better, as did the sufferagists and abolitionists; standing up for what was right, shoring up the Left--being one-sided.

That's the voice of reason.

There ain't two sides on the women's rights issue., nor is there two sides to giving all our wealth away to Wall Street, Blackwater, Big Coal, Big Pharma and the like.

I still support obama, but my supporting Obama does not equate to being one of his mindless minions.

Obama's got nothing to teach me that my parents didn't already teach me growing up.  My parents and teachers weren't always nice, but they were disciplined and forthright.

He is my president, not my guru, teen idol or hero worship.

And by the way, since when does having class have anything to do with lying through your teeth; promising things you never truly meant to deliver? 

First and formost Obama is a smooth-talking lawyer turned polititian, which means that there's a high probability that when he opens his mouth, he lies.  To assume otherwise is pure folly.

He earned the right to be president, but he has not earned my continued trust.

Most jobs give a 30 day grace period, allowing the new-hire to prove themselves.

The honeymoon is over--the chichens have come to roost!

Eternity

I have a right to my opinion...you have a right to your opinion.  Isn't freedom of speech a wonderful right?  My opinion of you I will keep to myself. 

 Obama has been making bad decisions since day two - I've been complaining since then too.

Here's a question - if someone broke into your house, ransacked it and took your valuables, but was really polite while they tied you up - would that make it ok?

So, what is the difference between that and someone assuming control of your government house, ransacking it by trading your rights and assets to the powerbrokers, but being really polite while doing it?

To anyone still under the sway of that beautiful ball-less wonder  - my advice - READ noncorporate media.

to get anyone started (no - I won't read them for you and give you a report):

Why Is Obama Still Using Blackwater? by Jeremy Scahill - fab investigative reporter and here

Scientific Integrity Lost on America's Parks  not bright thinking with many cabinet positions

The Secret Government  no transparency here - a campaign promise -or here

Obama's Meaningless War  and there is Afghanistan

Our Jobless Recovery  oh ya - that

Obama's False Reform  - William Grieder is so well worth reading

 A Lexicon of Disappointment  Naomi Klein last April - another brilliant mind

and thats just it - Obama is surrounded by brilliant minds (can we except Geithner here?) and a Democratic Congress, but he continues to play it light. One has to wonder...

All these articles are from The Nation. There are other good publications and websites out there too, but The Nation has been around 100+ years and they have some of the best, most informed and intelligent writers. Poke around. THINK. Remember the promise. If not now, when?

oh - here's a great opinion about filibuster:The Case for Busting the Filibuster 

I didn't  write this post for it to be an excuse for diatribes against Obama. I wrote it to show the situation we are in where these Senators representing a small number of Americans and a miniscule number of blacks are in position to make decisions that have serious meaning to many lives. They are not representative and that should be pointed out, that should be shoved in their faces.

There are things Obama has done I don't appreciate. He has made other decision that have, it seems to me from my limited perspective, staved off what would have been devastating to many people, people I know need help.

Dennis Kucinich. Please. Dennis can say what he wants because it doesn't much matter. He can play hero because there is no cost for him. He doesn't have to  govern. I saw how he governed and it wasn't pretty.

I also don't appreciate raising the level of animosity toward Obama when there's enough hatred being tossed around by racists and right-wingers. The hate climate is bad enough, let's not add to it people.

What would you do if you were the President of the United States? 

I don't think I would be able to do a better job.  Perhaps that is why I am not as critical as some who may have the 'solution' to all the problems that all American people face.  Really, what would you do differently if you had the power? 

I was very happy that Americans voted for a non-white man to be the President.  I thought it was a good indication that the majority of voting American people were not racists.  But, now the presient is getting bashed because he dares to take into consideration the needs of ALL Americans.  I think this is what he is supposed to do.  I applaud him.

Eternity: You make the same hero halo for Dennis as you likely did for Obama. But you apparently know less about Dennis than you do about Obama. So let's not make heroes of either one. They are both politicians.

You say you like Obama. Doesn't seem that way to me.

If you're looking for a hero don't look to a politician. It's not their business.

This is a dumb game, Max. If you read Roldo's bio, you'll see that clearly he does - hands down Roldo knows Dennis longer and more intimately than you do - than I do. He knows more about Dennis than most folks I would hazard to guess. Roldo has had Northeast Ohio politicians in his cross-hairs since 1968 (at least as far as is documented). Before he hit the big stage, Dennis Kucinich was Cleveland's mayor. I would imagine that Roldo watched closely.

In your post above you use this phrase, "as many of you know here". and go on to recount your laudable efforts to save Breuer's library. OK, but are you aware of what Roldo might write behind "as many of you know here"? Roldo has been speaking truth to power - often as the lone advocate for the poor and disenfranchised since the heat of the civil rights movement exploded in Cleveland in the Hough riots. He's been reporting on government theft and chicanery since I was 13 and that's 40 years ago. Not only that, the guy has a mind like a steel trap. He recalls much of what went on in those 40 years. I encourage you to read the copies of Point of View newspaper (linked in his bio here) which are held at Cleveland State University Library in the Cleveland Memory section.

We all have a part to play - a role to deliver. Arguing about Obama and Kucinich is futile. If Roldo (who I'm sure does not have any intention of being your moral compass) has no ethical currency or credentials with you, check out his bio. To me, he is a master statesman of journalism in our region. That's just my opinion having read his commentaries and reporting, on and off, since I arrived here in 1979.

So, back to ward14resident's questions: "What would you do if you were the President of the United States? Really, what would you do differently if you had the power?"

Then I have to ask myself - how much power does the President of the USA really have? I surely don't know.

Me? I would wish that his bully pulpit could push through single payer health care reform, that he would have dealt with the foreclosures before helping the banks, that he would stop the wars and bring home the troops, I would wish that he would stop corn and soy subsidies and roll back NAFTA, stop saying clean coal and nuclear. There's probably more, but after a long day on the farm I am just too tired to think of the things I wish he would do if he had a magic wand or no opposition.

I have been wondering if the republicans are getting just what they want with their FoxNews antics - divide the left.

Susan,

Clearly and for whatever reason, you've decided late in the game, to jump in here with your foot in your mouth.

And for as much as I like you, and you know I really do, I'm not going to abandon my station because you've decided to make this an us versus them (Roldo versus Max) debate.

Apparently Roldo has done a lot of good work, which has benefited NEO.  I got no beef with that...none whatsoever.  And yet, that does not put him in a position to tell me what to think, what to feel or where my focus should be.

How ironic, you of all people, the very person who asked me (more than once I should add) to lend my voice to RealNeo, have now decided that you can get away with implying that I'm playing some sort of "dumb game" with Roldo?

So let me ask you, exactly what sort of dumb game have you been playing?  What's all this about?

If Roldo is all that you say he is, then surely he can speak for himself?

One of my very best friends in all the world is a Reagan Republican.  She and I clash big time on the political issue, but we are and will continue to be great friends, because we're both healthy and strong enough to allow each other to dissent and be different.  Ours is a relationship, which exemplifies the beauty and diversity of America; different people with different opinions, doing their best to survive and get along.

Eternity

Maybe you're right Eternity.

Why hasn't Obama solved the Middle East problem. He's been in office almost a year.

Why hasn't he produced universal health care. Hell, he's been  President long enough to get a bill passed, hasn't he.

Let's not giveh him any credit for dumping the missile program that put the weapons on Russia's doorstep. Anyone could have done that. Took no courage.

Look at all the unemployed people. Why hasn't he put them all to work. What a laggard.

Oh, you get the idea.

Roldo,

I have no desire to be right, because my being right will not change a damn thing anyway.

Nonetheless, in your sarcasm, you do offer some hope of being willing to see the truth.

Obama has done some good things.  ABSOLUTELY.  And yet getting 20% of it right does not merit him a passing grade.

But I want to just take a moment to point out what I think he has achieved for the better...accomplishments that he and Michele deserve to be lauded for.

This is not by any means a complete list, just a primer:

1.  He has mended the fence with the French.

2.  He's cooled off some of the aggressive talk that Bush used to direct at Castro and Chavez.

3.  He's offered up a (however limited) rebuttal to some of Cheney's rhetoric.

4.  He's given America a better social standing on the world stage.

5.  Although he smokes, by and large he does appear to have a somewhat committed interest in living a phsically healthy lifestyle; with Michele echoing the same.  In a nation riddled with childhood obesity and diabetes all around, enough cannot be said about this simple fact.

6.  He's friendly and approachable (a double-edged sword).

7.  He's digitally literate and techno-savvy.

If I think about it, I'm sure I could come up with a much longer list.  And yet, none of that excuses any of the behavior and policies that he has instituted, which are almost exactly the same as Bush; leading to the further ruin of this nation.  So all that I've said within the many comments to your original post, and all the people on the national stage like Chris Hedges, Robert Sheerer and Naomi Klein, whom I've quoted in prior comments...you better believe all that still stands.  I do support Obama and if I had to do it all over again, I would still vote for him knowing what I know today.  Because given the candidates that made it through the primaries, he was the obvious (however reluctant) better choice.  

President Obama does have good and admirable qualities.  Yet all told,  I feel no less passionate about what I have prior stated.

Eternity

 "Where is the rationale and reasonable representation in drafting a reasonable health care bill?"

well i don't think you are referring to the fact the consitution now calls for 2 senators from every state, regardless of population, right?

and here is where criticism of Obama is spot on:

Obama should be leading the way with dialogue on single payer -government pays like medicare.

Obama should be leading the way with dialogue about big pharma/medical industry/insurance co. liars and the huge profits they amass at the expense of our health and lives.

Obama should be leading the way with accurate information to our populace about health care in other countries and accurate information about how we can do something similar here.

But all we hear is blahblahblahblahblah about bi-partisanship. we don't need bi-partisanship on this issue. The people that voted this man into office are waiting to see him lay this down.

Kucinich has convened hearings of big pharma/medical industry/insurance co. liars - which is exactly what should be done. Get their lies on the record. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has controverting facts and data lined up to refute their claims of moral and responsible behavior - where is the media blitz about the lies these bastards are spewing under oath?

oh. there is none? hmm. you know you can say what you want about Kucinich as mayor when he was all of 31 years old and just cutting his politcal teeth - but you of all people know the story of how he was fucked with by the powers that were (and STILL are). give me a break.

Its Obama's god damn JOB to inform the public on this issue and get health care through. As for the others, there are VERY few incumbants I'll be voting for in the next several years. The democrats are letting us down.

Hi Debra,

Because there have been sooooooo many comments made here, just for clarification, in your comment entitled "Where is the rationale and reasonable representation..." you refer to Roldo's statements made in his original post?

Eternity

its his original post. the one he asked me to address.

which leads me back to Obama, because although our elected "representatives" have failed us (in my opinion), there is also great responsibility upon our President, as the ultimate leader of the people, to correctly and accurately address this issue.

And I don't believe we should be stumbling behind him, grasping at the edges of his robes, crying for hope. We put him in power because of what he promised. He has not been delivering.

Again - someone please fricking READ the criticism and state substance and facts. Enough with the mindless blathering about hope and change.

lets start with one subject - Blackwater (nka Xe) and independent contractors in war. anyone remember what Obama promised concerning that?

cause I do - he said it was unacceptable.

"Where is the rationale and reasonable representation in drafting a reasonable health care bill?"

well i don't think you are referring to the fact the consitution now calls for 2 senators from every state, regardless of population, right

and here is where criticism of Obama is spot on:

Obama should be leading the way with dialogue on single payer -government pays like medicare.

As to the question of why Sen. Baucus has so much power ... I think it's largely a result of decisions that Pres. Obama made. He decided not to lead a dialog. He decided to outsource the writing of the health care bill(s) to the Congress. Although the President delegated authority, he couldn't delegate responsibility. Now he's stuck (for the present) with what the Senate and House committees have wrought.

(A columnist makes some similar points here. I don't know who she is or completely agree with her, but the column may still be of interest.)

It would be a shame to let today pass without a reference to The US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka ObamaCare. As I tried to find a way to comment on it, without writing a new post (blog), I search health care reform and came upon this passionate blog and comments. I do not miss most the the "passion" that unfolded on these pages, yet Roldo made good points.

What the ACA does to the benefit of citizens is level the playing field. For those with chronic health conditions, this is a huge relief. For parents who have a sick child that requires $250,000+ is treatment, such as leukemia, the lifetime limit is no longer a worry. For women, annual exams and mammograms almost brings us in line with other "civilized" countries.

What it does not do is scandalous. We are light years from a single payer system, and the health insurance industry is pulling the strings. We have to start somewhere, however, and this is better than nothing.

Three years ago, the country was stuck in fear mongering, touting this as a "granny death" bill, and ruinous to businesses. We have had three years to get up to speed on this issue, and we are lacking in self education. Now it will be subject to campaign rhetoric again.

I am amazed that Chief Justice Roberts broke with ideology to actually do his job. That is refreshing. I will enjoy the moment; it will likely be gone tomorrow with the onset of the knowledge that Roberts did his job for corporate America. Health care is big business.