Obama speech a heavy lift
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Ed Rollins
CNN Contributor
The president is making a major address to the Congress and the country Wednesday night. This speech is high risk for him.
Selling a plan that is not completely developed and without accurate numbers of what it's going to cost ordinary Americans is not a surefire recipe for success.
This is not a campaign speech. The president does campaign speeches well and obviously they worked for him in the past. I am sure President Obama and his team have already found out that governing is a lot harder than campaigning. So this is speech should be about facts. Mr. President:
Leave out the emotion and the polarizing comments about how bad the insurance companies are and how doctors and hospitals are ripping us off.
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Filed under: Ed Rollins • Health Care • President Barack Obama |
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Obama is a visionary and a just what we need. He is being scrutinized to the extreme by the rabid right and its parrots. He has embraced us at a time of great unrest and upheaval and has taken on an enormous project. Every misstep is exxagerrated and every accomplishment is minimized by those narrow minded but vocal people who seek to divide us.
"The Gop or conservatives should just build PRISONS for their children because of the lack of respect for the AMERICAN PRESIDENT. It will be easier to get health reform for their mental health because they will need that more than money."
R. Stevens
I am a Canadian as well, and never had a problem with Universal Health Care. You're sick, you get tended to. NO thought to how you are going to pay. I can't understand the resistance to it, but it's there. I too think that they should give Obama a chance, a real chance, (at least a year) to start seeing the results of what he's done so far. The country had, for all intensive purposes, bottomed out. Of course it's going to take awhile to see change for the better. Looking in, he's a man really trying to help the people of their country. I wish him luck.
Americans, stop complaining so much and just listen President Obama. You already knew about his ideas during the presidential campaign. Why so many angry words now??? Please just take a look on the public health system in the Scandinavian countries and you are going to realise that the public option is the best way to deal with health inequalities and improve population health.
I remember the turmoil from the early Clinton days and the fuss over the health care they wanted. Too bad we didn't pass some of what they came up with then – that way we would have a foundation to just build on.
things
Obama has only been president for 6 months now. Remember your first 6 months on a job? Pretty intense having to learn what things meant and how to do certain tasks. Clinton wasn't given a chance then just like Obama isn't being a chance now. You elected him; support him for a while and see if his job performance improves to what you want. And remember you very seldom get everything you want in a piece of legislation – it is always a product of compromise.
@R. Stevens, if President Obama had been up front about his policies while campaigning, he would be Senator Obama now. He's largely lost the support of Independents, and never had the support of republicans who saw him for what he is.. Race has nothing to do with this. The issue is we now have a big government, big spender in the White House. Most Americans favor neither. He's had a significant majority in both houses of Congress, yet can't seem to pass legislation that works. The stimulus was poorly designed, and has been publically criticized in Europe as providing too little too late. Cash for Clunkers finanaced more foriegn built cars than US cars, because Congress failed to include a Buy American provision. Plus car dealers are screaming that they waren't getting paid because the program is so poorly run. His mortgage rescue plan has only helped 12% of those needing help. Now after this string of failures, he asks us to pony up another trillion for a government run helath care program. No thanks. This isn't about being black or white, it's about being qualified or unqualified. Obama has proven he's in way over his head. let's ho[pe we can hung in there until 2012 without him doing too much damage.
I am Canadian and I can't believe what your country has done to this President.
You won't give him a chance and he deserves one.Let me tell you I have never had an issue with our Health Care believe me you want Universal Health Care All should be covered no matter what.
As someone watching your country and President I strongly believe you were not ready to put in an African American as President.You as a country will not give this man one ounce of slack.You just keep beating him down.
You allowed the last President to have the most corrupt admintration and never once held them accoutable.Remember the World is watching.
I've yet to hear a method of payment that doesn't raise taxes or raise the deficit; both things Obama has pledged not to do. we hear vague arm waving about 'taxing' cadillac heath plans. Well what are those? Most of us have deductibles and co-pays that make health care still not cheap. How do the books balance? Isn't a projected $9 trillion deficit over the next ten years enough? @ Paul, how is it that people who demand answers are called a 'lynch mob'. So far the only violence I've heard about is when a supporter of Obama's plan bit a opponent. Yet no one called that group a mob. They were called a 'grass roots' movement even though the grooup organizing them was an arm of the DNC. The last polls show that 39% of those polled would tell their representatives to vote against Obamacare and only 37% for. So why do we keep hearing that 'most' Americans support this? Seriously there ARE lots of lies out there, and they are coming form the left.
I personally think he was wonderful. A breath of fresh air. Those that did not see or hear this address to students really missed something and did not flinch when asked about his personal life as a child. I commend him for a job well done.
Your summary Mr. Rollins is absolutely spot on! President Obama's speech writer has lost his luster,and the President's oratory skills are on the wane,better said,they have run there course on a mute subject, that he himself cannot actually define,or articulate with sincerity. I've looked at this "Obamacare" from both sides, top to bottom,and it's a misnomer to say the least? What we have is a progressive experiment in sociallized medicine on the lamb,to to granted immunity in two or three years,period. Tort Reform has been tabled! The cost for implimenting this program are on the "Fuzzy Math" lips, once spoken by President Bush in that famous debate with VP Al Gore that literally sunk his candidacy in 2000 for President. Please understand,we do need a "Health Care Overhaul" in the country,but not "Top Down",for God's sake it's backwards as Nancy Pelosi,and Harry Ried are. President Obama put himself in this quagmire himself,as he has done in Afghanistan,through poor guidance from his suborbinate Rohm Emanuel giving the public the illusion,rightfully so,that he is not a leader for responsible change,but a typical politician,...? I hope I'm wrong for I admire the man,but this sense of urgency with so many other issues on the table is too much to swollow. PS. Rome wasn't built in a day. Great Article!
I don't see what choice he has with all the screaming that everyone's been doing! He literally had to do something sooner than later! Everyone wants their healthcare solutions fast, fast ,fast! I still haven't seen a drive thru window added to the White House yet, have you?
Donna Wood
Lexington, Tennessee
The President expects the country to believe he is going to do his best for them? Boy, do I have a bridge to sell you!
Why isn't the bill complete. The Democrats have been pushing this type of bill since FDR. You would think by now it would be complete.
However, the country is not asleep any more. The left has awaken a sleeping giant. They are not going to believe what the President says unless it is written in plain ENGLISH. Complete the bill, get your accurate numbers. Hopefully not from the same people who gave you the "cash for clunker" facts!
We are all adults here, and as adults we know there are consequences for are actions, so if you do not agree with his views on healthcare, you can a) do nothing, b) vote for him, c) not vote for him, d) protest and picket, its your choice, live the dream!
It all comes down to what you believe, either you are your brother’s keeper or are not. The healthcare system is broken, even when you play by the rules, because even when you are working and come down with something serious the insurance company can deny your claim and you are stuck using you own funds and filing for bankruptcy when these same insurance companies are paying out bonuses to those employees that deny claims and on top of that the same companies show record profits. We are already paying for emergency room care anyway for those without healthcare, it makes sense to me to cover everyone and not pay 10-20 times more for emergency room care.
It’s funny we hear Republicans say that they do not want “faceless bureaucrats” making medical decisions but they have no problem with “private sector” “faceless bureaucrats” daily declining medical coverage and financially ruining good hard working people (honestly where can they go with a pre-condition). And who says that the “private sector” is always right, do we forget failures like Long-Term Capital, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Enron, Tyco, AIG and Lehman Brothers. Of course the federal government will destroy heathcare by getting involved, Oh but wait, Medicare and Medicaid and our military men and women and the Senate and Congress get the best heathcare in the world, and oh, that’s right, its run by our federal government. I can understand why some may think that the federal government will fail, if you look at the past eight years as a current history, with failures like the financial meltdown and Katrina but the facts is they can and if we support them they will succeed.
How does shouting down to stop the conversation of the healthcare debate at town hall meetings, endears them to anyone. Especially when the organizations that are telling them where to go and what to do and say are Republicans political operatives, not real grassroots. How does shouting someone down or chasing them out like a “lynch mob” advanced the debate, it does not. So I think the American people will see through all of this and know, like the teabagger, the birthers, these lynch mobs types AKA “screamers” are just the same, people who have to resort to these tactics because they have no leadership to articulate what they real want. It’s easy to pickup a bus load of people who hate, and that’s all I been seeing, they hate and can’t debate. Too bad.
I was (and still am) a big supporter of Obama. I still believe that he can be a great leader. The way he delivers his speeches and his policies seem to be what this country needs. However, lately he has not been putting his foot down, and enforcing his leadership. Although, his opposition is making it hard for him, trying to still stay and fight without helping to progress, it is still his job and his commitment to this country to push and shove for what the people have voted for. I am very confident that his address to joint Congress will be effective, not only to win over Congress but to re-win the minds of Americans. I just hope everyone listens with a more open mind
President Obama must insist on government run and paid for health care for all citizens. It works all around the world. We can craft ours after the best and insurance is the worst. It can only be better than what we have
It will be paid for by taking money wasted by taxpayers on insurance and applying it to a progressive tax to provide this essential public service.
Lower income citizens pay more for health care than their entire yearly federal income tax cost. Taxes may go up for some of the wealthy in a progressive tax but the citizens will be protected from the insurance company predators, have peace of mind and they will have more money in their pockets. It is a great deal for everyone but the greedy insurance pigs. Insurance is a hidden flat tax benefiting the rich. The poorest American people are having their backs broken with insurance, credit card costs and bank fees that benefit the rich few.
We already have socialized medicine. Both government and private insurance spread the cost with those who are well. Socialized medicine is what the insurance companies already ration with excessive profit and waste. Let us have real socialized medicine run by the government. Social programs are not bad. Conservatives call their socialized medicine with private benefit insurance. The government plan provides a lowest cost essential right and service to the American people.
That's true!! All the fluff-bells and whistles is what Obama has been about. I truly don't expect him to be about facts (because the facts in the bill are liberty robbing-an rfid chip) as he hides them with razzle dazzle. Thank Jesus Christ he keeps it real because Obama sure doesn't!