It's so refreshing...

[Hallelujah]

Agreed. This is nothing more than political expediency by Obama.

I do have to say that I'm confused about transparency. Where is it, Tim? Give examples, please.

Transparency is defined as getting something passed before anyone has had a chance to review the legislation in totality. i.e. Cap and Trade, TARP, Healthcare.

I wouldn't consider that transparency.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Tim, this is a laughable comment. I don't think I can add much beyond what YOhio and Goatnapper said. Oh well, I will anyway. A huge factor playing into the opposition against this health care bill was the stunt the democrats pulled back in February with the stimulus bill. Moderately/somewhat conservative folks like me were willing to give Obama a chance at inauguration, but the stimulus bill was a huge, rude awakening. Here's a bill that was rushed through Congress because of supposed exigent economic circumstances yet didn't even inject much money into the economy in the short run. Why the hell does a stimulus bill need to keep on spending money two years and more down the road? The longer the bill was scrutinized, the less popular it became and therefore Congress rushed to get it passed with a big assist from the White House.

Most people in this country don't like outrageous deficit spending. It was a big concern with Bush and the GOP congress and partly led to GOP-leaning voters staying home in 2006. As for independents, they felt like it was a chance to give the democrats a chance since the GOP had bungled things so badly. There's also a considerable number of democratic-leaning voters who are in the democratic camp because of social, environmental or foreign policy reasons but not particularly because of fiscal policy reasons. Fiscal conservatism is HUGE tent issue. The party that can command this issue will win elections. Mitt Romney and George Pataki didn't win elections in Massachussetts and New York because of social or foreign policy reasons. The voters there wanted competant and fiscally conservative managers in the Governors' mansions.

Well, as we've learned over the past six months, the GOP simply can't compare to the democrats when spending money. To the extent the GOP ran up deficits during the Bush years, Obama and this Pelosi/Reid-led (especially Pelosi) Congress has outdone the Bush several fold.

So, the stimulus bill has poisoned the health care debate for the democrats. Some of the people (seniors) are concerned about some of the things (some untrue) that they've heard about the bill limiting their health coverage. Seniors are a pain in the ass and they often prevent needed reforms from taking place. First, they're a huge voting group that actually faithfully votes. Second, they seem to be easily swayed by propaganda. They also bear a lot of responsible for the failure of Bush's SS reform attempts.

But a larger group of people are concerned about a combination of costs and a diminishment in quality. If you can't get past the cost issue, then the diminishment question is a moot point. People like the quality of their current health care, but don't like the current costs. If the reforms end up costing us more, then there's no point to the reforms in the first place. The combination of both concerns and the democrats' apparent lack of ability of easing these concerns is the reason why public opinion is against it.

If the democrats had any standing on fiscal conservatism grounds, they lost most of it to the GOP when the crammed down the stimulus bills. After they lost that high grand, healthcare reform was going to be extremely difficult due to most people being satisfied with the quality of healthcare the currently receive.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

The neglect occurs because the real and necessary changes required to make SS solvent for a longer span of time are very painful and the politician who finally does attack this undertaking, will ultimately find himself out of office next election cycle.

I don't know too many people in their 20s, 30s, 40s or even 50s that would be opposed to some SS reform that would allow for some privitization.

But the senior voting bloc, as I mentioned above, is a pain in the ass to deal with and Obama is finding this out. This is not a group of voters to trifle with because they all get out and vote and they seem to be easily swayed one way or the other. Perception becomes reality. To them, Obamacare will let them die if they need a hip replaced at the age of 85.

[UtahDan]

You know, Obama is a smart enough tactician that I wonder a little whether he ever really thought the public option was going to stick or whether he merely hoped it might, but knew that even if it didn't he had thrown a nice bone to the left wing of his party. I guess that all depends on whether the left wing ends up viewing him as having valiantly attempted it or as simply having betrayed them by folding.

In some ways, the first year after the election is the best exit poll of all. You find out pretty fast what you have a a mandate to do and what you don't.

Looks like the results of that poll are in.

[statman]

Looks like the results of that poll are in.

Touche'

[dabrockster]

to finally have leadership that's willing to put an idea out there and then re-evaluate the idea once the public's opinion is shared. I don't mean to sound dogmatic in saying this, either. This that we're seeing right now is my definition of "good government." The transparency is impressive.

Ok. That gave me a chuckle in an otherwise stressful day.. Thanks