The left - Congress - worked with Bush, particularly after 9/11. Obama had just as much dignity and put up with a lot of crap from the opposition. Unlike Bush, the right decided to obstruct everything before Obama even entered office. This was clearly stated. Has that happened before? I honestly don't think so. Each of these things sets precedents for future excesses. So when does someone step up and say enough is enough?
I admit - there's a side to me that would relish it if the Dems did to the Pubs just what the Pubs have been doing to Obama. But that wouldn't good for the country. I'm just not sure what ability exists to overcome this on either side?
Actually, there WAS some noise about opposing his VIEWS, not so much about the person. And if you remember, ObamaCare was rammed into being without all it's details intact by a FULLY PARTISAN House and Senate controlled by the Dems for a very short time at the BEGINNING of his term.
The thing is...what I remember about Obamacare is less that it was "rammed" in that they had every opportunity to be involved in it, but they refused because it was "Obamacare". The total irony of it was that Obamacare used many components that the Republicans had previously supported or even proposed - until it was Obama. That is hard to understand in any other way than that it was because it was Obama proposing it.
The Dems didn't really take the initiative to correct all their OTHER issues while they HAD a lock on the WH and the Congress.
Losing side SHOULD regroup, rethink, AND LEARN from their mistakes. And prepare to be the OPPOSITION.
Organizing that opposition is MORE important than trying to toss banana peels at a mandate election like this one was. Buck up.. Sharpen the pencils.. Figure out how to be heard..
Absolutely - and frankly it's a wake up call to BOTH parties, because though the Republicans "won" they didn't - Trump won. And he's going to remake the party or splinter it. Maybe not a bad thing. How the Dems approach this will be interesting. Their midlife crisis has been less public then the Republicans.
How do you see this as a mandate election with such a narrow victory - narrow in that he did not win the popular vote?
The way ObamaCare was written ACTUALLY -- is that it was NOT written at all. It's was a massive 9000 pg (?) "fill in the blank" exercise. Every other line of the text was suffixed with ".... as the Secretary shall determine"".
So when Nancy Pelosi said -- "we won't know whats in the bill til we pass it" -- Folks thought she was just a moron. Turns out -- she was confessing that they had NO IDEA what the law was gonna look like until the Massive Minions of Morons at the Agencies slowly and ackwardly penciled in the details. A process that STILL isn't done or implemented !!!!!
So just parroting that it was a "republican bill" is just the spin you consumed. We STILL don't have full disclosure or implementation of "what's in it"..
It'll be repealed before it's ever fully disclosed, they may as well it's imploding anyway
Do you really think that is good? Forget the partisan stuff for a moment. A lot of people have insurance that didn't before but needed it. People with pre-existing conditions can now get insurance and that is HUGE for many people. Medicaid expansion has helped another huge group of people - people who aren't poor enough to qualify for programs that help the poor, but aren't wealthy enough to afford insurance, or can't afford the high cost of prescription co pays and other things that might not be covered. I totally agree there are problems, but I don't agree with repealing (no surprise right?).
What's going to happen to all those people who are suddenly stripped of insurance?
What's going to happen to people with pre-existing conditions who lose their insurance and can't get new insurance or can't afford the suddenly exhorberant cost?
If you FORCE insurance companies to take people with pre-existing conditions without simultaneiously providing a large pool of compartively healthy people to offset the cost for them (which can only be done through a mandate) - then rates are going to skyrocket for everyone in order to cover the cost. That's sort of happening anyway because there aren't yet enough healthy people enrolled.
I've heard claims that they'll replace it with tax credits and allowing people to cross state lines and buy cheaper insurance but that ignores to huge realities.
Tax credits are only workable if you earn enough to begin with so you can pay up front for all your costs right?
The idea of crossing state lines is also not well thought out. Insurance companies compute their rates based actuarials, on the characteristics of each state. They look at demographics that can effect health like jobs, obesity, smoking, cancer rates, population age etc etc - and those are what create the rates for each state. So a state like mine, WV, has a pretty high insurance cost. Main industries are mining, timber, farming - all with high rates injury and chronic health problems. Obesity is also high (thankgodformississippiwearentthehighest), smoking is high, rates of preventative healthcare low and the overall population is aging. Another state with different demographics and risk factors may have a lower rate BECAUSE of those risks. So if people start being allowed to buy insurance across state lines in order to take advantage of states with lower risk factors and lower costs then what are the insurance companies going to do to offset that? My guess is increase it everywhere, in order to accomodate the changes or - adjust the rate to the individual based on where they live, in which case it won't be any cheaper.
Just from a personal perspective - it's made a difference to my family. Prescription drug costs - even with what my insurance covered was over $400 a month (for my husband). Now it's more like $50. That is a lot of money and repealing Obamacare would bring those costs back.
So while Obamacare itself has some problems - are they so insurmountable the entire thing must be scrapped...and where does that leave millions of people?
But Tip wasn't shackled for long...he got the wimp Bush41 to break his "read my lips" pledge and raised taxes....that got us Clinton.
