For all the legitimate griping about Obama's subtle approach, you have to give him credit...

[Bread and Circus]

on healthcare. He IS pushing this out to the front in a way no President has for decades. It would be just as easy for him to set it on the backburner and let the next guy or gal deal with it, just like every other President has done since before most of us were born.

[niyad]

1. and yet, he is siding with the repukes in wanting to limit malpractice suits, claiming

it will help bring down health care costs, and he doesn't want to talk single payer, or universal health care, which is the ONLY way this crappy system is going to get fixed.

[QC]

2. But don't you see, that's what's so brilliantly subtle!

He will lure by the Republicans into voting for the health care bill by giving them everything they want.

Genius! Sheer genius!

[ellacott]

5. He doesn't want to limit malpractice suits

He wants to eliminate situations where malpractice can occur. He is not advocating for a cap either. He wants to work in areas that would promote quality assurance where there are mechanisms in place to prevent many of the mistakes that are made.

He spoke about this today in his speech before the AMA.

[Dawgs]

6. Obviously somebody's not paying attention.

And, he talks about single payer healthcare all of the time. Just because you've decided to not paying attention, doesn't mean it's not happening.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Could you quote him on that? cause I didn't hear what you obviously heard

today.

Thanks! :hi:

[niyad]

10. I was referring to what I read in my paper this morning. have not heard the speech

and the online edition of the paper isn't showing that particular article.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Well if you listen and believe the MSM to the extent that you

speak as though you know something that isn't so,
I guess you will be one of the misinformed the media
counts on. :eyes:

[ellacott]

18. This is part of what he said

I'm sure the full transcript will be posted later

*********
"I'm not advocating caps on malpractice awards, which I personally believe can be unfair to people who've been wrongfully harmed, but I do think we need to explore a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first, how to let doctors focus on practicing medicine, how to encourage broader use of evidence-based guidelines,"

[WonderGrunion]

16. Once the bill passes

We can change it back any way we want during reconciliation.

[monmouth]

3. I saw and heard the entire speech. It's workable and doable IMO. I liked it...n/t

[Cha]

4. There are some around here

who will never give him credit on anything..they think their hate is going to carry the day.

[HopeOverFear]

7. Never.

[depakid]

9. The jury's still out on that one

Although it IS his biggest test since the bar exam- and so one hopes that these are signs that he recognizes it.

[avaistheone1]

11. I don't see a clear strategy from Obama on health care. Can you explain it?

[Bread and Circus]

12. Honestly no, because I'm not Rahm Emanuel or David Axelrod. But I can

comment on what I see, and that is a President who is urging congress, the ins cos., the AMA, and the American people to embrace health care reform that is large in scope.

No one is forcing him to do so.

This is more than any President I can remember doing.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. The simple fact is, he is encouraging the dialogue, and the dialogue

will lead, inexorably, to single-payer EVEN IF HE DOESN'T WANT IT TO.

It is part of the conversation, and that genie is not going to go back into the bottle.

Even if all we get for now is half-assed 'reforms', in the long run single-payer is inevitable.

IMHO.

[avaistheone1]

17. I am just afraid our health care system is going to crash before the Democrats have

the courage to do what needs to be done with a single payer plan.

I hate the thought of things getting worse.

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. Me too. nt

[grantcart]

14. How about this

1) Establish a consensus that the current situation is untenable

2) Build wide agreement that action is essential, that the current situation is going to bring economic ruin

3) Bring as many people to the table and eliminate all of the straw man arguments against reform

4) Divide the different corporate interests so that the AMA and the insurance industry do not provide a combined front. Divide the corporate interests among Doctors by appealing to the 'healers' among them to assert leadership.

5) Reassure people that if what they have works, they don't have to change.

6) After there is wide agreement on the above introduce a public option in order to make sure that everyone is covered and that the insurance companies are not simply getting support on mandatory coverage, "keeping them honest"

7) Continue to set the debate in such a way that reform cannot be reflexively pilloried.

8) Engage the public to keep pressure.

9) Negotiate the details to ensure a good, not perfect, public option.

[WHAT]

20. That's really good...

it deserves its own post.

[grantcart]

21. It's classified.