Political Punch

It's not accurate to say that Elizabeth Edwards is a cancer survivor when she is now receiving treatment for terminal cancer. She is working very ardently on our behalf. Perhaps she hopes to see universal health care within her lifetime, however long she has left. May her dream for others happen. I can't help but notice, shall we say, attempts to splinter and sway Democratic supporters. But I really believe unity will prevail, and needed changes are close.

I think Edward's would be a very good FIMA director. He could reorganize it and place an enfaces on poverty.

Hillary would never go Independent in 2008....But the election of a guy with no experience and no authenticity could pave her way in 2012.

Actually I think McCain will knock him off pretty handily.

After all how long can the mainstream media continue as an attack dog for Obama?...at some point they have to take responsibility for spinning an election.

More Republicans are created every day...We are tired of the war but we see the Obama spin machine for what it is.

Remember Wright? Research Rezco! You'll never get the story here.

While Elizabeth Edwards does the heavy lifting on health care, Michelle Obama -- who's been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year as a corporate medical executive -- joins Teresa Heinz-Kerry to host a "Stand for Change" rally in Pittsburgh today. Go figure.

necn.com:
"Harvard University's Institute of Politics has announced its Visiting Fellows for Spring 2008. Elizabeth Edwards, Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Andrew White will visit the Cambridge school.

Edwards, author and political advocate, will deliver a public address in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on April 9 during her April 8-10 fellowship.

Edwards is the wife of former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards."

I've got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old," Obama said. "I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby

And he exposes them to that hate filled church?

"PHILADELPHIA, April 2 (UPI) -- Abortion opponents say remarks by Sen. Barack Obama suggesting pregnancy is a punishment may hurt his chances to win the U.S presidency.

Obama, a Democratic contender and Illinois senator, told a town-hall meeting in Pennsylvania Sunday he would advocate sex education in response to a question about AIDS.

"I've got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old," Obama said. "I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby"

Now Obama is throwing his unborn grandchild under the bus. "Punished with a baby". Mark that down. You will hear that one a lot if Obama is the nominee.

HoosierSue writes:
"But of course, MA also has Deval Patrick, another "hope and change" candidate from the mind of David Axelrod."
-----
Patrick's flamed out on mobsters and casinos. Acevedo Vila, another member of the Harvard "post-partisan" litter, has flamed out . . . mobsters again, and "campaign finance".

How complicated IS this?

The Democrats can nominate John Edwards. Pray that they do.

For some Americans, this election is all about the economy and health care. Mrs. Edwards is in touch with the voters in this arena. If the DNC cannot resolve the issue of the disenfranchisement of the Florida and Michigan voters, you will see many Democrats change their party affiliation to Independent. Folks can say what they want, but in the end, we are electing a candidate, NOT a party. If Hillary does choose to leave the DNC, she would not loose support. So many Dems are tired of the DNC. We just want to elect a President who will move this country forward.

...and fed up all those things you listed were built by the RNC on the premise of bringing back "dignity and morality to the white house"... all built on the status that the White House was in after all that "stuff" that happened.

So you are right...more than half.

The numbers actually in the primaries don't say she can win as an independent... not even close... and the polls reinforce that even more but you all can throw that out there.

That would be the ultimate in self centered Clintonisms...and let me tell you...if she went independent you would see Rendell and all the rest take her down ...quickly. Because Darth Vader would be running amock.

Yer so crazy. I am starting to think you should keep on working for the Clintons these posts are doing her a lot fo good...lol.

and Bill would never let it happen...his legacy would be down the tubes at that point.

Hillary on an Independent ticket, regardless who she ran with, would liberate the Dems from Dean Howard's incompetency and it would ensure Obama would not win the general election. Obama can not beat McCain, without the votes of Hillary supporters. On an Independent ticket in the general election, Hillary would have a decent chance of beating Obama and McCain. Just the facts based on her support and votes in her favor in the primary.

hmmm. half , dl. what about being "the uniter"(sound familiar), gay marriage, abortion, burning the flag, second amendment issues, prayer in school, etc.

I'm sorry Fed Up

The republicans didn't have "dignity back in the White House" as the center of their campaign? Whether you agree with it or not that was half of their arsenal.

dl, polls in 2000 during the election process showed clinton with a 60+% approval rating. roughly the same number of people said they would re-elct him most people who studied the election felt gore would have done better if he had not tried to distance himself from clinton.
then there was florida...

Edwards would never run with Hillary on an independent ticket, I am pretty sure he wouldn't run on a democratic ticket with her (that I could be wrong about but you could even see in the Today show interview Mrs. Edwards defending Obama's healthcare plan and saying that this "fight they were reported to have" was "counterfeit" information that was being used by another campaign...hmmm.

...and I love the idea that you all think that Gore would be on a ticket with Sen. Clinton...you do all realize why he and many others think he lost more than any other reason... oh could it be the state the white house was in when the elections occurred.

LOL - you people are crazy.

Hey Jack- When is the media going to cover the scenario- "If Hillary drops the DNC and runs in the general election with Edwards"...I bet the Obama camp would not be happy about that !!!

I love it. All over the Internet today there is talk of Hillary dropping the DNC and running Independent. Now if we get Edwards or Gore to run with her...They could beat Obama and McCain...and our economy could be saved.

hillary/edwards may well do okay like lieberman did.

geevil, guess we should add that HE inhaled!!!!

thanks, geevil

dl,
i did not distort either did i. ...in the eye of the beholder...

fedup

I didn't distort anything ...but that is how this conversation always goes...
like talking to my father who is always on his heels ready to protect his argument for bombing the whole middle east... and can't break out of it.

my post was for dl

Wright and his $1.6 Million home and $10 million line of credit. Don't try to insult us by making him out to be a war hero uncle of Obama.

In an interview on "Morning Joe" this morning, Elizabeth stated that only Hillary's healthcare plan will cover everyone and be truly universal. She pointed out that Obama's plan to lower costs is fatally flawed since it doesn't demand that everyone be covered. In other words, Hillary has the superior plan. Which I guess the voters of Massachusetts (who have universal healthcare) knew when they gave Hillary the win in their state (even though popular Senators Kennedy and Kerry were stumping for Obama). But of course, MA also has Deval Patrick, another "hope and change" candidate from the mind of David Axelrod.

you can distort and justify your feelings all you want. that does not make you right or on some higher moral plane. you can try to blame all the problems in the black community on the government..sometime blacks need to begin pulling themselves up and not wait for someone else. all the other issues have spanned many, many, administrations. not just one. bho words may sound good to some, but there are all fluff and no substance, as is he. we will never agree on these issues. the party will suffer, as will the country. bho should have known he needed more experience/exposure to run for president. he has won on the black vote. that will not save him in november.

and geevil if you scroll down I wrote about this issue and the effects of a mandated healthcare plan...

...the primary numbers I posted are in response to a Clinton supporter once again trying to take the ball off this issue that is not going to work in her favor... trying to get a mandated universal healthcare package for the entire population in a system where medicare is the worst coverage you can get right now, a polarized congress passing it, and an economy on the backs of blue collar people who can't have the weight of mandates put on them from their salaries in the midst of a huge bureaucratic ovehaul...people that can't afford this type of policy right now. It is about cost and feasibility.

But you can tell the difference between people who have the experience of struggling in a just below middle class level and those who don't.

fedup...rev. Wright is more like an ex vietnam vet who has misplaced anger than a kkk guy and most Americans know that...

I keep saying to people like you if you went to a church where the Rev was a white vietnam vet and he saw his fellow vets living under overpasses and struggling in lower income jobs going nowhere because of the government, their kids not being able to pull themselves out of the lower income bracket because of the poverty effects...being succumbed to drugs being called liars because of their claims of Agent Orange...for the way the government ignored them...

and this Reverend got up and said "G.D. America" ... on occasion because he was angry that his brothers and sister were treated that way... but his church and his sermons were 90% incredibly positive to your community...

would you leave? I think a good person can understand it and fight against that anger in their own speeches and campaigns.

...and Geevil as I have said and most of America gets (including most republicans) Sen Clintons lists(and we won't go there again...we won't be dragged back down there) are much longer than Sen Obamas when it comes to scandals that the Republicans can use...so if you are going to keep trying to use that because Sen. Clinton's nomination doesn't win on much else... that is a loser for everyone involved.

The numbers are well in favor of Obama and so is almost every issue.

dl,
if you google hillary and her work in the senate(by the way she was re-elected by over 60%) you will see the long list of accomplishment, bills introcuced etc. compare that to all bho list of "presents". there is no comparison. and, again, bho supporters are forgetting a 20 year association bho had with wright, and to a lesser degree, rezko(sp), farrakhan, et al. this is quickly passed off as..."he did not say it". if a white fellow had been in the kkk for one year, and had even missed meetings you wouls be calling for their instant withdrawal for their racist hateful associations. well? what is the difference.
and "look at your candidate", and his wife("this is the first time i have been proud to be an american).
"take a breath and look at what bho has done for this country.
if you are pulling bill into this, google his presidency and its accomplishments. it is page after page. try it.
AND, i will vote for mccain. it is a done deal in my head. i have even asked his campaign, should hillary not get the nomination to put out shirts and bumper stickers saying,"Clinton supporter fo McCain".
the bho supporters have made it personal. i will vote for anyone but bho. i do not trust him as far as i can throw him.

I also don't think people realize that Obamas numbers in many of the primaries alone were in many cases twice that as McCain....so if those statistical numbers fairly hold even if half of Sen Clintons voters don't vote... we still win...because of independents...

the opposite is not true...if you look at on a state by state basis... it is all about margins...margins margins margins.

Sen. Clinton has very few states that aren't pretty close to a "tie" with Obama.

Good to hear Alice "We are are the ones we have been waiting for" Walker has chimed in with her white privledge nonsense. But isn't her endorsement redundant considering Oprah already did it.

Fedup

You are not looking clearly at your candidate...

She doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty (she is public office she had to fight for something...the question is why did she, was she effective and was she effective at the cost of the rest of her party and other issues that we need taken care of?) She also not only doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty (because she is not that loyal ...thank you Michigan, Florida,(who only get her attention after it only mattered to her), the people who lost their jobs from NAFTA, those who voted for jobs in northern NewYork that she promised, and the troops) matched with that kind of vitriol for her opponent...

Not to be condescending but you have to take a breath and look at who these candidates really are. Remove what I say or the others...look at what the Clintons really meant to this country. Look if you are actually voting for her because of what she truly stands for or because she is a familiar face from when we ran the white house.

I don't think you will vote for McCain at a time when the supreme court can go against Roe vs. Wade or our economy is so bad and there is talk of "world recession" and even depression. I think independents are more apt to do that.

Their are two problems with this discussion...

McCain's stinks because of leaving out pre-existing conditions...

but Edwards needs to understand that medicare is the worst medical coverage you can get...because you are covering so many with pre-existing conditions...

In a mandated coverage one of two things will happen... the individual price of things may be reduced a little ... but the comaprative and predominant weight of a proportional mandate system with pre-existing conditions will fall squarely on those individuals who are middle to slightly lower-middle class...slightly/lower middle class people are drowning and the surcharge/mandate/claim on wages is not going to help alleviate those problems unless it is teamed with a huge focus on costs...
If you are paying for every American and trying to come out of the system we have medical care quality will plummet.

In the medicare system the paperwork and lack of oversight has caused it to be the worst system with the worst care...ask any doctor or medical billing professional... you can not make that kind of jump.

So with these systems ...with a divided nation on this issue you are going to end up with a tax/mandate thingy for every American and an entirely new bureaucracy created from scratch... through congress... oy... it is about cost!!!!

We need universal healthcare but the transition has to focus on cost 1st. To implement a "medicare" type system has to take years and years... from the system we have now... and if you do it the Edwards way (and they obviously have never been on the side of struggling while working (and neither has Clinton...)

Look at Massachusetts...talk to the people who have gotten hit by the mandates... and the bureaucracy in a state that has tons of healthcare at it's fingertips. think how you are going to implement that in states where that doesn't exist.

To try and mandate a government mandated program is a nightmare from where we stand. and this comes from someone who has gone through long periods of time in my life where I did not have coverage because I could not afford it...but if you had taken more of my salary...I would have been homeless abnd a tax rebate would not have mattered.

Two-cats...I was a little confused when you said Hillary had experience. This seems to be a theme with a lot of people. Is that experience from dodging bullets in Bosnia? Or was that from being first lady and attending meetings and concerts with Sheryl Crow and Sinbad...? Then you said lets get "new" politics...Hillary certainly isn't a new name....

ANOTHERCAT....think about what you blogged when you vote in Nov...no matter who the nominee ends up being

Last pokk I saw, 2/3rds of Democrats thought Obama would stand a better chance of beating McCain. That's called a cue..."

The polls are vastly influence by media's manipulation of public perception. You can't take the Democratic electorate's opinion about who's more likely to win when they've been programmed 24/7 by pro-Obama media to say that. Particularly where you have media outlets like the Post that publish only polls that are in Obama's favor, but skip any that show Clinton ahead. Thus, we get a blast of media attention to Obama's popularity when he's ahead, but when he falls behind, we don't hear it. That's how we get such a distorted picture of who's likely to win, like New Hampshire and in the run-up to Ohio and Texas (and I don't want to hear about the Texas caucus, either, as far as I'm concerned all that caucus did was prove decisively that Obama wins caucuses where the electorate itself would vote for Clinton in private, general polling).

Rather than look at the polls of what public perception (which is easily manipulated) about Obama's chances are, look at the electorate voting itself. Obama has a very thin lead, most of it built up during a time before the media was forced to publish some stories about his negatives. Most of it was built up in caucus wins where Obama will not only not win in a general election against a Republican, but wouldn't win against Clinton if the privacy and convenience of voting booths were used instead of caucuses.

It is nice to see Elizabeth getting recognition for her own work. I hope Edwards joins the Obama team.

This is one issue on which Clinton and Obama agree: That Americans with pre-existing illnesses will be able to have truly affordable health insurance. McCain, on the other hand, is living in Fantasyland. He mistakenly thinks that less government regulation is somehow going to miraculously make profit-driven insurance companies start offering affordale health care plans to everyone. Delusional.

Kerry, I like everything you say except that you will vote for McCain. McCain will carry on Bush's war and further drive our economy into the ditch. He may be a good man, but he is a mistaken man whose political views are right wing and destructive. He will continue Bush's tax cuts which have benefitted the wealthy while actually and drastically hurting the little guy.
I want Hillary to be the nominee because I think she is the wiser, the more experienced, the more hard-working, and, yes, even the better speaker because she covers the issues. Obama inspires but Hillary impresses. However, if Obama is the nominee, I wouldn't even consider voting for McCain. The Republicans have demonstrated their incompetence for the last 8 years. Please, let's give America a good long rest from these politicians who can't seem to do anything right.

Mara, you hit the nail on the head about Tapper in his article about health insurance. Just how much would Tapper be worrying about the cost of covering everybody if he had a horrible disease like cancer or if his child, spouse, etc. had it!
McCain wants to spend trillions in Iraq but considers a decent health care system for Americans to be too expensive. It is a bunch of baloney that insurance premiums will be reduced. Yes, we have heard it before and watched those premiums skyrocket to unaffordable as time goes on.

Newsman, You are hopelessly besotted with John McCain.

When you get around to asking about the cost of that health coverage, why don't you ask about the cost of the war-with-no-end with Iraq. Exactly how much are Americans going to pay to keep an Shite government in place? And how many American lives could we save with those tax dollars?

Kerry, I wish you are John Kerry then Hillary might be better off now. I felt sorry for myself by voting for him 4 years ago.

Mrs. Edwards is so right. So many people are stressed out because they cannot afford to see the doctor anymore. My son who is an engineering student with no insurance and has struggled day after day with severe allergies, cannot get an appointment anywhere to get treatment because it takes close to 400 dollars just to get seen for an initial visit. That does not even include treatment or the follow-up. This is so sad because he still goes to school with a tight chest and weezing after a sleepless night and trying to open up his lungs by steaming up the shower. What is happending to this country? Just like Mrs. Edward's children, we have kids too who are trying to make it in life, and the future is looking so sad anymore. We need her and her husband to come out and fight for us along with Hillary so that they can kick some sense into those priveleged people who are so disconnected from the poor. Mr. Edwards needs to join up with Hillary and fight for this country like they have for so long with their records.

The democratic party, the DNC, the celebrity bandwagon, the biased media all set out to destroy Hillary Clinton. Then all the corrupt ion in the primaries disenfranchised the Clinton demographic… and may very well knock the best candidate out of the water.
Additionally, You all insulted and attacked a true champion for the people. For no reason but hate and spite. Clinton has the best health care plan available. But the haters were more concerned with bashing her than with the issues and electing the best person for the job.
Now…the disenfranchised may not come back to save the democrats in Nov.
Should have practiced the Unity that Obama preached- rather than playing the race card, labeling the Clintons as racist, excusing the Wright supporters as exercising freedom of speech.
Should have been fair and not tossed out Fl and Mi.
The ramifications will be felt come Nov.

50% of the democrats who have already voted in the primaries have voted for Hillary Clinton. We have 10 primaries to go. We have 2 major states in DNC pergatory with no redemption in sight and every day some Obama surragate wants Clinton to withdraw so Obama can win. Wishful thinking. It is rather presumptious to declare victory before the end of the contest.
Senator Clinton continues to be in this race because her supporters (that pesky 50% again) wants her to continue to fight for the nomination. They do it everyday by contributing to her campaign and by turning out the vote in key states even though being outspent in primary states and outmuscled in caucus states.
Every time some Obama surragate ( in the presence of Obama like Richardson or with his permission like Leahy) calls for a premature closure of the nomination process 50% of the democratic party is angered. Now just how many times do you think you can anger someone before they just walk away from ever supporting your candidate.
I would like just one Obama supporter to tell me how he is going to win in November if he encourages and participates in continually trashing the candidate who is supported by 50% of the democratic voters.
Obama started this in January when he said that he could get the support of the Clinton voters but she could not get his. Well Senator if your campaign and its surragates and your blog help keep insulting the Clinton campaign and its supporters, you may be surprised on how hard it is to convince them to vote for you. Oh yes that is 50% of the democratic voters.

This is kind of issues that need to be raised and discussed. Blacks are blindly voting their own. Obama is also helped by younger generation who are naive and unsophisticated. Ask any one of Obama supporters that what he has done. What is his strategic plan? The answer, virtually none or copy of Clinton's plan. Obama was against the war but voted to fund the war every time just like Hillary. How many time during the debate did you hear Obama said I agree with Hillary. Obama knows how to criticize someone else but can't come out with his own plan. Why is it so hard for Americans to understand this. This country is going down and will never recover if Obama is elected. He seemed too stupid to even come up with a simple budget. I guess you would manage well if you expected $5 in donation but got $5,000. Don't get fooled by this idiot, please. Wake up America and really do your homework instead of being cynical about everything. Look very carefully of what Obama has done thus far rather than be awed struck

Unfortunatly Mcains health care plan is the one we are going to have to live with if Obama wins against Hillary.Vote HILLARY she has the best plan and she will be oir only hope against Mcain,face it people Obama will never beat Mcain.I was a republican turned democrat because i know Hillary can run this country better then Mcain but if Hillary loses to Obama i will go back to Mcain and so will many many who dont agree with Mcain but i tell you he is wayyyyyyyy better then Obama at least i would feel safe with Mcain as President but i really hope people vote Hillary we still have a chance! Edwards step up and support Hillary we need you behind her God Bless America

It appears that "We The People" is right. "We" said some weeks ago that Edwards would endorse Mrs. Clinton."We" also said, it is his right to endorse who ever he wanted to. At least now it will only surprise those people that want to act surprised or excited(CNN, ABC,FOX) However, "We The People" will as well as Mr. Obama I suspect knew this was coming. Also Mrs. Clinton deserve to have those who respect her give her support?(questioner) calm down, stop being a web screamer,that is scary all day. "We" leave it you.

Agreed - who knows what the morning will bring. Thanks for the conversation this evening. Goodnight.

MIguy, no one knows what will happen tomorrow. One thing could be always right is never be poor. And possible you are better off when you are losing everything on the other hand in the America.

@stock_craft:

The sad truth is that the only thing any of us will be able to afford is catastrophic coverage at the present rate. The problem you are describing is one of cost-containment. No one is addressing this issue. Senator Clinton's solution as first lady was going to be HMOs. Although these saved money for the first few years, they are now rising in cost as fast (or faster) than traditional open plans.

Not to get into your personal finances, but you may be better off with a health savings account unless your diabetes is so severe that you expect hospitalization in the next couple years.

How much could I pay more? 4 years ago, I had to pay $500 a month with $5000 deduction for Hospital only coverage(without any precondition) for my wife and my self. And I never come to visit doctor the cost is under $5000. Today, I don’t think they want to sell me this price anymore once I am out of work because I get diabetes. They could possible deny my coverage because of no laws prevents them.

Greg,
I checked the factchecker at Washington Post. Says that the 15 million figure that Obama's plan would leave out is probably a good estimate.

I wish as well that there would be relief for the middle and working class, but my read on this is that a mandate would likely be an additional tax/expense/fee (whatever you want to call it) for the middle class. The poor and non-working can't pay more. The rich will have lobbies to prevent them from paying more. So who is going to get stuck with the bill?

@stock_craft:

Preconditions generally do not disqualify one from obtaining health insurance - it just increases the premium. And some companies place riders that you cannot receive coverage on that condition for one year after you begin a policy.

Now, if I build a home in an area known to get tornadoes, should I pay the same for home insurance as someone who doesn't? Pretty soon, we are all going to be paying for hurricane and flood insurance for those who choose to live on the water. Again, I understand your point and agree that there needs to be a broader safety net for folks in need. But this is much different than a mandate.

In fact, the current Health System is very good for someone very poor or very rich. No one really fight for the middle and working class. The poor always have medical while the rich can pay 2-3 thousands a month for the health coverage without any problems.

As crazy as Ron Paul came across, he was the only one addressing the harsh economic realities bluntly. We need to spend less. We need to save more. We need to pay for the mandates (Medicare and Social Security) before starting any new mandates. We need a rationale tax code. I'm not saying his specific ideas were correct; rather that these issues are probably the most important our country is facing (yes - even bigger than the 'war on terror'). Are people not evening listening to David Walker (head of the Government Accountability Office?

MIguy, I have very good job and decent earning right now. What I concern is the people don't have a job and can't get any health insurance because of precondition.

When the hyperinflation starts and things look really gloomy.....you'll be glad when you aren't saddled with all those medical bills.

Go ahead and mandate health care. They have already bankrupted the country and will soon collapse the dollar anyways. My pension and social security won't be worth squat anyways. I might as well have health care when it is time to retire. Hyperinflation is making a health care plan look better and better.

If my money is going to be worthless.....I have nothing to lose by paying more in taxes, with worthless paper.

Go for it.

@stock_craft:

Sorry to hear about the job thing - I've been out of work too and it stinks. But for what will be spent on healthcare, they would be much better off finding you a job so that you could afford it yourself.

Don't get me wrong, there are gaps in coverage for those who need it. My point is that it has got to be paid for somehow.

This issue is too important to use it for petty partisan politics. Honestly, your candidate preference doesn't matter - the solution is more important. It doesn't matter who is elected President on this issue; this is a Legislative problem not an Executive problem.

There's a great line from a U2 song that goes "You kill your inspiration, then sing about the grief." It seems that people are so interested in neutering our politicians that no willpower remains to solve important problems.

MIGuy, you will learn the lesson when you don't have job for 2-3 years. I always thought Hillary was silly when she proposed Universal Healthcare 15 years ago until I lost my job and can't find any work for almost 3 years.

With all due respect, what makes anyone believe that universal healthcare would go through this time when it didn't before? Again, it's a great campaign slogan but when it comes to the details of paying for it, a lot of people are going to have second and third and fourth thoughts.

Look, I'm all for universal birthday cakes too but not if I have to subsidize everybody elses birthday cake. Why should a young and healthy 30-year-old be forced to subsidize the healthcare of someone who doesn't take care of themselves? Many of the 40+ million un- or under-insured choose not to have insurance for fiscal reasons. They are going to be essentially taxed if healthcare is mandated.

Some may argue the necessity of the greater good to impose this tax (much like social security, medicare, etc). But any system that does not control costs, or penalize in some way those who do not care for themselves, will ultimately go bankrupt.

Al wrote: "Too bad nominating Obama will result in the election of McCain. Another 4 years we will have to wait for a good health care plan that covers preexisting conditions."
I wish I still have job for another 4 years. So I have no choice but vote for John McCain if Hillary gets abandon by liberal Dem and Dem Leaders.

From Ney York Magazine, since we are toalking of health care, here is Elizabeth Edwards fighting it out with Obama; you go girl!! :

"But now two months have passed since Edwards dropped out -- tempus fugit! -- and still no endorsement. Why? According to a Democratic strategist unaligned with any campaign but with knowledge of the situation gleaned from all three camps, the answer is simple: Obama blew it. Speaking to Edwards on the day he exited the race, Obama came across as glib and aloof. His response to Edwards's imprecations that he make poverty a central part of his agenda was shallow, perfunctory, pat. Clinton, by contrast, engaged Edwards in a lengthy policy discussion. Her affect was solicitous and respectful. When Clinton met Edwards face-to-face in North Carolina ten days later, her approach continued to impress; she even made headway with Elizabeth. Whereas in his Edwards sit-down, Obama dug himself in deeper, getting into a fight with Elizabeth about health care, insisting that his plan is universal (a position she considers a crock), high-handedly criticizing Clinton’s plan (and by extension Edwards’s) for its insurance mandate."

Universal Healthcare seems like a dream now. This will never come true if Obama wins the Dem nomination. Let Hope, Hope, Hope ...

I'm glad the candidates are talking about this issue, but seriously I'd like to see how they plan to pay for any reform. Medicare is going broke and now we want to cover everybody? How?

There is also the egalitarian and idealistic notion that everyone should be covered by universal health insurance. While I think that is great and noble, don't be fooled into thinking that this will increase the quality of US healthcare by any standard metric. The typical metrics (life expectancy, infant mortality) over the last century have been most affected by vaccinations, public sanitation, prenatal care (and supervised deliveries), nutritional improvements, environmental controls and child labor laws.

So we can spend a ton of money on the ever increasing healthcare expenditures and not reap 'measureable' rewards. We would be better off banning smoking, improving our diets and decreasing our weights.

The major purpose of any healthcare reform is economic - lowering the costs to businesses to make them more competitive. A secondary benefit may then be increased money for consumers to spend.

First mandated health insurance. Next, mandated life insurance. Then mandates regarding every choice you make. Am I alone here thinking that I resent somebody mandating my choices? I'm still waiting to hear Clinton answer a very basic question;how does she plan to enforce her mandate.
I feel that it is Senator Obama’s destiny to become the next president of the United States of America. Change is taking place at an exponential rate in America today and this dynamic young man will have everyone believing that “Yes we can” or "Si se puede.” “Que viva Obama! OBAMA WON TEXAS officially to day four more delegates than Helliery.

Jerry Zeifman, chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee and a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.

Why?

“Because she was a liar,” Zeifman said in an interview last week. “She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”

our healthcare is not bad-it just cost to much-and there is not enough of it to go around.

Obama stinks. He will get us McCain as president.

"Barack Obama only wants to leave about 15 million people out."

Come on... be serious, just for once.

Read the FactChecks on the Dem health care plans if you still didn't do so.

I have had a feeling for sometime that John Edward's wants to endorse Hillary. I wish he would throw caution to the wind and do it, now.