‘Desperation’ spurring Obama speech to Congress

The Obama administration appears to be pinning its hopes for passing health care reform on President Obama’s speech next week before a joint session of Congress. However, political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell believes that Obama is acting “from a defensive posture” and is unlikely to succeed.

“Obama is giving a speech they never intended to make,” O’Donnell told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday. “September was supposed to be the signing ceremony in the Rose Garden for this legislation. … So they’re doing something now that was not in their script. They’re doing this from desperation.”

When Maddow asked whether there is any chance that Obama’s speech can “reclaim the possibility of health reform this year,” O’Donnell replied firmly, “Speeches do not drive legislation.”

O’Donnell was chief of staff for the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee when President Bill Clinton tried and failed to put through health care reform in 1993-94. He believes that President Obama is “actually in a much worse place” than Clinton was then, because Clinton at least had Republicans who were willing to negotiate with him and “there was much, much, much more possibility.”

O’Donnell also suggested that the Obama administration may have drawn the wrong lessons from Clinton’s failure, such as concluding that they should “not send the Congress a written bill .. because then the Congress will just have to rip that apart and do its own thing.”

“So now we’ve seen the opposite tactic used,” O’Donnell told Maddow, “and the opposite tactic is no better.”

Maddow attempted repeatedly to ask what the Obama administration can do to salvage its health care reform proposals, but O’Donell had no answers for her. He suggested instead that if only the Democrats had “just shut up about this for about two years after 1994 and then started very seriously proposing Medicare for all … the country might be ready for it [today].”

But as things stand now, O’Donnell concluded, “there’s no one in any kitchen table around Ameerica who can explain to you what any of these bills are.”

rawstory.com...


The administration never answered the important questions:
1. Why where they trying to ram the health bill through before the August break?
2. Why not let everyone take the time to read it first?
3. Why focus on health care now at this point in time during a recession?

Answers to 1-3

They had to act before the debt projection was raised from 7 to 9 trillion.

The best part?

Folks are getting tired of seeing that stupid, greasy SOB on TV. Yeah, TV helped get him elected, but he's starting to get irritating - kinda like sand in the crack of your butt. More sand, more irritation.

Good.

Every time he opens his mouth on the subject, he loses support and damages his image further.

Nothing wrong with being utterly stupid, but you gotta recognize it, and not enthusiastically pursue it.

A man can be stupid as hell, but if he keeps his mouth shut, no one will notice.

Obama clearly hasn't learned that lesson yet.

Originally posted by warrenb


The administration never answered the important questions:
1. Why where they trying to ram the health bill through before the August break?
2. Why not let everyone take the time to read it first?
3. Why focus on health care now at this point in time during a recession?

All really good questions -

My BS meter keeps pointing to the possibility that it has something to do with this whole immediate Swine Flu "health concern".

There is something unsettling about the timing - the predictions of a great percentage of the population getting sick - while insuring that this new health care plan - gets put in place ASAP. The "rush" is suspicious.

reply to post by spinkyboo

There is something unsettling about the timing - the predictions of a great percentage of the population getting sick - while insuring that this new health care plan - gets put in place ASAP. The "rush" is suspicious.

From what I understand, it would take years to fully implement. I just think they wanted it passed before Congress started focusing on 2010 reelection. Once they start their reelection campaign, they are less likely to tackle controversial issues. I believe there are 471 members of Congress up for reelection.

The 2010 election will be held on Tuesday 2 November, with at least 36 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested and all U.S. House seats coming up for election.

uspolitics.about.com...

Originally posted by jam321
reply to post by spinkyboo

 

From what I understand, it would take years to fully implement. I just think they wanted it passed before Congress started focusing on 2010 reelection. Once they start their reelection campaign, they are less likely to tackle controversial issues. I believe there are 471 members of Congress up for reelection.

Ah yes - you are right about that.
Perhaps just the reelection issues - ridiculous for that to be a factor.
It's serious stuff - to be passing through in a quick manner.

Ok, I guess I'm just in a bad mood today but that headline struck me as very biased. I'm not for Obama's health care bill - really, I can't think of a single thing of Obama's I'm for. But, when I read the word "desperation" in the title it struck me a pure S**t journalism. Sigh... I really wish both sides would just STOP it already.

Sure, he wanted the bill passed before the August break, and sure, he never planned to have to address Congress. The reason he wanted it passed is because he didn't want them to have been home in their states for a month having to listen to their constituents complain about the bill. And that's the reason he's addressing Congress now because they have been home having to listen to their constituents gripe about it. He's hoping to assure them that everything's gonna be ok... Good luck with that Obama.

The title and the premise of this story is just pure political bashing, again.





[edit on 3/9/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman

But, when I read the word "desperation" in the title it struck me a pure bias.

It could be bias. But what else would you call it considering he only has about 3and 1/2 months to get her done?

Come January, many members of Congress will have their attention on the 2010 election and would not want to lose votes over this issue.

It is pretty much getting down to now or never.