The Note: Progress Over Perfection? -- Obama Allies Seek ‘Breathing Room’ on Health Care

One would think Grassley will be crossed off the list of workable GOP moderates...

The Democrats & Obama are waaaay off message on the health care reform. The grassroots movement is increasing rapidly & is refuting Obama and his congress more adamantly than ever now. Claire MaGaskill seems to be stepping back on her lingo as she sees that this movement is REAL and is made up of Americans who are against it. Obama's numbers continue to plummet, to the point that they are the lowest EVER for any president at this time in office. I would say that the Obama brainswahing has ended and reality has set in. It's time to move forward Americans, continue to let your voices be heard!

They really need to go back to the drawing board on this one. Why Obama let Congress have the responsibility of writing this monstrosity is puzzling.
The White House should have prepared the bill (a much shorter version, please) and then given it to the Congressional leadership to present.
Letting three or four different Congressional committees write different bills is ridiculous. There's no way out of this mess now since so many people are angry and confused, and the right and left wing zealots are only adding to the chaos.

Obama's numbers drop to 47% approval rating. The lowest rating for ANY president at this same time in office. The Dems have awaken a "sleeping giant", the American public. Americans are refuting Obama and his lies and will continue to do so. The grassroots movement is alive and well and growing rapidly!

SLLEPING GIANT-fox news talk

The grassmovement is alive and well

RIGHT WING EXTREMISIM IS ON THE RISE THE MILITINTS ARE RISING UP VIOLENCE WILL RISE! In other words the nutcases are coming out!

Every time the public catches Obama in a lie, it hurts his credibility on the entire issue. Why does he have to lie?
This bill won't survive the light of day. If anything is going to pass on healthcare it is going to be something that both parties and the general public can support. It appears they need to back to the drawing board.

The strong public option better be there! It is the only thing that will hold health care in check. Vote public health care straight up or down then we the voters have a choice to make 15 months from now with plenty of time to find good replacements.

Obama's ratings falling now to 47%. WOW! Rasmusen said his numbers have fallen faster than any other president in history. And I agree with you, Jeff. WHY does Obama have to lie? Why can't he tell the truth to the people who voted for him? Why did he lie about AARP? Why does Gibbs have to cover up Obama's lies? Mr President, deception is not a good thing!

Vote strong public health care straight up or down. Then the voters have a choice to make.

This is a mess. The left let the republican naysayers get hold of the reform message and spin it out of control. Trying to get a "bipartisan" bill with neocons? Impossible and fantasy! When is the left ever going to learn that you can't deal with crooks? Grassley is a backstabber that held up reform, but we all knew that! The democrats need to band together and get this reform passed! It's been more than clear for some time now the repubs are not interested in reform. They are interested in big business like health insurance companies. Tell me right wing representatives.......how much $$ are you going to get if you kill health reform??

Thank you Democrats and Obama....because of you, conservatives & independents are banning together better than ever before. Obama is a one-term President. The Dems will lose the house in the 2010 elections. Looks like the Kool Aid has worn off. Even the media has picked up on the deception the Democrats are spewing.

Say what you will, but the grassroots movement is very strong right now. Even Claire MaGaskill, after her town hall meeting, stated these protesters were real and the Democrats had better pay attention. There is power in numbers and the Democrats has solidified the opposition to anything Obama presents on health care. I agree with dk, the Dems have united the conservatives and independents.

Jeff

The "lie" you refer to is the fact that although the bill will allow people to keep their current insurance plans, there is nothing in it that will prevent employers from dropping coverage with current providers, just as employers drop or change insurance coverage at any time NOW.

Gee, that's some "lie." Somehow, I don't think its up there, on the lying scale, with telling people this is a government takeover, or that abortions will be covered, or that doctors will be forced to counsel seniors about suicide, or that babies with Down's Syndrome will be brought before a "death panel." Those, my friend, are lies.

We do need change - - but, put down the signs and bull horns and stop all this juvenile foolishness.
Just sign me up for the exact same Healthcare program Ted Kennedy has.
Good enough for our elected elite, surely it's good enough for me.

We can’t afford this healthcare reform that is being crammed down our throats by fiscally irresponsible politicians.

• Medicare has a projected unfunded liability (the difference between the benefits that have been promised to current and future retirees and what will be collected in dedicated taxes and Medicare premiums) over the next 75 years of 32,000,000,000,000.00 (32 Trillion) dollars. Social Security also has an unfunded liability but it is nowhere near as large as the unfunded Medicare liability.
• Currently, Medicare claims about 11 percent of federal nonentitlement tax dollars.
• By 2020, Medicare deficits will claim one in every five federal tax dollars that are not already dedicated to Medicare and Social Security.
• This means that in just 13 years the federal government will have to stop doing one in every five things it does today if taxes are to remain at their current level and projected Medicare benefits are paid on behalf of the disabled and the elderly.
• By 2030, the deficits in Medicare will claim one in every three general revenue dollars; by 2050, they will claim one in every two.
In a July 26 letter to the Ranking Republicans on four key committees (Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, and Budget), the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Doug Elmendorf, made it clearer than he ever had before that the bill, in its original July 14 form, would dramatically widen the already large gap between long-term government revenue and spending. Here’s the key paragraph:
“Looking ahead to the decade beyond 2019, CBO tries to evaluate the rate at which the budgetary impact of each of those broad categories would be likely to change over time. The net cost of the coverage provisions would be growing at a rate of more than 8 percent per year in nominal terms between 2017 and 2019; we would anticipate a similar trend in the subsequent decade. The reductions in direct spending would also be larger in the second decade than in the first, and they would represent an increasing share of spending on Medicare over that period; however, they would be much smaller at the end of the 10-year budget window than the cost of the coverage provisions, so they would not be likely to keep pace in dollar terms with the rising cost of the coverage expansion. Revenue from the surcharge on high-income individuals would be growing at about 5 percent per year in nominal terms between 2017 and 2019; that component would continue to grow at a slower rate than the cost of the coverage expansion in the following decade. In sum, relative to current law, the proposal would probably generate substantial increases in federal budget deficits during the decade beyond the current 10-year budget window.”
In other words, CBO expects the spending in the bill would grow at a rate of least 8 percent annually into the indefinite future, while the revenue to pay for it will only grow at about 5 per cent per year. Hence the “substantial increases” in federal budget deficits beyond 2019.

The first things the idiots in DC need to do is get Medicare under control and then address the growing debt of the federal government. For over 60 years the politicians have been spending at a rate which exceeds the revenue the government has collected, we can’t do this in our private lives and the government can’t do it either as the bill will become due and the only out will be the bankruptcy of the United States.

PeterPaul&Mary

The "grassroots movement" is alive and well and enflamed by lies spread by media millionares who KNOW they are spreading lies, misinforming the very people who need health care coverage the most, but who are protecting the status quo because it keeps them in their air conditioned offices, and funds their golf trips to the Bahamas.

Sandcrab1612........Good Post!

Here's a bit of truth for all. Republicans over the past 4 years have been thrown out of office as fast as the election process will allow. We overwhelmingly elected a President with the middle name of Hussein. Any talk of alliances between this group or that are purely wishful thinking and these phony baloney poll numbers do not reflect the trend of events. This is a win win for us either way if we get them to vote strong public health care straight up or down. If it fails we now have a list of those to blame and send packing.

Amy B Maine, answer me this, please. Why did Obama lie about AARP in his town hall meeting? Why did he "stage" the little girl to ask a question, when her mother lead Women4Obama in his campaign? Why does Obama deceive and lie so much? You are a supporter, why is he like this. Americans aren't stupid. Why did he go overseas and put down Americans? His numbers are the LOWEST in presidential history at this same time in office. Again, Americans aren't stupid! We're waking up and its not the GOP that is spreading lies, its Obama. Even MaGaskill (D) is saying the grassroots movement is REAL and the Dems had better watch out. Obamacare is over, it will never pass. I agree, we need reform, but not to the extent of deception like Obama is trying to do.

Don't worry about bipartisonship. Who in their right mind would want a healthcare bill written by republicans. You might end up with lung default swaps, urinary funds, clavicles, scapulators and scapulus.