I don't know who coined the phrase, "public option", but Barack Obama campaigned across this country having "health care like congress", which is a government run public option. He may be pissed that many in his base are angry at him for doing virtually NOTHING for the public option, during this health care debacle, but don't get it twisted Barack Obama, words do matter and YOU DID campaign on a public option.
And White House, sometimes you really need to take some damn smart pills. Do you really think people are stupid or somethin'?
Obama said the public option "has become a source of ideological contention between the left and right." But, he added, "I didn't campaign on the public option."
Wow, Barack Obama reality and YOUR WORDS really matter.
In the 2008 Obama-Biden health care plan on the campaign’s website, candidate Obama promised that "any American will have the opportunity to enroll in [a] new public plan." [2008]
– During a speech at the American Medical Association, President Obama told thousands of doctors that one of the plans included in the new health insurance exchanges "needs to be a public option that will give people a broader range of choices and inject competition into the health care market." [6/15/09]
– While speaking to the nation during his weekly address, the President said that "any plan" he signs "must include...a public option." [7/17/09]
– During a conference call with progressive bloggers, the President said he continues "to believe that a robust public option would be the best way to go." [7/20/09]
– Obama told NBC’s David Gregory that a public option "should be a part of this [health care bill]," while rebuking claims that the plan was "dead." [9/20/09]
All I can say is stop the LYING. Yes, this is LYING. It reminds me of a pop song out a few years ago about a man who is having an affair, his girlfriend/wife catches him in the act and he actually told her, "...it wasn't me..." In other words, Barack Obama must think people have forgotten what he said, what his campaign's position was, and that well, we are just stupid or somethin'. To come out and say this? Barack Obama is out of touch with all of us.
Read it all here with links and video of Barack Obama, here
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zevmo 48p · 796 weeks ago
I campaigned very hard for President Obama. I was there to defend him against all of the lies and distortions. I fought against the right-wing talking points that he was a 'secret Muslim', or Reverend Wright Jr, or born in America, or hates Israel, or he's a Socialist, or a Communist, or that he 'hates America', or any other STUPID argument I had with my Republican friends every single day.
I was there to help him get elected, and so many energized first-time voters, because we believed in him and trusted what he said.
He said it would be different.
He told us that we were the change we had been waiting for. He gave speeches to Unions, and town halls, talking about how trickle-down economics and the Reagan years were bad. He sounded like a populist. He sounded like FDR.
And then we elected him.
And through all of the Conservadem appointments to his cabinet, I had hope. Through the toothless bailouts, I had hope. Through the Mortgage plans, I had hope. Through the credit card reform, I had hope. Through Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo, I had hope. Through gay marriage referendums and DADT dismissals, I had hope. Through climate change action, I had hope. And then Health Care 'reform', I had hope.
And now... hope is turning to bewildered disgust.
While we believed President Obama was a Progressive, sadly we found out it was only hope, not reality. As it turns out, his populist talk is just talk, leading towards a conservative compromise, right away, without standing with principles. We all thought over the last year, he must be so smart that we can't see his real playbook. He couldn't possibly be doing these things because he is too weak to stand up for us, and what this country really needs to correct the last 30 years of destruction. Is this what FDR did? Was the campaign slogan, "The weak and ineffective leadership you can believe in?" Did we fight, tooth and nail, cold and wet evenings, door to door canvasing, town forums, and cottage parties to elect a Republican-lite policy agenda of Corporate bailouts for economic royalists and mandating privatized health insurance for all? This is ridiculous, Mr. President!
And so, when we look back, I fear, at this President's 4 or maybe (we'll see) 8 years in office, I think we will learn that being a weak, corporate-shy Democrat, who never truly had any intentions to push for the principals of what the Democratic party stands for in the first place, will put us in a political hole for the next 12-16 years.
Mr. President, WE had the opportunity to do something great... and YOU blew it. Not Rahm, not Geithner, not Summers, not Bernanke, not Axelrod. YOU, Mr. President. You were so desperate for the love and attention of the right-wing in both parties, you forgot all of us. In case you didn't learn during the election, and haven't learned in the first year in office, the right-wing... "they're not that into you." The bubble you wanted to get out of by having your BB... maybe you should have allowed others from outside of your cabinet to text you. Get on Twitter some time. You chose these people for your cabinet- you know, the people who helped bring about this crisis. That was the beginning of the end. No Paul Volcker, Ravi Batra, Paul Krugman, Thom Hartmann, William Black, and other fighting Dems who actually have the knowledge (and pardon me, Balls) to properly steer policy from a strong, populist, intelligent, non-corporatized perspective?
Unfortunately, if President Obama is losing/lost people like me, he have absolutely no chance with Independents and Republicans. The poll numbers are correct, people do not like his policies... but NOT b/c they are too Liberal, but b/c they are not what we voted for. We voted for HOPE. We voted for CHANGE. We voted for strong Democratic, progressive policies. Not this namby-pamby fear of discord, or absolutist requirement of bipartisanship.
I am not looking forward to 2012
Grant · 796 weeks ago
If you think this is a lie, think on what lies you might get with a rethug president, think of what healtch reform you would get with a rethug congress.