Obama gets 'fired up' before union

[kpete]

Source: MSNBC

Obama gets 'fired up' before union
Posted: Monday, September 07, 2009 2:58 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Barack Obama

.......................

"I see reform where Americans and small businesses that are shut out of health insurance today will be able to purchase coverage at a price they can afford, " he said, "where they'll be able to shop and compare in a new health insurance exchange -- a marketplace where competition and choice will continue to hold down cost and help deliver them a better deal, and I continue to believe that a public option within that basket of insurance choices will help improve quality and bring down costs."

He said it was time to put aside the partisanship and "stop saying things that aren't true" and come together to pass an overhaul now.

He closed by sharing the story of how his campaign's "fired up" slogan came to be, leading the crowd in a chant before hitting the ropeline.

The president met briefly with Ohio union leaders and elected officials before the remarks. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis introduced the president.

Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/07/2057095.aspx

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Full text and video:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/7/777265/-Obamas-Speech-to-AFL-CIO,Full-TextVideo:-He-is-Back!

[George II]

1. I was about to post this myself, then saw your post...

..it was a great speech, but sadly only a portion of Americans will find it inspiring. I'm sure the rightwing is already creating their objections.

Thanks for the post and link.

[No Elephants]

4. Wrong spot.

[George II]

12. Why?

[FrenchieCat]

10. Actually, the majority which includes those who voted for Obama will find it inspiring.....

while the 28% RW Fuckwarts will find it menacing and scary and will cry in their teacups!

[BlueIdaho]

18. I'm fired up and ready to go...

And I'm sick and tired of the DU members ready to turn their backs on a Democratic President still in his first year of his first term in office. It took George Bush and the republicans eight years to fuck this country up - did they really think President Obama could fix it with the wave of his hand in less than eight months? Did they really think the republican puppets and their corporate handlers were just going to roll over and play dead?

[mopinko]

19. sickening, aint it?

my ignore list is so long, after years here of few or none on it. but i just cant swallow that crap day in and day out.

[BlueIdaho]

24. Oh yeah...

I remember the first time I found this place - I was so excited. I thought I'd find - you know - Democrats here...

What the hell was I thinking?

[George II]

26. That's how I felt too, then learned that DUers take the term "Democratic Underground" to heart....

....they're trying to bury us!

[AlbertCat]

29. What the hell was I thinking?

Really...what were you thinking? It's Free Republic where everyone agrees. Dems and Liberals think for themselves.


For instance:

It's OK that the Public Option is being championed, sorta, by the Prez in this speech. But notions like shopping for health care and market place competition is baloney. That's really a right wing idea.

EVERYBODY needs health care. You can't say no to it all your life. It's a necessity, not a free market entity. It should be a right of every citizen. This "shop around for it" notion is just Repug-lite...lite. Lowering costs is an illusion too. Health care SHOULD be expensive because it requires top notch state-of-the-art technologies and highly skilled professionals. Y'know, like NASA. Is that a free market thing too? It's expensive like building roads and levees and bridges. It should be paid for by the Government and taxes. But if the free-market health care myth is all we can get for now, I guess it'll have to do.

[George II]

25. Me too, and me too...

...I've been fired up since Jan 20 and think Obama's doing a great job so far. Unfortunately he's got a huge hole to dig himself and the US out of, left by the Washington village idiot. It's going to take more than 8 or 9 months to fix what the republicans broke.

Unfortunately, as I've said here before, many DUers won't ever be satisfied because Obama didn't accomplish their own pet goals exactly the way they wanted them and by 1 PM on Jan 20!! I've been around Democrats more than 40 years, and unfortunately its in most of their genes that they have to find fault with each other rather than agree with 90% of what each of them (us) believe in. It's all or nothing - it's all or you're no good.

Do we ever see republicans bicker like Democrats do? No, they simply rely on us self-destructing on our own so they can sweep into power. Thankfully we had a most inspiring candidate running on the heels of he worst president in our history and against a scary republican VP candidate.

But if we don't smarten up by the next election we'll find ourselves right back in the position we were in a few years ago, and our country can't afford (or maybe won't survive) that!

WAKE UP Democrats!!

[elocs]

40. "...their own pet goals exactly the way they wanted them..."

Doesn't that exactly describe Democrats? All the little factions have their own personal agendas and everything must be their way. Apparently they are incapable of coming together on common goal unless they get all of what they want.

Republicans are disciplined and march in lockstep and they would be likely to head into fascism eventually. Unfortunately Democrats cannot get together enough to stop them. Good thing our Founding Fathers were not the Democrats of today or else we would be speaking with British accents. Of course, we would have National Health.

[George II]

43. Actually, the founding fathers (at the risk of seeming blasphemous!) almost were Democrats....

...which is why they first penned the Articles of Confederation, a ragged collection of "articles" that protected the individual interests of each and every state.

Thankfully there were some intelligent people among them, they recognized their shortcomings and came together, resulting in the Constitution of the United States! Had they not, THEN we would be speaking with British accents (and who knows, perhaps national health care?)

When are we (Democrats) going to wake up and see what we're doing to ourselves? But, the alternative (republican) is soooo much worse!

[elocs]

44. But, I did say "were not the Democrats of today" and that makes the difference.

I just wish the Democrats could manage to come together to help the little and the common people, but then nobody is paying them big bucks to do that.

[George II]

45. Very good point....we can hope, can't we?

I just fear what the 2010 elections have in store for us, barring us coming together - healthcare would be a great start.

[deacon]

46. It makes me sick. He is getting little support at all. The nutzo right and the media

run him down on anything he says or does. He a smart guy, energetic and sane. Thats a huge improvement over bush right there. They are out to destroy him and we need to get behind him and at least give him a chance.

When does anyone ever hear anything positive at all about him? I mean bush nearly drove the country off a cliff and he is the guy that has worked to try to put a stop to it.

I am in full agreement with you.

[DrZeeLit]

2. Embracing the public option. In a live speech. Mmmm.... mmmm.... good.

We shall see, eh?
We shall see.

[No Elephants]

5. Nothing new. He has never done anything but say he favors a public option.

However, he has also indicated that he will proceed without it, if Congress passes a bill that does not contain a public option.

Saying he believes in the public option is very different from saying he will veto any bill that does not contain a public option.

[Baltoman991]

7. How many times

does he have to say ANY BILL he gets MUST contain a public option? I guess to appease you and the rest of the slammers he has to specify and actually use the words "I will not sign any bill without a public option".

As I've said many times, nothing the man says or does is going to be good enough for some around this place.

[bahrbearian]

8. If he said it once, I'd be happy.

[George II]

13. Did you sleep through this in today's speech????

Obama said, "I continue to believe that a public option within the basket of insurance choices would help improve quality and bring down costs."

[t0dd]

15. I think this is a good point

A lot of us really want to hear him demand the public option because we know that is the best way to get the Blue Dogs on board: if they know the President requires it in the final bill, are they going to continue to act as obstructionists and kill health care reform entirely?

However, I think Obama promoting the public option in today's speech just two day's before the "big one" is a good sign. Obama has said all along he wants increased competition and choice, and that if there is some way besides the public option to best achieve that, he would be open to it. I think/hope on Wednesday he'll indicate that he has seen no viable alternative.

[bahrbearian]

16. Saying "I believe" is not saying "I demand". At least I payed attention.

"I believe" is the way a Politician gives them selfs wiggle room.

[George II]

21. That is a matter of opinion...but....

[JDPriestly]

30. I hope he really, really means that and has found a way to make it reality.

My representative is strongly behind the public option an co-sponsored H.R. 676. But I know that a lot of other people in Congress are answering not to the American people but to the insurance companies. I also know that Obama received a lot of money from insurance companies. Did Obama include ordinary citizens without insurance in the various forums on health care reform that were held in D.C.? I don't mean AARP or doctors or nurses. I'm asking whether real, ordinary citizens are sitting at the table when the details of health care reform are discussed? That has never been clear to me.

[Baltoman991]

27. Do a search

on the boards. It's been posted many times where he's said that.

You're welcome. See, I pay attention to what he says, not what the media is telling me he said.

[George II]

32. So he's said that many times. In that case, you must be happy since a few posts up you said:

"If he said it once, I'd be happy."

[Omaha Steve]

3. K&R!

When Edwards dropped out, Marta and I switched to Obama. We worked for him and worked the caucus. We never felt we made the wrong choice.

[Faygo Kid]

6. This is more like it. Give 'em hell, Barack!

More plain spokenness like FDR and Truman and less "bipartisanship," thank you very much.

[Apollo11]

9. An excellent speech!

You can watch the whole speech at msnbc.com

They also have a shorter video that just has the part about healthcare.

It's obvious that President Obama wants a public option.

Unfortunately he also has to get the reforms through the US Senate.

As his predecessor used to say: "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

[harvey007]

11. Time To Increase The Pressure

And now WE need to get fired up, stay positive, and push reform through -- WITH a public option.

When the people lead, the leaders follow.

YES WE CAN!

[and-justice-for-all]

14. I hope he gives'em a smack down!! nt

[Bluenorthwest]

17. He's getting there.

Much better. Wednesday draws closer.

[old mark]

20. K&R......Let's work to make it good and get it passed.

Fuck the GOP.



mark

[elocs]

22. What's that short and pithy word for "stop saying things that aren't true"?

"LYING!!! " Why not start calling it for exactly what it is?

[Hekate]

42. He did, a bit earlier in the speech. "Lies" he called them, as he enumerated them.

:toast:

[craigmatic]

23. All I heard from the speech were slogans and platitudes but no speciffics

[bemildred]

28. Obama says 'it's time to act' on healthcare

Reporting from Cincinnati - In a combative Labor Day speech, President Obama said that the healthcare debate had gone on too long and accused opponents of spreading "lies" meant to persuade Americans that his proposed overhaul would cruelly deny care to the elderly.

The president, speaking at an AFL-CIO picnic, said that "special interests" were determined to "scare the heck out of people."

"I've got a question for all these folks who say, you know, we're going to pull the plug on Grandma and this is all about illegal immigrants -- you've heard all the lies," Obama said. "I've got a question for all those folks: What are you going to do? What's your answer? What's your solution?

"And you know what? They don't have one."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/healthcare/la-na-obama-healthcare8-2009sep08,0,6019985.story

I want to say that since the basic tactic of opponents of health care reform is stalling, a demand to act has substance.

[mvd]

31. Notice that the media hardly reports on the good things he said?

But when he sounds like he might compromise, they are all over it.

[bemildred]

33. There is a lot of self-serving bullshit out there. nt

[Deja Q]

34. K&R!!!

:woohoo:

[Hekate]

35. KnR. Watching it on CSPAN.org now. I believe. Fired up!

:patriot:

Hekate

[AllyCat]

36. I don't want to come together. I want health care reform

[DWilliamsamh]

37. I sincerely hope he is fired up when he addresses Congress on Wednesday.

[Jefferson23]

38. How is Kucinich's amendment holding up? I haven't read anything

about it for awhile.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. I won't be impressed until I see him getting fired up to slap the Republicans silly

and tell the Blue Dogs that "public option" already IS the compromise position.

Until then, it's just like his campaign speeches, nothing to do with his actual performance in office.

[underpants]

41. He is either stringing us along or he is going to bust out of the rope-a-dope this week

we'll see

[samsingh]

47. he simply needs to put out the truth of the broken health care system

that will fight all the lies being spread