Roundtable: Sanford's Strange Saga

I enjoy Peggy Noonan's comments but please aske her to lose the drama and give it to us a little faster. The panel is about ideas, not delivery. Listening to her is like watching the ubiquitous news crawlers that deliver language at the blazing speed of snot. I find myself looking for the fast forward button.

On health care.
Why are the conservatives more concerned with insurance industry profits than providing access for everyone? What medical services do they provide?
Why shouldn't the non-profit government be the single payer? That in itself would lower the overall cost about 30%.

In the words of John Kenneth Galbraith
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

Please get rid of Michael Eric Dyson. We voted Obama in as President. Race relations have never been better. This guy acts like the "Clan" is still behind the scenes running social sensibilities. Michael...Get over it!!! It's time to put the "angry black american" act into the memory box. A thing of the past, when it was relevant and necessary. It's a new day! Time to contribute. Time to stop the rant. We now have change.

Ah, He's a Hypocrite.

He Loves that Argentine A!!

He will go back to that [Argentine A!!]

Trust Me.

The Man will go back to that Argentine A!!

He went to this Extreme just to be in the Arms of the Argentine A!!

His intent was to be in her Arms for 14 Days and not Simply 5 Days, the Mass Media Outted Him...

And he had to Leave his Argentine A!!

Based on what I'm hearing in the news:

* Didn't show up for work for several days
* Didn't tell anyone where he went
* Couldn't be reached
* Used "company" money for a trip

Could any of us keep our job?

I can't Stand Michael Eric Dyson, he's an Oppourtunist.

If Ever there was one.

Where's Donna Brazil ?

I don't see a right and left view. I see one confused and the other intelligent. Paul Krugman, Micheal Eric Dyson, and Robert Reich are the smart guys. How can anyone think that Obama is moving too fast when we've had 100 years of polluting the environment. It is urgent! These changes are necessary and anyone who doesn't think so is confused. How could anyone have missed the numerous incidents of citizen's being poisoned by industry. The government's primary job is to protect it's citizens. There were no big debates about how much Iraq and Afghanistan were going to cost us. That was a secret. Yet there's a big debate about how much it's going to cost to deliver health care? I'm insulted! The cherry on the cake it that the people who are arguing against provided public health care to us are on such a plan themselves. That's insulting. We don't need two sides, we just need the smart side explaining to the confused.

Please keep Michael Eric Dyson, finally someone firmly in the 21st C - unlike Peggy and Kathleen whose fawning over Sanford's malfeasance pointed to the true GOP problem - lack of Accountability forever for anyone they believe in - they've never acknowledged nor given a remedy for blowing up the world and ruining the economy - every poll continues to show that the speed w/which Obama is moving resonates quite well with a public infinitely exhausted by the entropy of DC - we have real crises now and every cent in remedy of climate change will assist w/our increasing disasters caused by 30 years of denial by the GOP - and Krugman could use a lesson in how to articulate brilliance in a politically useful manner - just whining from the Ivory Tower is pretty useless. FYI - 2012 is not even close to being on our radar.

Hypocrisy is an equal opportunity employer. Republicans tripping on their "family values" is a consequence that applies to Democrats as well. Witness a party and president who championed work place rights for women and the new "work place values" of Democrats with regard to political correctness and sexual harassment(a valid position and proper value by the way), who then turn a blind eye to the obvious poster child for this bad behavior, Bill Clinton. What appalled me about this issue, was not the infidelity, or even the "lie", but the silence from the liberal and feminist organizations, who for political expediency abandoned their own "values" in remaining virtually silent. A second hypocrisy of Democratic Values is of course the preponderance of nominees, candidates, etc. of their party that seem to have trouble paying their taxes - something that "we should do with joy and purpose" according to our Vice-President. Despite the joy by conservatives AND liberals who use the inadequacies of their opponent to support their political motives and polices and trash the opposition's, the bottom line is that the philosophical and economic arguments of each party is not enhanced or obscured by the failings of its members. The arguments should stand on their own merit and rise and fall with legitimacy in a forum of debate, and not in the conversations of the media which support this opportunism. One would expect that a Nobel Laureate would champion this position.

Obama epitomizes the optimistic, larger than life approach that is the American persona. If American citizens truly believe that America is the greatest country on earth, then why should America/Obama proceed at a crawling pace when America has the ability to sprint? Is it possible that Obama is the coach to America that Phil Jackson was to Michael Jordan? That he wants to maximize America's potential? Listening to Ms. Noonan and George Wills whose opinions I respect very much, I get the sense that Obama's pace is more of a concern to older boomers whose need for speed and sense of urgency has declined in proportion to the aging process. And that the fear and cost of his pace is highly co-related to the aging process?. Cost implies purchase, so it is not like he is throwing money into the Hudson, he is purchasing something substantive with the money - cleaner air, preventitive health care, new 21st century industries... If his past performance is an indicator of his aility to deliver, what it shows about him is that his actions follow a well thought out plan. I know this is kind of unusual as far as presidents go, but every time we have doubted him, he has shown us the money so to speak. We can start comfortably believing. Obama's pace seem to be appreciated by those 48 years and under. Those still audacious young, optimistic,futuristic, still visionary Americans! Give him and the pace he is travelling at a chance. I gaurantee that America will be better for it.

I don't see a right and left view. I see confused vs. intelligent. Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, and Micheal Dyson are the intelligent view. I don't see why we need confused people arguing points with smart people. The smart people should be explaining things to the confused. We've had 100 years of industrial pollution. The government's primary job is to protect its citizens. No one could have missed the abundance of incidents in the past and current where citizens have been and are being poisoned by industry. As far as I'm concerned there's no defense. If this were being done by Arabs or Afghans they'd be called terrorists. Obama is moving too fast? As far as I'm concern it's not fast enough.

When we got into Iran and Afghanistan there was not debate about how much it was going to cost the citizens of the United States. That was a secret. But there is a debate about how much it will cost to offer a public health care plan to citizens. That's an insult! The people who are arguing against a plan to cover health care for all citizens are on such a plan themselves. That's an insult!

On "This Week"

When George Will comes back...

Keep Noonan.

Can Krugman.

Krugman is the weak link in this broadcast.

When discussing health care the idea of "choice" was briefly touched on.
As a high school counselor it occurred to me that if choice is an option don't you think that most school districts in the U.S. will make the government's option the only option. Would the school districts look at Public health care as the only option and something they would not have to pay for any longer?

The contrast between the lucid, wonderful insight of Michael Eric Dyson and the created world of Peggy Noonan was striking. Every time I hear Peggy Noonan speak, I think, "She couldn't be more wrong about the world." Bring back George Will. I don't always agree with him but his views reflect knowledge of the world more than the views of Peggy Noonan.

Sanford is a Republican, typical of people like Noonan to call him a Libertarian. We are a government of Crooks and we need to put them in general population in prison. He used, i.e.,stole money from the taxpayers, and paying it back does not excuse criminal activity.
Noonan's condensending smarty pants attitude is not worthy of portraying her as a news person.
Let's stop the gossip and concentrate on our border with Mexico and the disgrace caused by your not reporting the horror worse than all of the Iraq mess.
My Goodness Noonan go away.

To Sunny,
I'm 60 and totally agree with you about Obama. But not about older boomers. I have many friends my age and older that would like to see Obama go faster.

Krugman's the smartest person on the panel. If you don't realize that you're in denial.

The audacity of Sanford to compare himself to King David. It shows that he has a very high opinion of himself.

he should do the state of SC and the GOP a service by resigning.

Peggy Noonan keeps talking about cap and trade being a tax.
Well,
Insurance rates being hiked to unaffordable rates in Florida because of increased hurricane risk is a tax. Not to mention the massive foreclosure rates in Florida at least partly caused by unaffordable home insurance is a tax.
Devaluing all of the property along the coast line because of flooding would be a tax.

Mass migration inward of everyone living along the coast would be a hug tax for everyone in this country.

Cost of food going up because of widespread drought and flooding of the country's farmland would be a tax.

Decreased quality of life because of higher worldwide temps would be a tax because we would have to pay higher air conditioning costs.

More mass evacuations in hurricane areas would be a tax.

Maybe the country should focus its efforts on actually solving global warming the best way possible instead of engaging in arguments that have no meaning, other than to misinform.

The republican party will fail in its comeback efforts because it has hung out a sign on its door that says:

Wisemen are not welcome in this party. If you try to join, you will be ignored. However, if you are short-sighted, morally hypocritical, and foolish, we will welcome you with open arms.

peggy noonan is the worst. she speaks in slow motion and is so condescending. you are not a poet peggy! you are making political commentary, get over yourself.

Ms. Elliot, point taken and my apologies to you and all older boomers.

Bill Clinton,Eliot Spitzer,Ted Kennedy,all Democrats have one thing in common with Sanford,infidelity.Only Spitzer did the right thing and resigned,Sanford should resign also.Why can't ABC News get after a story like they did on this one?They have many targets in the Democratic party that need to be investigated for instance,Chris Dodd,Barney Frank,Nancy Pelosi,Maxine Waters,Charlie Rangel,Murtha and who could forget Roland Burris.ABC do your job and quit playing favorites,report on both Republican and Democrat and let the people decide for themselves which crook needs to be kicked out.

This is unbelievable. We shouldn't lower the bar for our public officials and just accept this kind of behavior. There are those out that that don't do this. The panel acted like everyone commits adultery and we should just get used to it. Just throw Sanford away and get someone in there who isn't an adulterer and is trustworthy. There are millions of people who would never do what this guy did.