President Obama has tenacity

[ProSense]

He's a results guy. He keeps going until he gets it done.

Despite the blue dogs and the Nelsons of the Senate, despite the sniping from the left and the idiocy of the right, he's determined to gets things done.

Thirteen months into his first term, President Obama is still focused on getting things done.

Obama To Congress: Pass Reform Via Reconciliation Now

Obama’s speech, which is now underway, is pretty tough and confrontational towards Republicans: He says the differences between him and the GOP are fundamental and can’t be bridged, and he sharply challenges them to vote against his proposal, suggesting that if they do, they’ll be revealing that they’re siding with the insurance industry against Americans.

And, as expected, he calls on Congress to pass reform via a simple majority vote.

Now, despite all that we agree on and all the Republican ideas we’ve incorporated, many Republicans in Congress just have a fundamental disagreement over whether we should have more or less oversight of insurance companies. And if they truly believe that less regulation would lead to higher quality, more affordable health insurance, then they should vote against the proposal I’ve put forward.

Some also believe that we should instead pursue a piecemeal approach to health insurance reform, where we just tinker around the edges of this challenge for the next few years. Even those who acknowledge the problem of the uninsured say that we can’t afford to help them –- which is why the Republican proposal only covers three million uninsured Americans while we cover over 31 million…

So, no matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year, but for decades. Reform has already passed the House with a majority. It has already passed the Senate with a supermajority of sixty votes.

And now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts — all of which had to pass Congress with nothing more than a simple majority.

I have therefore asked leaders in both of Houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks. From now until then, I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform. And I urge every American who wants this reform to make their voice heard as well.

[NJmaverick]

1. Yes, yes he does

[goclark]

4. Does he sleep? He is amazing

[NJmaverick]

5. I am sure he sleeps a lot less than Bush did

[goclark]

10. Jack Daniels put GW to sleep

every night at 9 o'clock.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that WH.

[DevonRex]

2. A lesser man would have given up by now.

Truth be told, I'm totally exasperated and pissed off by the Senate, myself. I'd like to tell Harry Reid a thing or two first and then have a shouting match with Baucus, Lincoln, et al. Probably a good thing I can only make phone calls and send emails to them.

[Bobbie Jo]

15. Many have. nt

[DevonRex]

18. You're right. Many gave up. But this one won't.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Tenacity is what it takes.

He's got it.

[Cha]

6. Man with a plan in spite of the uber craven power and

"confusing cowardice" of the opponents.

This will be a strpmg foundation for building on future Health Care Reform.

[Deep13]

7. Tenacity works best when one has time on his side.

We don't. We have Congressional elections in eight months. We still have double-digit unemployment, no health care reform and two wars. And the Bush tax cuts are still in place.

[zipplewrath]

8. Getting "what" done is the problem

A healthcare plan he braggs is basically a warmed over version of what Baker and Dole proposed 15 years ago.

"Yes we can" pass 15 year old GOP ideas off as our own.

"Yes we can" bail out Wall Street and the banks with no strings attached. Mortgages... not so much.

"Yes we can" deny medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices.

"Yes we can" negotiate in private with Big Pharma

"Yes we can" pass the McCain "Cadillac" tax. Ending Bush tax cuts... not so much.

"Yes we can" get out of Iraq on the Bush time table.....maybe... if the situation stays stable.. and we don't find any reasons to stay.

"Yes we can" close Gitmo... someday... maybe... but we'll still keep people jailed indefinitely, with no trials, or charges.

"Yes we can" pass a stimulus package... that's half of what the progressive economists suggest... and gives in on the most critical early features.


Look, don't come around here crowing about what he's going to do, if you don't want to hear about what he's doing.

[girl gone mad]

20. "Yes we can"..

make secret deals with hospitals to undermine real health reform.

"Yes we can" have closed door meetings with congressional leaders to ensure they weaken the consumer financial protection agency.

"Yes we can" give more no-bid contracts to KBR and Haliburton.

"Yes we can" privatize education and weaken unions.

"Yes we can" give more tax breaks to billionaires.

"Yes we can" be Reagan 2.0.

[ProSense]

21. Yes. We. Can.

Reality

[amborin]

24. it's not for nothing he praised Reagan! Reagan 2.0

[gateley]

9. He's keeping his word in fighting for reform. I'm grateful for that. nt

[impik]

11. He is strong and stubborn. People in this country have no idea how right they got it this time

[katandmoon]

12. The best one-term president ever.

[ProSense]

13. And then comes the second term n/t

[katandmoon]

17. Another term of protecting BushCo, bending over for bankers, health industry, and polluters, waging

war, and screwing labor. Not Obama term #2, more like Bush term #4.

[zipplewrath]

14. Ha. I'm afraid you're right

I'm afraid you're right. It's a long way to 2012 and alot can happen. But as the OP says, he has tenacity so I don't expect things to "change" much.

[DevonRex]

19. So, you're campaigning against Obama from now through 2012?

[katandmoon]

23. No. He's campaigning against himself.

[Cha]

16. All one has to do is look at his

life and see that.

[Uzybone]

22. Obama keeps on keeping on... regardless of the naysayers and anti progessives

[azmouse]

25. I have a great admiration for how he handles the job of President.

:thumbsup:

[depakid]

26. He's certainly been tenacious about pursuing his bipartisan fantasies

often with unilateral compromises.

[politicasista]

27. Kick

:kick: :patriot:

[David Zephyr]

28. Yeah. He gets "things done" including a lot of wrong "things".

He didn't create jobs his first year and he fucked up on that. It will could cost us the House of Representatives.

That's getting "things done" that we'd have been better without.

[ProSense]

29. "He didn't create jobs his first year and he fucked up on that." Clueless nonsense

The stimulus created up to 2.1 million jobs in the last three months of 2009.

It boosted the economy by up to 3.5 percent.

It lowered the unemployment rate by up to 2.1 percent during that period.

source

[Number23]

30. Kicked and rec'd. The stimulus created 2.1 million jobs

health care is on the move, the economy is improving, discrepancies in prison sentencing are being addressed, earmarking billions for the homeless, and the Repubs are being branded as the fools that they are.

Things can always be better, but they're looking pretty good.

[brentspeak]

31. He was very tenacious in getting TARP passed for Bush and the bankers

[Phx_Dem]

32. He's a dog with a bone and has the patience of Job.