oleeb's Blog

oleeb Commented on President Truman on tonight's debate by barth

2009-11-22T17:56:10Z

It is a shame today's Democratic Party leaders don't share the committment Truman had to the health of the nation. If they did, we wouldn't be seeing the convoluted, impractical, expensive special linterest legislation we now have moving through Congress today.

oleeb Commented on One True Course is Left for Health Care Reform by Obama1st

2009-11-22T16:15:34Z

Winning the healthcare debate may well be the biggest disaster the Democratic Party ever created for itself. Both the House and Senate bills are not healthcare reform bills but insurance reform bills. Making matters worse, the insurance reform bills could not be less beneficial to the average American or more beneficial to big insurance and big pharma. What both bills would do is trap the population for another generation in the rotten, broken system of for profit health insurance that is at the core of all the problems facing the healthcare system. Let's hope for the sake of the progress and the nation's health that nothing resembling the current House or Senate bills pass. It's important to remember that the goal is not to win for the sake of winning and for use in the next election: the goal is to institute substantive changes for the long term benefit of the nation. What Obama and the corporate Democrats of Washington have created and what we are being asked to support is a pyrrhic victory that won't even benefit Democrats in the short run and that will cause continued suffering under a rotten system for decades to come.

oleeb Commented on I Call Bullshit. by barefooted

2009-11-22T08:54:24Z

You do have to wonder why someobyd who works at TPM doesn't just look at what is running and alert whoever to kill the spam that got through. It just doesn't seem that difficult a thing to do, but perhaps there's more to it than I know.

oleeb recommended I Call Bullshit. by barefooted

2009-11-22T06:16:20Z

oleeb recommended Bernie Sanders: 'My Vote For The Final Bill Is By No Means Guaranteed' by David Kurtz

2009-11-22T01:52:00Z

oleeb Commented on Bernie Sanders: 'My Vote For The Final Bill Is By No Means Guaranteed' by David Kurtz

2009-11-22T08:47:47Z

Bernie is the best Senator in the United States. He is the only one, as far as I can see, who has the best interest of the people at heart. However, even with a public option both the House and Senate bills stink. The mandate/subsidy program is a horrible idea. Fundamentally neither of the two bills, even with a "strong" public option does much to change our current rotten system. Unless this legislation changes in fundamental ways that really change how we do healthcare in the country then it isn't worth passing and I hoe that Bernie will keep his implied word here not to vote for the bill if it isn't substantially altered.

oleeb recommended 'All About the 60' - A Response by trblmkr

2009-11-21T15:41:42Z

oleeb Commented on 'All About the 60' - A Response by trblmkr

2009-11-21T20:02:15Z

100% concur!

oleeb recommended All about the 60 by WOODY

2009-11-21T04:39:44Z

oleeb Commented on All about the 60 by WOODY

2009-11-21T19:59:57Z

Right on target Woody! You're absolutely right.

The weak kneed Democrats of the Senate and House want to paint the real Democrats out in the hinterland as somehow wanting purity when in fact all we want is a decent bill. What they are putting together is a classic piece of special interest---very bad---legislation that won't serve the interests of the people and will saddle us with the rotten system we have right now except it will be more expensive for taxpayers and more profitable for big insurance, big pharma and the other healthcare industry parasites.

It's kinda like the lottery. You know it's hard to win, but you can't win if you don't play. For the cowardly Democrats of Washington with their strategy of conceding first and then trying to hang on they clearly never intend to win because they arne't playing. The DC Democrats will deserve the backlash that's coming but the people will not deserve the corrupt, bad for citizens healhcare regime they are trying to put in place. And if they succeed with this dog of a bill they will tell the country that "it was the best we could do" when anyone with any sense at all knows that is a flat out lie.

oleeb Commented on Reid Slams Broder As A Retiree Who 'Writes A Column Once In A While' by Brian Beutler

2009-11-21T19:53:33Z

Republicans have so perverted the term conservative that it now means right wing extemist. Anyone like Broder, who is a very conservative, unoriginal thinker with very poor judgment is considered "liberal" or "moderate" by "conservatives" like the extremist McConnel and what now constitutes the mainstream of the Republican Party.

oleeb Commented on Will Obama run for reelection? by SAGE2

2009-11-21T07:30:10Z

Upon what evidence do you say he has very good instincts? About what?

oleeb Commented on What Pro-Choice Is Not by Skybolt

2009-11-21T07:27:47Z

Skybolt, there are legions of Democrats who think they can nice the other side to death and this principle is applied to all issues including this one. That's why our side gets it's head handed to it more often than not. They love to wag their fingers at those who won't allow the other side to stomp all over them. They always disagree with those who understand we're in a fight and who realize you can't win fights without throwing punches. They want to win without fighting for victory and they find fighting to win unseemly.

oleeb Commented on Obama Administration: We (Heart) Senate Health Care Bill by Christina Bellantoni

2009-11-21T07:20:03Z

Pity most of our Democrats are not like that!

oleeb Commented on Will Obama run for reelection? by SAGE2

2009-11-20T23:21:18Z

I don't think there can be much doubt but that he will run for re-election. Will there be credible opposition? A primary challenge? Impossible to predict with much accuracy this far out but it doesn't look likely on either count.

oleeb Commented on The Paul-Grayson Amendment - Change Coming from an Unexpected Source? by tonnyb

2009-11-20T22:59:33Z

I think it is directly related to jobs. Instead of working on getting Americans back to work, Obama and company have been perceived as ignoring the plight of the common people to attend (quite lavishly) to the needs of Wall Street. This perception exists because it is also the reality. Only now are the Obama people beginning to realize that they were taken hook, line and sinker by Wall Street, that there is no recovery on the way and that all that has happened is that Uncle Sam has covered the bad bets of Wall Street with no hope of ever being paid back. Obama's policies did allow us to avoid a depression.... for the banks. Those policies have not allow us to avoid depression being visited upon the common people.

oleeb Commented on Slide Show of the the 17 Richest Members of Congress by wendy davis

2009-11-20T21:41:55Z

It's no surprise the rich are over represented but it is still amazing how many of them roam the halls of Congress shamefacedly promoting their own personal interests and those of their rich friends.

oleeb Commented on Harry Reid, and What Happened to the Public Option by Robert Reich

2009-11-20T21:39:52Z

That's just repeating an old saw as an excuse because what Indie said is right. Politics, even if it is limited to the art of the possible, in terms of healthcare reform this year was truncated and distorted from the beginning as a result of Obama's foolish decision to take single payer off the table in advance. Everything from that point was so badly skewed in favor of the insurance companies and other healthcare parasites that the ONLY thing that ever made Obama's approach palatable was a very strong public option open to all. No bill being considered has anything approaching a real public option and thus the legislation deserves to be killed and I am hoping it is killed so we aren't trapped in the rotten setup the present legislation in all forms would establish.

oleeb Commented on Harry Reid, and What Happened to the Public Option by Robert Reich

2009-11-20T21:32:06Z

If you want to be rich you need to be in business. Medicine should be for helping people and not whining that you aren't getting as rich as you would like to be or that you have to pay a lot for school. Most people make a pittance in comparison and woudl gladly trade places on the economic scale.

oleeb Commented on It's time to start blaming Republicans for job losses and economic meltdown by Georgeo57

2009-11-20T21:27:48Z

You are, of course, absolutely right about this. But if you think our Republican Lite President is going to attack Republicans or allow that to take place I think you're mistaken. He refuses to attack them even as he is covered with spit from them spitting in his face! Whenever anyone speaks up and starts telling the truth about the disasterous circumstances the Republicans put us in, his people do all they can to put the kabosh on it. I agree with synch above, except that I do think we have a few Democratic Schwartzeneggers. The problem is when they speak up, the majority of Democrats who make up the cowardly chorus do all they can to discredit them, call them crazy, irresponsible, etc...