Has anyone noted? With the way the elections went last time and he various scandals, it looks like after the next one, the progressive block in congress will be even stronger, not weaker?

This now-or-never rhetoric is from the right, where Obama is swinging wildly towards these days. Why?

Must I remind everyone that in politics, 'right' is all about totalitarianism and repressive government control?

I would be very suspicious of any further loss of privacy or individual freedoms wrapped up in this health bill. Mandatory medicine scares the **** out of me.

Repression and loss of privacy has been a trend, and every time I come out with a freedom plan, they pass another law against it, like a shadow.

They keep walking on my shadow, stealing my plans and twisting them against us all. It is terrifying to me.

I would WORRY about what they have in store for us next. I really would, every-time I thought it couldn't get worse - it got worse. A lot worse.

This could be like that. I hope people go over it with a fine toothed comb.

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His advice to Obama so far has been to capitulate to the minority. Dude needs to go away.
Single payer healthcare, now, or Congress needs to give up theirs.

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If Obama abandons the Public Option in health care reform, I think his support levels will nosedive. People were counting on him to take on the health care industry and give ordinary people the chance at decent medical care.

Our health care system in this country is broken! It no longer works, unless you are rich, or work for the government. The rest of us are essentially on our own.

I can't imagine what Obama is thinking, when he is willing to sell us out for approval from the Conservative Democrats and Republicans. Is he so desperate for them to like him, that he will give them anything they want? I just don't understand it.

If Obama can't at least get us the Public Option, then nothing else he does during his term will matter. Apparently, he has no idea how important this is to most of the people in the U.S. Or, he just doesn't care what people want. It's all about the big corporations.

The health care industry is making all these promises, but essentially nothing will change without the Public Option. They have us by the throat and continue to squeeze until we give them all our money, and even money we don't have yet.

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and therefore the Rethugs as well.

Obama's utter lack of principle and balls makes him a laughing stock of the special interests - a pinata full of candy to be smacked hard up the side of the head.

What a total sellout Obama has turned out to be!

I want my progressive vote to count - one man one vote and 72 percent are voting for a public option.

peace,
Paul

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allow me to demonstrate: Any elected official who works against a public single-payer health care plan will NEVER again receive my vote. Period. I will continue to support honest progressive candidates, but no more coddling the false-flag Democrats and Blue Dog infiltrators.

I am watching my local and national politicians with keen interest and letting them know when they stray. When I disagree, I let them know. So should you all, because they're not inclined to stay honest on their own. Be vocal and be persistent.

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Yes, in a recent New York Times poll 72% of respondents voiced support for a public option, however, but only 57% expressed willingness to pay for it via higher taxes, and of those willing to do so, only 43% were willing to pay as small an amount as $500 per year.

So yeah, 72% of Americans want public health care, as long as they're not the part of the public that has to pay for it.

And that same poll found that 63% of respondents were either very concerned or somewhat concerned that the introduction of government sponsored health care would cause the quality of their own care to get worse, and 68% were very/somewhat concerned that their care would become more limited. This issue isn't as clear as you might think from that 72% number.

Raw data - at the New York Times page here.

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and the Opposite is true. Pres Obama called out the Repugs and the Industry on their cirular illogic regarding a public option. Claiming the gov't can't run anything, yet crying they will be run out of business if a Public option is offered- Pick one idiots.
My Dear Friends on the left have begun sounding alot like the Liars on the Right when it comes to this issue.
HR 676- the only 'Single Payer' option I have heard proposed is a Public option with an 10 YEAR process towards a single payer system. This is not an immediate conversion to Single Payer- yet I hear so many claim it is.Conyers recognized that there is No way we can magically convert to a Single payer- not only because of our Free market System, but because of the devastation it would create in the healthcare system and the economy. It is a 10 yr plan so that conversion would be a systematic gradual change over. so stop inferring that HR676 would solve all healthcare problems as soon as the bill was signed- it won't.
Beside my Friends to my Far Left you fail to Remember the President only set the Agenda, he does not write or vote on legislation. So stop riding his ass about what is being put forth in Congress and what is not. This is Not a Dictatorship. Obama can try to push an idea, but it is up to Pelosi and Reid to make it happen- two of the Weakest damn leaders either house has ever seen, As Dems we should have demanded they to step down long ago!!So if anyone is to blame for the failure to get the Trojan horse of a Public Option through the Gates, it will be Pelosi and Reid.
I have been a Life Long Liberal (Socialist) Dem all my life, but am pissed that everytime we begin to take a step forward (progress) the fanatics of my side want to wage an 'All of Nothing' Battle.This is exactly WHY we have gotten NOTHING over the last 4 decades! Progress by Definition is a process, through incremetnal steps forward- Not leaps and bounds. There are no magic wands, no tooth fairies, no Transporter rooms, nor Unicorns. We are going to have to win these social wars (healthcare,energy, civil rights..) by winning one small conquest at a time, requiring numerous battles on each of these fronts!
The Pres has not given up a Public Option, it's the Single payer zealots who have given up helping build that Trojan Horse.
If you truely want socialized medicine, pick up a hammer and help build the foundation towards Conyers vision- ANY Public Option Program. HR676 is a Blueprint towards a socialized system- not a magic bullet.

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Boo Hoo, Congress won't pass strong cap and trade; Boo Hoo Congress won't pass public option; Boo Hoo Congress won't approve strong financial regulation...Boo Hoo eliminating don't ask don't tell will get too much push back at this time...getting the picture?

...like he didn't know this all along... ? What did we expect?

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This story (published by Bloomberg with comments paraphrased) has already been denied and debunked. Conrad's spokesman immediately issued a statement that Emmanuel had made no such statement about dropping the public option.

It just ain't true.

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Change?....I expected change,I drank from the dumb-dumb jar too....democrats are the new republicans...so said Bill Mahre,and he was right...we want a National Health Care system,...Where every citizen has heath care from birth to death,,,and this boys and girls will be paid for by tax dollars which means our tax will rise ,but not nearly what its costing today...and we need most of all a non- self serving corrupt government...soooo We can forget about all the above...as the world moves forward in everything we'll slip back into the dark ages,and rent ourselves out as laborers,and soldiers...all except those who got rich on us!!....poor stupid US...

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this is why parliamentary democracy works while the open ended, lobby bought & styled apparatchik doesn't! When will people understand this basic tenet...

You don't have a free and open political system, and never will have have it until you do something about lobby interests in DC and the amount of money they use to buy YOUR Representatives VOTE!
You cant fire them [any of them] or their party [either of them] because they all eat from the same plate!

Parliamentary Democracy is where a party gains the right to govern through house majority or minorities seats... the government can be brought down and another election called if a bill is defeated in the House... who cares about the senate and presidency... they're symbols of greatness and do us proud when dealing with visiting heads of states but when it come to really running the ship of state, the power rests in the house.

I guess you have the right to do unto yourselves what you will...
but when you talk about freedom...
Remember that it only counts if you have the money!!!

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What we do next is not clear. We need participatory democracy. It might be possible if publically financed elections could be done. It appears that voting them out of office is no threat at all. When they leave office they get kicked upstairs. You vote against them and their situation improves.

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