President Obama's Weekly Address, March 6, 2008 (Video, Transcript)

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama said that Congress owes the country an up-or-down vote on health reform and he described how more American families will have more control over their health care this year after health reform passes. The proposal the President has put forward includes tax credits for small businesses to purchase coverage, making it possible for people with pre-existing conditions to purchase coverage, and stopping insurance companies from imposing lifetime caps or annual limits to the amount of care people receive, among other reforms.



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Flip/Flop, Obama now pulling rug from under Holder's feet, no to courts, yes to military tribunals

Obama is caving on this issue. He is. One thing I like about our president is that he understands the LAW. Instead, again, of going out and explaining to the American public why trials is the road we should walk, he caves to the continued whine of the right and now it looks like tribunals for KSM. Sigh, the Obama White House communication is one of the worse that I can remember. For such a prolific orator, his White House surely is not.



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President Obama wants an up and down vote on health care (Video)

It is about time.

Finally, a call to action that should have been done at least six months ago. The White House has been dragged by a noose by the demoralized, now envigorated Republican Party and their constant WHINE while eating their cheese.

Health care reform, a basic moral RIGHT to all Americans has been successfully demoralized thanks to the obstruction of the Republican Party, with ample help of the Tea Baggers. While President Obama sat on his heels for a full year and said barely ANYTHING.

Sure, he gave speeches, but right now who in the hell is listening? At this point, many Americans craved this action a long time ago and are very skeptical of this leadership from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave through the halls of congress.

It took losing the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat for this White House to get fire lit under their asses. They got scurred. And still, President Obama is trying bipartisanship by inputting things that the Republicans want in the bill, even though he KNOWS, he will not get ONE VOTE.

When this tale is written, it will be AFTER the November mid-term elections. If the Democrats lose either or both houses of congress, the so-called "dithering", "slowness", "aloofness" and "arrogance" attached to the Obama White House will be unleashed in full force.

Barack Obama knows that he must hold onto both houses in congress, if he does not, very little of any BOLD agenda will be passed going forward. I guess he may be relegated to tackle the tiny things like Bill Clinton did in "school uniforms for public schools".

That is not what the voters went to the polls for in 2008 and many have every reason to be just angry and exhausted by this White House and lack of movement from leadership in Washington, D.C.

So, finally, President Obama calls for an up and down vote on health care, while many Democrats wished to God he had been focused FULLY on getting Americans back to work, because that is the real reality out here for many unemployed. November is going to be rough for the Democrats.

President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote "up or down" on sweeping health care legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.

"I don't see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over," Obama said, rejecting Republican calls to begin anew on an effort to remake the health care system.

The president made his appeal as Democratic leaders in Congress surveyed their rank and file for the votes needed to pass legislation by majority vote — invoking rules that deny Senate Republicans the right to block it through endless stalling debate. Obama specifically endorsed that approach GOP leaders were unmoved, despite Obama's declaration that he had incorporated a few of their proposals into his revised legislation.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said a decision by Democrats to invoke rules that bar filibusters would be "met with outrage" by the public, and he said Obama was pushing a sweeping bill that voters don't want.

"They've had enough of this yearlong effort to get a win for the Democratic Party at any price to the American people," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

This is what things come to, when you do nothing, the other party hijacks your beloved message and destroys it.

Is it about time for this action? Absolutely, but for some Americans Obama and the Democrats maybe just too late.



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