Yes, I'm Going To Say It: CHESS FUCKING MASTER

[Beetwasher]

Doubt him and underestimate him at your peril.

[Peacetrain]

1. Oh yes..

:thumbsup:

[Beetwasher]

4. He Got The Repubs To Blow Their Wad Early

They showed their hand as they always do. He played them but good. The time for the Repubs to mount their fiercest opposition would have been in Sept. But the town halls got them all uppity waaaay to early.

Fucking brilliant. I don't know how much was planned, but timing is everything.

[Peacetrain]

14. Did rthey ever.. you are right.. it is BRILLIANT

[patrice]

15. I'm not sure how that happened, but that is INDEED what happened.

Do we see Axlerod's invisible hand in this?

[Beetwasher]

16. Think About It, How Much MORE Crazy Shit And Lies Can They Throw Now?

If they kept their powder dry until Sept. the lies may have been effective. But they blew their wad NOW. They threw out their biggest whoppers in AUGUST. You can't get much crazier than "death panels".

The whole "deadline" before August break was a total set up. :rofl:

[patrice]

19. I don't like to overstate things, but I have been really impressed with the timing.

We are also talking about ALL kinds of crap that would have taken forever to come out IF it ever came out at all.

Think about it: how limited public discourse usually is. Remember the build up to the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. Hardly a word about some very very important issues.

Not so this time. The country is actually talking about some very very important issues AND will continue to do so.

We MUST stay in it, though. He needs Us.

[Beetwasher]

20. Now More Than Ever

We must not let up. The pressure must become UNBEARABLE on any obstacles.

[kenfrequed]

122. Yeah

'Cause repeating crazy lies loud enough and long enough in front of a camera could never possible work... Oh wait.

[Parker CA]

17. It was the spark that their rabid base turned into a conflagration around "death panels" that broke

all of this open and showed their true colors. For that, in the end, we have only one person to thank...Miss Moose Lover from the Great White North. She was the spark that caused the fire the pukes are currently burning up in.

Obama and his team sat back, saw what would unfold, and just kept maneuvering forward at a steady pace while the chaos on the right built to fever pitch, where it currently is, which is the last stage before complete destruction.

Brilliant tactical responsiveness from team Obama!

[NYC_SKP]

26. ewww. nasty visual on that one, bw. n/t

:puke:

[Wednesdays]

98. And guess what happens mid-September?

Specifically, September 13? :bounce: :rofl:

[Butch350]

125. The NFL regular season starts?

[Phx_Dem]

126. That's exactly what they did last Spring with Rev Wright..

Sean Hannity blew his wad in the Spring before he even knew if Obama would be the nominee, instead of keeping their powder dry until September/October. Hannity hates Obama so much, he just couldn't wait. What a moron, but thanks loser!

[Mojambo]

2. The chess analogy begins to break down when you look at who owns the board and the pieces on it. n/t

[Beetwasher]

7. We Own The Fucking Board

And we're being heard and he's in MY corner and yours, even though your not in his.

Take your dump elsewhere.

[Mojambo]

I'm not going anywhere.

And if you think we own the board you are beyond ignorant.

[Beetwasher]

11. You Got Played, But Keep Whining Anyway

:rofl:

Yeah, you'll always find something to whine about, I'm sure.

[barbiegeek]

101. Voters own the board we always have, we've just forgotten

[Enrique]

3. but who's he playing against?

maybe his razzle-dazzle moves are being played on us.

[Beetwasher]

6. Uh Huh

Pathetic.

[Moochy]

68. This thread is setting a record for sneering replies!

[Phx_Dem]

127. ROLF

:crazy:

[madaboutharry]

5. I just said a couple of hours ago

to my friend: "I bet he's playing chess." We'll see.

[Beetwasher]

9. I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

n/t

[vaberella]

35. What happened Beetwasher? I'm a bit late. I agree with Chessmaster...

but for what? I'm not in the US so I'm not up to date on the news that's going around. Talk to me!!!

[rocktivity]

109. You're welcome.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[patrice]

27. Poker is also a good analogy now for how cost cutting in Ins Cos will be played for cost cutting

in Health Care Service providers.

Personally, I think there's enough slop in both systems to pay for inclusion of Preventative and Complementary Medicine coverage when all is said and done.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

8. I TRULY HOPE SO

[Cassandra]

10. I do like that he's a poker player...

although I admit I always worry that Rahm might be trying to get him to play us.
I did notice that he has now gotten the repukes to admit (during this summer break) that they won't vote for anything, so are we now free to go for single-payer?

[patrice]

12. I have to admit, I'm cautiously impressed. Issues are getting air; this is good.

We need more people out and working to help him, though.

And a big march on D.C. would be a GOOD morale booster.

[SoFlaJet]

106. September 13th in DC

Patrice-although you prolly already knew that.

[Cha]

13. Lol..

:rofl: Bout time we had them fightin' words!

[patrice]

18. I think we should press the Medicare/aid issues hard now. Like Laurence O'Donnell did recently.

[RagAss]

21. This was "Rope a Dope" from the start...classic !

[QC]

22. I wish the Politburo would send out new talking points.

The one about chess got stale months ago.

[Beetwasher]

24. Blah Blah Blah

Your patheticness knows no bounds.

[patrice]

33. You are aware, of course, that the same can be said of thos who talk about talking points, right?

[galloglas]

55. No kidding! This thread's choir

is as well orchestrated as the Vienna Boys Choir. And roughly as effective and potent, I suspect.

They really should have fiddles to play as Rome on the Potomac is sacked by the Health Industry Corporati. But fiddling would take their hands away from the incessant choreographed mutual back slapping evidenced in the statements upthread.

[dionysus]

95. continuing to be bitter about obama and his supports is stale also. passe even.

don't be a hypocrit, you played out the "_____ is an enemy of the people" yourself.

[xchrom]

23. this must be what you're talking about

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4021281

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4020931

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4020915


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4021343


looks to me like a lot of other people moved the chess pieces around.

but what ever blows your skirt up.

[Cha]

28. Yeah, don't give Pres Obama any credit

for strategy..he said he needed help on Health Care Reform and he's getting it from a lot of People. And "whatever blows your skirt up"? Really?


Cha --

President Obama is holding a live strategy meeting on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time for all Organizing for America supporters. I hope you can join us, online or by phone.

The President will update us on the fight to pass real health insurance reform -- what's happening in D.C. and what's happening around the country. He'll lay out our strategy and message going forward and answer questions from supporters like you. And we'll unveil the next actions we'll organize together.

This is a critical time in this President's administration, and in the history of our country. I hope you can join us.

Here are the details:

What: Organizing for America National Health Care Forum

When: Thursday, August 20th, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time

RSVP and submit a question for the President.

The President wrote to us a few weeks ago to ask us to go the extra mile this month in the fight for health insurance reform. And so far, you've stepped up in a big way: Last week, an astounding 60,000 Organizing for America volunteers stopped by representatives' and senators' local offices. You told your health care stories to staffers and members of Congress -- of losing insurance after getting laid off, of being denied coverage upon finding out about a serious illness. And you thanked those supporting real health insurance reform for all the work they've done so far.

But these local office visits were only part of the story. The D.C. media has been trumpeting coverage of town halls disrupted by angry opposition to reform. But the reality on the ground is very different. Organizing for America supporters are showing up in huge numbers at these meetings all across the country -- outnumbering opponents of reform, often by overwhelming margins.

You've organized 11,906 local events in all 50 states -- from press conferences to community discussions -- since we launched our big campaign for reform in June. And you've made hundreds of thousands of calls to Congress.

Your work so far has been incredible. But the special interests and partisan attack groups who oppose reform will not let up, and they will tell whatever lies they can to spread fear. There's a lot more work for all of us to do. This Thursday's meeting is our chance to huddle as a team, get the latest information and talk about how we're going to achieve this victory. You don't want to miss it.

Click here to RSVP and submit a question for President Obama:

http://my.barackobama.com/forum

Hope you can make it,

David Plouffe

[xchrom]

44. he could have learned the lessons of 93 and started in way earlier -- not waffled the

way he has on the 'public option'.

as it is -- this hobbled, and cobbled and everything including the kitchen sink legislation we're looking at now is going very difficult to administer and regulate.

never do anything simple when you can have complicated and unruly.
some chess master.

but he is a good guy -- i'll give you that much -- and he knows how to romance you.

[Cha]

52. Yes, he's a good guy and

I'm going with his leadership as opposed to suggestions on the internet.

[galloglas]

57. And "going with his leadership" is

a guarantee to get a true reform bill passed?? Just because Plouffe sends out an email?? I don't think that is quite enough to take Moscow, Napoleon. Think twice.

[Cha]

73. Yeah, I know..you're

defeated.

[discopants]

82. check.

Re: "he could have learned the lessons of 93 and started in way earlier -- not waffled the way he has on the 'public option'.

Maybe the public option is only "a sliver", "not essential" ... because expanding Medicare for all Americans regardless of age is the way to go forward. Obama has already offered several ways to pay for much of it.

[immoderate]

129. Could that "waffling" have been a tactic...

... to get the Republicans to show themselves as not being interested in compromise, or any health care reform? :shrug:

--imm

[midnight armadillo]

134. Exactly!

There are some real Kool-Aid drinkers who see every Obama setback as a strategic move, and every Obama move forward as a brilliant tactical or strategic victory.

[Becky72]

25. Can you explain?

A bit.

[patrice]

29. Have you all noticed how no more Pre-existing Conditions is now a GIVEN. That means that

Ins Co no longer has that card in their hand, can NO longer use it to wring other concessions from us.

Aetna's Ron Williams admited as much on PBS News Hour this evening.

[ladywnch]

39. but we need to make sure they don't screw you for having pre-existing conditions

......so now they'll cover you but you'll pay such a premium for coverage you won't be able to afford it......or have so many exclusions you might as well not have any insurance.

Both of these things have happened to me in the past.

[patrice]

41. Good point! We need to be vocal about that! Thanks for the headsup.

[NYC_SKP]

43. Code Brown!!!

They're pooping their pants and burning up the lines to their congressional whores.

[galloglas]

60. Did you know that

Universal Health Care and Underwriting (where the pre-existing condition cards are played) are mutually exclusive?? And Aetna's Ron Williams admission is the guarantee that you have swallowed hook, line and sinker.

Do you know of any other nation, with a public health program, that DOES disqualify their insureds for pre-existing conditions?

If so, name just ONE.


edit:syntax

[Dinger]

30. Is That Like A Regular Chess Master?

:evilgrin:

[Jane Austin]

I tend to agree.

Here are some points:

1. He served in the Senate with Ben Nelson, Max Baucus, Harry Reid and Chuck Grassley so he knows what they are like.

2. Even so he turned over the crafting of Health legislation to those guys and their buddies.

3. He staked his Presidency on this issue and has maintained we can't get control over the economy without health care reform.

4. He has watched the republicans oppose him on every single thing he's done since he became President, including taking his wife to dinner and a play.

Now considering all the above, he's either too dumb to have won the nomination, much less the Presidency, or . . . he has something else in mind.

[Phx_Dem]

128. Good points, Jane. And we know Obama is far from dumb.

Very far indeed.

[DU GrovelBot]

31. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our third quarter 2009 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[phleshdef]

37. Look asshole, I all ready told you, I'm getting sick of your ass.

[Cali_Democrat]

77. Leave GrovelBot alone

nt

[masuki bance]

113. ...

:thumbsup:

[targetpractice]

32. The brilliant part is...

The official game hasn't started yet, however he's managed to get the opposition to publicly confess their strategy.

Even more brilliant... He is making it seem somehow that his side is negotiating with themselves... thus causing the republicans to play their hand on a daily basis. The reality is the Democrats don't need to negotiate with themselves because they are in power at the end of the day... nothing is off the table.

I'm in an optimistic mood tonight.

[vaberella]

34. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Like Wesley Snipes said in P57, "Always bet on Black."

Hah! :rofl:

[CakeGrrl]

36. Well, some are sloooooooow learners.

:evilgrin:

[vaberella]

49. Ain't that the truth.

:rofl:

[C_U_L8R]

38. I love it that the repubs are up to their eyeballs in crazy

they're boxed in and incapacitated by a whole lotta their own loonytoon.
Hil-ar-i-ous !!!!!

[angee_is_mad]

40. and the town hall shenanigans didn't change public opinion

according to this poll:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090819/pl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans remain skeptical of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform drive, but their views have not changed much after weeks of sometimes angry protests at public meetings, according to an NBC poll released on Tuesday.

Obama's approval rating on healthcare was at 41 percent, unchanged from last month, while 36 percent believed his reform plans were a good idea and 42 percent a bad idea -- also unchanged from last month's NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

With Congress on a monthlong August break, the public relations battle over his top domestic priority has been center stage. Critics have disrupted some "town hall" meetings held by lawmakers, attracting enormous media attention.

But the poll found the number of Americans who thought their healthcare would get better under Obama's plan grew slightly in the last month from 21 percent to 24 percent -- within the margin of error. Forty percent believed it would get worse, virtually the same as last month.

Of those who had read or heard about the meetings, 62 percent said they would make no difference in their feelings about Obama's plan. They split evenly on whether the protests did more harm or good.

Misconceptions about the plan were widespread, however, with 55 percent saying it would give health coverage to illegal immigrants and 45 percent saying it would let the government decide when to stop care for the elderly. Both are untrue.

The poll of 805 Americans was taken from Saturday to Monday and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Support for a government-run public insurance plan that would compete with private insurers slipped slightly from 46 percent to 43 percent.

That proposal -- included in all three bills approved by committees in the House of Representatives -- has been a prominent feature of the healthcare debate after the White House seemed to waffle on its support over the weekend.

Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Obama preferred the public option but would consider other approaches like public cooperatives if they increase choice and competition for insurance consumers.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday the administration had exhibited a "boring consistency" by expressing a preference for a public option but refusing to draw any lines in the sand.

The fate of a public option will be a key question for lawmakers when they return to work on the overhaul in September, along with the cost and scope of the legislation and how it will be paid for.

Obama wants legislation that will rein in costs, constrain insurance companies and extend coverage to most of the 46 million Americans without health insurance.

(Writing by John Whitesides, editing by Todd Eastham)



So the repubs didn't hurt the President as much as they wanted. Now the bluedogs and the msm is another matter altogether.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[galloglas]

62. Rufus, you said it!

This is absolutely the most synchronized mass delusion I've ever encountered. I think, however, they cannot put down the KoolAid as it must be flowing through their common circulation system. I wonder if a heart beats behind all this high KoolAid pressure? Do we summon David Plouffe, cardiologist consultant?

[CakeGrrl]

76. Joke's on you...I think the poster above was being facetious

But thanks for outing yourself, because you seem pretty dead serious about the delusion and the old, tired Kool-Aid thing.

:rofl:

[DevonRex]

99. Good one. :) nt

[firedupdem]

45. I don't understand why folks continue to doubt this president....

running around with post after post of negative crap. If you know his background and you've read his books, you would understand that he will never sell the middle class or poor folks down the river. That's why I always have his back...even when I can't figure him out...he has yet to let me down. That's my President!

[vaberella]

50. They end up looking stupid. FUD---what went down?

I'm talking but not knowing why all of the sudden everyone went from doom and gloom to happy bunnies on LSD.

[firedupdem]

53. Hey Vabby!

Isn't a trip? Sunday, the public option was supposedly gone! Obama was a traitor, he "needed to grow a pair", "fuck obama", "won't vote for him in 2012"...the negativity was everywhere. Today, maybe it's not gone? :shrug: Tomorrow it will be something else.

[vaberella]

65. DU is as bipolar as Tweety. n/t

[galloglas]

69. "doubt ??"

Maybe there will be less doubt when there is a bill passed and signed. Meantime, while we "know his background and (you've) read his books", those of us with IQs higher than our ages and using independent non-hive minds, realize that the POTUS signs bills. He doesn't pass them.

BTW, speaking of signed bills, how is that refinancing of existing home mortgages working out for the country? We outta the woods yet?

[firedupdem]

75. Why are you talking to me?

You've determined your IQ is higher and that my mind is hived? Did I not just write that I support the President?

Your rudeness and insinuation that I'm somehow inferior to you won't change my mind.

Use that snark on someone who gives a shit about what you think.

[galloglas]

88. Because

"That's why I always have his back...even when I can't figure him out...he has yet to let me down. That's my President! is not a statement betraying an even-handed, critical evaluation of the situation as it is, or may be. It is the type of response expected from Erich Hoffer's "True Believers" and reflects the age-old, and bizarre, thought processes that lead people like yourself to avere jingoistic responses like "My country (or my POTUS), right or wrong"!

That, and because this seems to be a concerted effort by a group to, in effect, do what the tea baggers are doing by shouting down all rational discussion or any response.

That, F-U-D, is counter to all our country (and Obama) is supposed to stand for. Threads like this are worthy of the German Brown Shirts. Will you take to the streets next??

[Number23]

78. Firedup, I knew SOMETHING good must have been happening

when I saw all of the whining BS posts littering GD-P. Folks REFUSE to give that man his props.

I know that something big has just happened or is about to happen based on just the number of whining, bullshit posts on DU.

[Fire1]

102. Well, WHAT happened??? n/t

[Number23]

117. A New York Times article is reporting that the Dems may go it alone on health care reform

The beauty of this is the White House and the Dems have gotten the Repubs to play their hand, spew all of their venom and stupidity before the all too complacent media which will be all of the fodder that Obama will need to say "well, I tried. We had town halls, I had meetings, I had press conferences, I ran my happy ass all over America explaining what I'd like to see happen to be greeted with screams of 'death panels' and idiots bringing guns to my rallies. Since the Repubs (including the Repub leadership) have made it abundantly clear that they are not interested in working WITH us on this, we'll go it alone."

It will be Stimulus 2.0 where the Dems tried bi-partisanship, got spat on, and went it alone. There are signs all over America that the stimulus is already beginning to work causing an upswing in economies all over the world. Eventually Obama will get the credit, even from those who are sworn to hate this man forever for whatever reasons are currently swirling around in their heads.

[Fire1]

121. Gotcha. Thanks. After finally reading through this thread,

I suspected as much and so glad to see it!

[Aramchek]

46. and Vulcan Chess, at that

[Clio the Leo]

67. ha ha.........

[Trajan]

47. And this is based on what ?

I see no reason to get all googly eyed and triumphant ....

Yeah ..... He is brilliant and not to be underestimated ...

Nevertheless, other than a mediocre poll or two, I see no reason to dance all the night ....

Explain why all is suddenly so grand ....

(Funny: Not one post on this thread relates any specifics ...)

[Captain Hilts]

132. It's that style versus substance thing at this point. nt

[Ilsa]

48. Beetwasher, you should have displayed the photo with the

line about "chill the f#$k out, I've got this". It would be perfect.

[K8-EEE]

51. Yep. n/t

[OwnedByFerrets]

54. I sure hope so...Im trying to keep the faith....the powers

he's up against are enormously strong.

[TankLV]

56. Somebody needs to look around at the REAL world...and it AIN'T pretty!

Sorry, done with drinking the fucking Kool Aid...

I only can trust my EYES and EARS, not what some WISH the way it were...

talk about willfull IGNORANCE...!!!

[Milo_Bloom]

58. Yeah, because we all know how he didn't wind up giving away billions to wall street.

[patrice]

64. Everything has a price.

What we get for price is to some extent up to us.

[galloglas]

71. "price" ??

Everything has a price.

Yep. But they are negotiated (or extorted) and not "to some extent up to us.", unless we are ready to walk away from a BAD SALE>

[graywarrior]

59. Yes indeed.

Some of us have understood that for quite a while.

[blogslut]

61. I call him

President Awesome.

He gave the pubs every opportunity to jump on the train and those varmints faked and fudged until they finally made it clear that they never intended to leave their ghost town.

[Clio the Leo]

63. So what your saying is........

(note, you no longer have to type "Obama" when you google "Chill the F out" ........ the phrase has become synonymous with him ... beats the heck out of "Ich bin ein Berliner" doesn't! lol)

[patrice]

74. Pardon me, some of us loved Jack Kennedy quite a bit. This is a rather inconsiderate

comparison.

[Bluenorthwest]

97. The pharse synonymous with JFK was

" Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country."
And Jack did give a tad to his country, you know. Like his life. LOL indeed.

[Hamlette]

66. Can someone tell me what's going on?

I go offline for an hour and this place does a flip flop.

I thought he hated Obama.

what happened?

[vaberella]

70. I haven't a clue. From what I could gather...nothing's changed on O's side. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

80. This is from before the WH came out and said they are going for it without Republicans but it does

explain what may have been their tactics:

Why the Public Option S**t Storm is Great News

I'm almost certainly going to get in trouble for blogging on vacation, but I thought this point needed to be made and didn't see anyone making it: I have no idea whether the administration intended to shift its position on the public option over the weekend (you can make a plausible case that it didn't), and, if so, what it hoped to accomplish. But what it has accomplished seems really important and helpful. Prior to all the apoplexy on the left, the two poles of the debate were the president, who wanted a reasonable, fairly moderate set of health insurance reforms, but was nonetheless being branded a socialist or whatever, and a lot of lunatics on the right screaming about death panels and enemies lists and home invasions.

Around the conference table at TNR, we've been saying for weeks that what Obama really needed was a group of equally vocal, equally zealous critics on the left, pulling the debate's center of gravity in the other direction. And, wouldn't you know, that's exactly what's happened over the last 48 hours. We've now got a pole on the left to match the intensity of the pole on the right. (Don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting a moral equivalence between the two. As far as I'm concerned, the critics on the left are basically right and the critics on the right are either insane or deeply cynical.) From a sheer tactical perspective, I think the White House and the Democratic leadership in Congress have dramatically improved their position.

The benefits arise both in the broader national debate and in the congressional negotiations. In the national debate, Obama now looks like the centrist voice of reason instead of an over-ambitious lefty (I'm caricaturing, of course, in the spirit of the cable-news coverage). Inside Congress, Obama may not get a public option, but if he doesn't, he was never going to get it. And now he can extract a ton of concessions in return, because he can point to a left-wing of his party that's ready to eat him alive for failing to deliver on it (whereas that left-wing outrage was largely hypothetical before now). That kind of leverage is extremely helpful.

Okay, that's it till Monday. For real this time.

--Noam Scheiber

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stash/archive/2009/08/18/why-the-public-option-s-t-storm-is-great-news.aspx

[vaberella]

83. Thaks for the article. But let me be honest.

If I looked at DU as an example of people behind the Public Option on O's side I would think O lost this war. Seriously. The people on here spent the past few days bashing him rather than supporting him or the initiative.

[Fire1]

107. Which ever way the wind blows but they pride themselves

on being 'independent thinkers.' :rofl:

[Clio the Leo]

79. Here's what I think happened........

.... I dont normally watch CNN, but it was on another TV in teh house and all I could make out was a big YALLA "breaking!" and something about "Obama drawing a line in the sand."

And then THAT I think lead to this....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8597635&mesg_id=8597635

which includes a link to this article...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/health/policy/19repubs.html?_r=1&hp

and then that was followed by general merriment in threads like this one.

I THINK this is an explosion of joy from the folks who are afraid of the "B" word (bipartisan) but I'm not sure.

I dont quite understand it all myself, but sounds like some folks are starting to figure out what I realized yesterday (with Dr. Dean's help) .... no matter what the motivation, I'll take it lol.

(and if I need to explain my Dean-induced epiphany, I will)

[Hamlette]

81. Thanks Clio. That's the best I could guess too.

plus some talk about the dems using reconciliation.

I think the dems know that a bill with no public option is not reform. My epiphany came hearing Obama in Montana talking about his mother. I think that experience made a big impact on him and he wants to fix it.

I've read a great deal about this battle from an historical perspective. FDR wanted to pass it badly. LBJ got it for seniors in part because businesses didn't want to keep paying for their insurance and did not dare stop (lots of old people dying on the streets while Wall Street fat cats cut their benefits...not a good image) but he couldn't get more.

Teddy Roosevelt was the first to propose this. We are so shockingly resistant to it that we can't even talk about it but once every 15 years. Its ugly. Maybe this time the republicans blew it. (crossed fingers). I'd add that I have government insurance through my work so for me it means nothing. But it freaks me out that poor people can't get care. (Chip has been a godsend for so many working poor. I can't see how/why republicans can be against it. Hell, the war in Iraq will cost 3 times what ObamaCare will cost. How great would that be if we called it ObamaCare in generations to come!)

[vaberella]

86. Now I wish someone had a clip of that CNN report. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

87. I'm workin' on it. ;) NT

[vaberella]

90. Ooh..thanks a bunch. PM me when you get it. n/t

[Phx_Dem]

130. Here's the CNN video clip.

http://www.clipser.com/watch_video/1350651

[Fire1]

108. Thanks Clio! I've got it now! n/t

[wiggs]

72. Posted this elsewhere: They (the WH) hasn't really begun the fight yet. They've

set the stage, is all. I think that PO really wants congress to write the legislation, or take a big whack at it, and he will guide it behind the scenes and either veto or approve anything that comes to him...as required.

He respects the separation of powers and is waiting until the process comes to him...I'm hoping.

[FourScore]

84. Check. k/r

[K8-EEE]

85. Breaking my vow to not K&R posts with "fucking" in them

Only cuz you're so fucking right!

[vaberella]

89. !

:rofl:

[discopants]

91. worth another look ...

[Clio the Leo]

92. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase......

"I shook up the world!"

[Honeycombe8]

93. BS. Dream a little dream, why don'tcha. What you see...well, that's what you get. nt

[Orsino]

94. Yes.

It doesn't mean he will succeed, but it does give him a fighting chance against lesser politicians. I think we got us a brilliant president.

[Moochy]

96. You go ball washer!

er I mean beetwasher!

[TheCoxwain]

100. There is a fine a line between admiring the skills of a Grandmaster and blindly supporting a chess

player because he is from your camp...



I am not doubting the political acumen of our man.. but just having one corner of our brains to objectivity is what separates us from the Republican sheep.

[Soylent Brice]

103. "October Suprise": Single Payer or Public Option will get passed.

[nc4bo]

110. Geez, hadn't heard that phrase in a while

It actually made the hair on the back of my neck stand up (still shell shocked I guess :rofl:)

[treestar]

104. Just like during the election

Every day there were threads with OMG! This or that is going to make us lose!

Whoever made that Everybody Chill Out Photo understood it back from then.

[Phx_Dem]

105. Yep. I've always thought this was the plan all along.

Try to bring Republicans on board, knowing most or all of them will refuse, claim you tried to be bipartisian and blame the repugs
for rebuffing your efforts, then pass health care without them.

And what to do about the lack of public support (at town halls) from your own party faithful? Hmmmm. How about make a very generic and nonspecific remark about health care "with or without" public option, then sit back and watch the Dems freak out and show up, in force, at town halls, on the media, etc. Brilliant.

We may still have an issue with Blue Dogs, but they'll come around. And if they don't, reconciliation it is! Reconciliation in the way that Howard Dean outlined, send the public option portion only through reconciliation so it can't be stripped from the bigger bill! Absolutely brilliant!

It's not over yet, but it will be soon so I'll hold my "I told you so" until then.

:fistbump:

P.S. Once again it appears that Rachel and Keith have been completely duped. The only 2 people with a glimmer of smarts is Howard Dean and Jon Stewart (no surprise there!). At least Stewart was aware enough to admit he wasn't sure if Obama was 10 steps ahead of everyone else, or getting his butt kicked, unlike the ever hysterical Rachel who is always convinced of the worst.

[NoSheep]

112. I was really blown away the other night when I heard KO whining.....

I thought: "Do they get higher ratings this way? Saying something terrible has happened before it actually has?"

I know negative threads around here certainly get a lot more attention. But then I thought, maybe it is important for the psychology of the process that Keith, Rachel(and the rest of us, at times) get all up in arms. It shows the opposition we are paying attention to the issue (even though we may be jumping to negative conclusions) and we care and we fear the worst because that's usually what we get. I have maintained my belief that Obama knows WTF he's doing....but that we still need to be vocal and visible in our support for the progressive agenda he is trying to adhere to.

:shrug: :fistbump:

[ZombieHorde]

111. When I first logged on to DU this morning, I was still very sleepy.

I thought your OP was titled; "Yes, I'm Going To Say It: CHEESE FUCKING MATTERS"

I was thinking; "Huh, what did I miss?"

Took about 8 seconds to figure out I misread your title.

Why are you calling Obama a chess fucker? Even if you think he is the master of fucking chess, I don't know if that is a compliment or not.

[wroberts189]

114. I will raise you 100k and say he is Jedi :) nt

[mopinko]

115. +1

[CakeGrrl]

116. Not only that, he plays it upside-down.

http://community.livejournal.com/obama_daily/253417.html#cutid1

:rofl:

[high density]

118. He did expose that the Republicans will support nothing

There's simply no sense in trying bipartisanship when they say no to compromise after compromise.

Seems a bit early though to declare any winners.

[cleveramerican]

119. nobody bats a thousand

[flamingdem]

120. I love Palin because the boomerangs she sends out just hit the repugs in the head nt

[depakid]

123. And I'm going to give you a reality check: MUDDLING THROUGH

This describes a process btw, and is not inherently a criticism or a compliment- simply an accurate appraisal, which students of public policy and administration will be familiar with.

See, e.g Lindblom's classic journal article: The Science of "Muddling Through."

http://cobix.cob.sjsu.edu/php/rodan_s/enl169a/Lindblom,%20C%20E,%201952,%20Public%20Administration%20Review.%2019%282%29%20pp%2077-88.pdf

[Onlooker]

124. Polls declining, anger being expressed, Republicans organizing

It's a brilliant strategy on Obama's part. He's helping to unite and organize the right wing.

[Cha]

135. What a stupid bunch of

bullshit.

[thelordofhell]

131. Thank God I'm only watching the game......controlling it

I don't see you guys rating
The kind of mate I'm contemplating
I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you

:nopity: :fistbump:

[mkultra]

133. FUKING CHESS MATE BITCHES!111!11!1

lol. humor