Barack Obama, the base appears to have lost faith in you.

Yes, I never thought I would write this diary, but hey I have always been a woman who look at things hard and the way it is.

This is how I feel.

I believe the base, still trust Barack Obama to do the right thing, with the right intentions, but the faith that you will do this has eroded and diminished.

Faith: belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof

Trust: confidence in and reliance on good qualities, especially fairness, truth, honor, or ability

Two words that intertwine, willingly or unwillingly.

I believe that the current health care bill in the Senate will pass. We have listened to President Nelson lay out why he intends to vote on this bill, but only if it remains in tact. Meaning, dare if you will House to change anything, if you do, NO VOTE.



And for President Nelson's statement and his willingness to vote for the GROUND BREAKING legislation, OFA is giving its members scripts and are calling Nebraskans to thank them for Ben Nelson's vote. Isn't that just amazing? Calling an obstructionist and thanking him? Have the White House taken its smart bills lately? Oh, let us not forget President Nelson's kickback or what he gets for his state for his vote.

Anyway, all this makes you wonder how this bill got to this form. It is easy for me to state, lack of leadership from the man at the top, Barack Obama.

We watched all year, especially this summer, Mr. Obama's aloofness, non-chalant, hands off approach to this bill. We watched Mr. Obama continue to give time extensions to the Baucus Bill. In reality, this is the bill he always wanted. Why? Because this bill caters to all the deals he has made before the bill was even crafted, especially to the pharmaceutical companies. But we know all about this, in fact to watch all the powering things Barack Obama said to get elected, just watch it all here. But, I can't leave without a reminder as to what he was going to champion when it came to the pharmaceutical companies, but our President ended up doing the same exact thing that George W. Bush did, not allowing this government to negotiate for cheaper drug prices. In this aspect, he is no better than George W. Bush, whom many have derailed on this site for the deal he made in regards to Medicare D.



Maybe this White House did not understand or know that the public was following what they were doing, but not only that remembered what this President said during his campaign. We all get that everything you say in a campaign does not transcend, but for health care a signature piece of legislation that is supposed to be his legacy, he has failed monumentally.

Barack Obama did not trust or believe in us, the American Public. The public option or even Medicare at 55 was such an easy sale. He talked for 2 years to the American Public about how horrible our health care system is and that we should have health care like congress. In the end, when he got in office he turned to make deals, instead of coming directly to us in non-professorial speak, and tell us to stand with him. Stand with him against all these industries. Tell us what a public option IS. What it will do for competition of costs for US. That in fact he needed US to stand with him. We heard none of that, so this White House went with the status quo, business as usual and now expect us to believe this bill is the best they could get, when the fact is they negotiated everything away before sitting at the table. Now, we are to continue to believe, trust, have faith in this White House. At this point, only with very long handled spoons and only until we see the fine print. Words going forward matter less and less, what is on paper matter more and more.

Makes me go to the Ed Schultz piece with Markos on Friday. Schultz made a passionate plea or question as to why this President has not gone into the den of fire, the obstructionists backyard. Why no town hall meetings in Lincoln, NE; Baton Rouge, LA; Little Rock, AR or Harford, CT? Why?



The answer is simple, Barack Obama never wanted a public option or Medicare for 55. For anyone to argue that he did want it, then look at the Baucus Bill, this is the bill he always wanted. This bill gives the insurance companies 30-40 million new customers, the American Public and forces us to pay them. If we do not then the very government gets to fine us. And if we don't pay? Well, I expect garnishing of pay checks or bank accounts, tax returns, lotto winnings, etc. How else does the government collect its money? And they are doing this on BEHALF of the insurance companies. Ain't this grand!!!!

Is this White House weakened? Yes. See, when you negotiate away everything and are left hanging in the balance, it is people like Ben Nelson that can walk in and demand things, for his vote, and get it. When you have a Chief of Staff that never respected the left, then you have a problem, when it was millions of these very same people that put you in office. The White House hopes that if anything passes on health care and they campaign and show this is reform, their polling numbers will go up. I hope they are right, but in my gut I feel they are wrong. People invested too much in this White House to get this. At this point, it is time for Obama to show some action and DELIVER; and people deserve much more than what this bill is giving, which is a "champaign and caviar moment" for the health insurance industry proving their money has won them their welfare bill.

Finally, I want to talk about the left. I understand different factions in our Democratic Party, but I consider myself a Democrat, period. Not a conservadem, or a left winger, but a Democrat. In all the recent polling of Barack Obama and the Democrats, no one asks if we are all these sub labels within our party, these pollsters talk to Democrats. The falling of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party's polling numbers is based on Democrats, period. So, this labeling and pointing a finger at the netroots, per se, don't mean shit to my 70 year old mother who don't know what a "Daily Kos" is, but is against this health care bill and how Barack Obama has handled this. She is a Democrat and we all need to remember this going forward.

Have I lost faith in Barack Obama? I believe Barack Obama will do what he always have wanted to do. The interpretation is for each one of us to fill in.

A comment from 3goldens sums it up for ME:

I think I know at least some of what it cost you to speak out like this and I give you a lot of props for your honesty. There has been a lack of honesty about this entire healthcare reform process from the very beginning of this administration, and while some may not appreciate your honesty here, I do. When honesty is absent or in short supply, the truth suffers and people lose faith and trust in those they expected both from. It's that simple--and that devastating.

Update [2009-12-20 17:15:53 by icebergslim]:

This is my feeling on it. Obama has some time to try to get us back, but if anyone believes Harry Reid is not endangered read this. I feel, I believe Obama never wanted a public option, since he has been President. Did he want it during the campaign, HELL YEAH, he wanted our votes!!! Now, not so much. Anyway, have at it.

Update [2009-12-20 17:42:49 by icebergslim]:

Again, this is how I feel and anyone who tries to dictate how I should feel are bogus. I am a hardcore Democrat, one who does not have to stand with this President and this health care bill. Now it is up to the White House to sell this, not me. But at this point, for this bill to go forward, for me is nothing near, Change You Can Believe In, not for ME.

Update [2009-12-20 19:31:52 by icebergslim]:

Senator Russ Feingold holds President Barack Obama responsible for loss of public option. I mean, if Barack Obama ran like he is governing NOW, do you think he would have won the Democratic Nomination? Brought in new voters? Please. One word. NO.

From the Wisconsin Democrat's press office came the following statement:

I've been fighting all year for a strong public option to compete with the insurance industry and bring health care spending down. I continued that fight during recent negotiations, and I refused to sign onto a deal to drop the public option from the Senate bill. Unfortunately, the lack of support from the administration made keeping the public option in the bill an uphill struggle. Removing the public option from the Senate bill is the wrong move, and eliminates $25 billion in savings. I will be urging members of the House and Senate who draft the final bill to make sure this essential provision is included.

Source

Yeah, from Huffington Post a website that is LOVED when the those who like what they report is on point, but called a FOX RAG when those that read what Feingold REPORTED to Huffington Post is accurate.

Guess you can not win.

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), i.e., Hypocrite

Ben Nelson states he is a Democrat, but he sure tows or follows the Republican line. He is not for real health care reform, definitely not for the public option. His history is one riddled with closeness to the insurance industry, hell he was a former insurance regulator in his State of Nebraska. So, how he will vote is nothing new, but he did not have any problems with reconciliation for the Bush's Tax Cuts for the rich, in fact he was lock step with the Republicans on that vote. But expecting him to vote or do the right thing for the American Public? Don't hold your breath on that one.

Now that Sen. Ben Nelson, (D-Neb.) has definitively stated that he opposes the use of reconciliation to pass health care reform, it's worth noting that on at least two previous occasions the Nebraska Democrat had no qualms supporting the budgetary procedure as a means of passing legislation.

On May 26, 2001, Nelson was one of a dozen Democrats to support president George W. Bush's Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001: the massive tax cut package that defined the administration's plans for job growth. The bill was passed using reconciliation -- meaning it wasn't subject to a Democratic filibuster -- and received the support of 58 Senators.

Two years later, Bush had introduced a second tax-cut package, this one entitled The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. That too was passed through reconciliation with Nelson's vote proving even more critical. The Nebraskan was one of only two Democrats to back the measure, giving it exactly the 50 votes needed to become law (Vice President Dick Cheney voted yea to break the impasse).

Hypocrite? That word is too nice in describing Nelson.

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This is Senator Ben Nelson's (D-NE) Response Ad (Video)

That was Nelson's response to this hard hitting ad AGAINST him, since he will NOT come out, straight and say he is for a public option.



Senator Ben Nelson stop playing around here, we need a public option.

h/t Daily Kos, for this one

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FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY: Sell out Senators to the insurance lobbyists

OK, we are going to be talking health care until this thing gets PASSED. And we are calling out all these senators who have taken boatloads of CASH from the health care and insurance industries, who are NOW trying to slow down legislation, take it easy, don't want public option, etc.

Over at TPM these senators are cleverly and lovingly called the Gang of Sickos!!! In honor of Michael Moore. So, let's see who is on the list. The senator in the number one slot is none other than Ben Nelson.

Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the ringleader of the group, has raised more than $2.2 million in campaign contributions from the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries over the course of his career according to Blumenthal, averaging more than $700 per day since taking office in January 2001. Public Campaign Action Fund (PCAF) gives a slightly lower career total of just over $2.0 million for Nelson, and provides extensive detail on his ties to the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries. Before entering politics, as PCAF notes, Nelson spent his career as an insurance executive, as an insurance company lawyer and, early in his career, as Nebraska's state insurance regulator. As PCAF also notes, a number of Nelson's former Senate staffers have moved on into lucrative careers as health, insurance and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists. Comments may be addressed to Senator Nelson via his Senate contact page (Nebraska residents only) or by direct e-mail at: senator@bennelson.senate.gov (CRP: Ben Nelson).

Good ol', Brother Ben. Are we surprised? Remember he did not want to work with the Obama Administration in reconstructuring the student loan fiasco, which banks in this country have taken advantage and left many students with loans after leaving college equivalent to purchasing a HOME. for real. So, no one should be shocked at Brother Ben wanting to keep his cash cow in check, by calling for SLOWING DOWN the Health Care Debate. A debate that we, the public have been having for 25 years or more.

Next, our lovely Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Well, she came right out and NO TO PUBLIC OPTION. Even though she has supported this in the past. What do you expect from a senator bought and sold by the very industry this country is angry at and demand change. But the most pathetic thing about all of this is that Louisiana residents have some of the WORST HEALTH CARE in this country for its residents. After Katrina, you would think that Landrieu would carry a populist tone on this particular point, but no, money talks and bullshit walks.

Democrat Mary Landrieu of Louisiana has raised more than $1.6 million in campaign contributions from the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries over the course of her career, averaging more than $300 per day since taking office in January 1997. PCAF provides extensive detail on Landrieu's ties to the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries. Like Nelson's former staffers, several of Landrieu's have also gone on to work as health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists. Landrieu's opposition to the public option was attacked in a TV ad from MoveOn aired in her home state. Landrieu is also listed as one of the twenty most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Comments may be addressed to Senator Landrieu via her Senate contact page (Louisiana residents only) or by direct e-mail at: senator@landrieu.senate.gov (CRP: Mary Landrieu).

Now, Ron Wyden of Oregon. I was not hip to the skip on this particular senator, but I have seen him pop up on television and radio for the past week solidly. Wyden even offered to stay in D.C. during his summer break in August to work on health care with the President. Ummm, or does he not want to hear what his constituents, his voters got to say TO HIM!! Oregon is a pretty independent state, but one that is hurting from job loss. Remember, with job loss comes health care loss, so Wyden's wishy-washy stance needs to be firmed up. We are watching this person very closely, since he is raking in the dough from the big dogs at the health care and insurance industry.

Sicko #3: Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon has raised more than $1.4 million in campaign contributions from the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries over the course of his career, averaging almost $300 per day since taking office in February 1996. Comments may be addressed to Senator Wyden via his Senate contact page (Oregon residents only) or by direct e-mail at: senator@wyden.senate.gov (CRP: Ron Wyden).

Read the links and the whole article.

This is an eye opener and gives everyone full understanding what money will do and how it can buy votes. Don't think for one minute that these senators are not under pressure, THEY ARE. They are reminded by their lobbyists friends that checks have been written and pressured by the mounting number of Americans, their constituents that we want health care reform. In the end, if these senators want to continue to remain relevant, meaning keep their jobs, they better listen to us, the voters because how they GOT THAT JOB is a job that can be easily taken away by the power of the voting booth.

I hope these senators remember that.

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Democratic Congress is its worst enemy

Yes, I just wrote that.

While the Republicans are out in the wilderness trying to rebrand, change, or do something to their image, the Democrats are jockeying for any position to take on, get this one, Barack Obama.

Yes, their Democratic President.

First, we have Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) and his gathering of all the moderates to tackle any legislation that is, well, just too much for him by Obama.

As he announced on Morning Joe today, Sen. Evan Bayh is forming a Moderate Dems Working group that will meet every other Tuesday before the Democratic caucus to discuss legislative strategies and ideas.

Per Bayh's office, the group's goal "is to work with the Senate leadership and the new administration to craft common-sense solutions to urgent national problems."

In other words, Bayh wants to be a big cheese in the room and he IS NOT.

Next, Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) who does not want any overhaul of the Student Loan program because Nelnet is a loan provider of these horrible loans to students and they are a big contributor to his campaign. And Obama plans to go around Nelson to overhaul this program. Then we have Nelson outwardly opposing any public insurance health plan for the public. Why? You got it. Insurance companies are BIG contributors to his campaign.

Now we have Obama attempting to overhaul U.S. companies who are hiding their tax dollars in the Caribbean. As Obama pointed out, one address harbors 18,000 corporations’ addresses. Now that is outrageous. I wish I had an address to outmaneuver paying my taxes.

YouTube

And now we have those Democrats who have their hands in the corporate tiller getting very ansy and nervous.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, called for “further study” of Obama’s proposals within minutes of the president’s announcement yesterday. Representative Joseph Crowley, a Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he’s wary because the tax changes would hurt Citigroup Inc., his New York district’s largest private-sector employer.

Natalie Ravitz, a spokeswoman for Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said that any tax overhaul should not lead to “unintended consequences.”

Other Democrats, including House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel of New York, support the proposal. Some lawmakers, including Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate finance panel, are still weighing the plan.

Of course, we have all the lobbyists going full blown and putting their folks on television to state, "this is the biggest tax hike and will eliminate jobs!!!" But the fact is that it is not a tax hike, it is the tax man knocking at your door to make you pay UP. It will not eliminate jobs, because many of these companies are sending their jobs overseas for the cheap anyway.

The Democrats were put in office and in charge to force CHANGE, not to sit on their rumps and remain the SAME. What is the point of having Democrats in charge if they will fight every decision and act like a 2 year old jockeying for power?

Democrats watch out. If you continue, before long, you will be back in the wilderness. I know you read poll numbers; you better take a pulse on what the public wants and what they voted for. Get it together or another party will get it together for you.

Fighting for corporations to keep their tax shelters, bad move. Fighting against a public health care option for Americans, bad move. Fighting against rehauling the student loan program, bad move.

You better wake up Democrats and make the right move.

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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Senator Ben Nelson loses to Obama

The conservative democratic Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska just got played.

It might not be the most glamorous hill, but it's the one that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) has vowed to die on. President Obama, however, isn't going to give him that chance.

Nelson is perhaps the Senate's fiercest protector of subsidies for student lending institutions, which, not coincidentally, are an engine of job growth in Nebraska. He has vowed to block any effort to reduce those subsidies. And given that Democrats have 58 members and generally need 60 to break a GOP filibuster, he can enforce his will on his colleagues.

An agreement struck between the president and House and Senate negotiators won't give Nelson that chance. A process known as "reconciliation" allows budgetary measures to be moved through the Senate with a simple majority, rather than 60. Multiple congressional sources say that congressional Democrats have decided to use reconciliation to go after student-lending subsidies, specifically to get around Nelson.

Student loans were once under government conservativeship, but when Bush got in office he threw this to the banks, who then, of course, jacked up rates on students and families.

I think the public needs to know exactly what the current student loan program does and why it is such a giveaway to the banks. I think people don´t know, probably because most of the news coverage is about whether or not a bill will pass rather than what it means.

Simply, the current system forces all student loans to be made through banks. The banks charge a medium range of interest--not terribly high, but not terribly low, either. The government GUARANTEES the loans so there is absolutely no risk for the banks.

During Clinton´s term, the student loan plan allowed universities to offer much lower loans by borrowing directly from the government. Students did not have to go through a bank and this shaved 2 or 3 percentage points off the cost of the loan. Neither did it cost the government anything since the money was repaid. But when the Bushies came in, they forced all loans to go through banks, jacking up the interest rates and guaranteeing a profit with no risk for the banks. The government still backed all the loans.

It is a classic example of how lobbying creates direct subsidies for businesses who win their lobbying efforts.

The above is exactly what the effects of lobbying does. Who profited off of this? Not the government, nor the students, but banks. And Nelson's main contributors are the banks.

At this time it is a lose-lose situation for Nelson, especially in these times. Siding with the banks is a bad idea, just look at the mortgage mess and who is the main culprit in that? And lastly....

Without a requirement for 60 votes in the Senate, it's likely the subsidies to voracious student lenders will be trimmed considerably, since there won't be any reason to accommodate the banks' defenders in the GOP -- and Bad Nelson. Most Democrats view the huge federal subsidies, alongside the 100% federal guarantee, as one of the most egregious examples of corporate welfare: banks skim federal money that if allocated to student loans directly would get lots more people educated and lifted out of poverty.

nuff said...

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