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What’s the relevance of the above illustration? None except that it pisses off wingnuts. That alone makes it worth it.
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I have never heard the President more emphatic in his determination on getting a health care bill passed by Congress. He literally told Democrats to have an up-or-down vote on a health care bill in the next few weeks. This was his tacit approval on getting it done via reconciliation.
“This has been a long and wrenching debate,” Mr. Obama said, adding that while health care “easily lends itself to demagoguery and political gamesmanship,” that is no reason “for those of us who were sent here to lead to just walk away.”
“The American people want to know if it’s still possible for Washington to look out for their interests and their future,” Mr. Obama said. “They are waiting for us to act. They are waiting for us to lead. And as long as I hold this office, I intend to provide that leadership. I don’t know how this plays politically, but I know it’s right. And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.”
Powerful stuff.
To Republicans, he basically said:
* F**k you. You’re a bunch of self-serving asses more interested in playing politics than looking out for the best interests of Americans.
* I’ve incorporated a number of your proposals, so shove it.
* You’ve used reconciliation 16 times to pass some major pieces of legislation. It’s my turn…and besides, your obstructionist ways leaves me no choice.
To Democrats…
* Hey, you chicken-livered, yellow-bellied wusses. I’ve waited long enough. Get this damn bill passed!
To Americans…
* The majority of you want health care reform. Republicans have muddied the waters to the point where most of you don’t know what’s in the proposed bill. Here it is again. It’s about you, for you. I’m getting a health care bill passed and if you decide I’m wrong, vote me out of office in 2012. Until then, I campaigned on reform. You gave me a majority of your support. I’m following up and getting health care reform done.
I like this guy.
Full text here.
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Good question.
Where has this Obama been?
Since the State of the Union address, the president has been bounding about, displaying a new sense of vigor and confidence and a fighter’s spirit. He almost looks like the president people thought that he would be — a paladin, not a pacifist.
[...]
I have no idea if Nuevo O is here to stay, but I could name a few reasons why it would be a good idea.
1. His base needs a hit.
2. The bipartisan ship has sailed.
3. Neutrality is a nonstarter.
I would advise this new Obama to stick around for a season. I prefer my presidents walking tall, not sleepwalking.
And if Obama is still not understanding that bipartisanship is futile with the current crop of Republican obstructionists, after his many attempts, then hopefully this Fox News poll will wake him up.
…only 18 percent of Republicans said they believed that Obama is trying to reach out to Republicans to compromise and change the climate in Washington, and only 14 percent approved of his job performance.
He tried. It failed. Plan B.
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This sums up the President’s masterful performance perfectly.
“Barack Obama is a lot smarter and better-informed than his antagonists. A lot. He very calmly and coolly dismantled them.”
Love it.
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How good was the President at today’s Q&A with Republicans?
…Fox News cut away from the broadcast 20 minutes before it ended.
“Obama’s Q&A with the House Republicans is the most compelling political television I’ve seen…maybe ever.”
If you missed it, you can catch the entire encounter here.
Obama at his best.
“I don’t believe the American people want us to focus on our job security. They want us to focus on their job security. I don’t think they want more gridlock. I don’t think they want more partisanship. I don’t think they want more obstruction. They didn’t send us to Washington to fight each other in some sort of steel-cage match to see who comes out alive.”
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Ezra Klein on the significance of tonight’s State of the Union…
Tonight’s speech is the most important of his young presidency, and it will be the most revealing of his career. Does he stand and fight for a health-care bill he believes to be a historic and necessary step forward? Or does he back away from it, letting some gestures toward his commitment to the issue stand in for the determined leadership — and the political gamble — that would represent real commitment to the issue?
During the campaign, Obama famously told Patrick Gaspard, his political director, “just give me the ball.” Today, Obama is the president of the United States. He’s got a lot of people screaming at him and cheering for him, and almost as many shouting advice. But he’s the guy with the ball. The question is what he does with it.
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Discouraged and down on the liberal/democrat state of affairs these days? Thinking of giving up? If so, read this Sullivan piece first.
The whole point of the Obama candidacy – why he matters – is that he is a liberal of doubt. But he also showed in the campaign that this was a strength. And when he needed to, he revealed a ruthlessness and radicalism and won.
And that is why this moment is so vital.
He must not just rally the House Dems, he must rally the country. He must bring us back in. And we must back him up.
This is not just about a centrist comprehensive health reform bill. It is about defeating an entire brand of cowardly, cynical, spin cycle bullshit that has brought this country down and promoting an adult and reasonable discourse that grapples with our problems.
That’s what we elected him for. If he caves now, if he does not mount a huge effort to retain this bill, he will have surrendered on that critical ground. He will have lost his nerve. And if we cave now, all that work we did, all that energy, all that hope, will be squandered as the old politics gets its hands on our collective throats again.
I refuse to believe he has given up; and I refuse to believe we will. This moment is too important as a fulcrum on which this country’s future hangs for him or us to give up now. The polls show a divided country. At this point in the adminstrations of my idols, Reagan and Thatcher, the polls were overwhelmingly against them. They faced them down and won.
Mr President, fight. Show you’re a fighter. And start to enjoy it.
Sullivan is perfectly right. As dark as it might all seem, it would be a mistake to give up the fight at this time. Liberals are on the right side of the issues and the country is closer to reform than it’s been inf fifty years. If there was ever a time to not walk away, it’s now.
Call, shout, yell, write…whatever it takes. Let your voice be heard.
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President Obama’s Newsweek piece…
In the aftermath of disaster, we are reminded that life can be unimaginably cruel. That pain and loss is so often meted out without any justice or mercy. That “time and chance” happen to us all. But it is also in these moments, when we are brought face to face with our own fragility, that we rediscover our common humanity. We look into the eyes of another and see ourselves. And so the United States of America will lead the world in this humanitarian endeavor. That has been our history, and that is how we will answer the challenge before us.
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I’m in full agreement with John Cole on this one.
There have definitely been compromises, and there have been letdowns. There have been mistakes, and there have been broken promises. I’m not thrilled with the slow pace of Gitmo, I’m not thrilled about any number of things, but I see slow progress. But there have also been unrealistic expectations- Obama was always a risk averse, cautious, careful person- I remember the many discussions we had here regarding Obama as poker player versus John McCain and his reckless love of roulette, and we used to agree that a cautious poker player who studies the opposition and thinks long ball and treats us like adults was desirable.
I’ve said repeatedly that the only people who really believed that Obama was a left-wing radical were the people on the left who wanted him to be but refused to pay attention and those on the right who wanted to destroy him.
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With the public option and the Medicare buy-in provisions out of the current Senate bill, the finger pointing has begun in earnest with progressives leading the attack. A main target is the President’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, who many believe is responsible for allowing the proposed bills to be watered down to the extent they have.
We’ll be seeing a lot more of this stuff. From the Joshua Blog.
Dearest Rahm,
Congratulations!!
In less than a year, you took a left of center, mostly progressive, landslide-winning President, one who had the real potential of being another F.D.R., and turned him into a center right, corporate shill who treats his base as an afterthought, and one who’ll be lucky to lose his re-election bid by only 3 points.
Bravo, Rahm! Bravo!
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