This idea that the Administration botched the Health Care issue because of the way

[WCGreen]

it was cobbled together is only valid if you view the situation in a vacuum.

Consider this, the economy was falling apart. There was a general idea that we could be slipping into a depression like situation if any one of a number of problems exploded.

There was also the stimulus bills that were being debated that needed to be passed asap or the world economy could have imploded into god only knows what.

Plus all the hearings about new cabinet members.

All of that whirling around while Fox News was already organizing and promoting the tea banging crowd which emboldened the GOP in congress to dig in the heels and say FUCK YOU to president Obama and the democrats in congress knowing full well that the race card was gonna be played hard and often.

We were lucky to get what we were able to get.

That anything positive happened during that time in our history is a testament to the democratic leadership in congress and the personal steady as she goes demeanor of president Obama.

So I say to all the people who are gripping about the bill as it heads to the Supreme Court, we should take a minute to reflect on all those brave democrats who stood by the president and the American people and voted for the good of the country.

It isn’t all that often that any congress members put the needs of the country over their personal political careers.

It was a hard vote for many to make and it wasn’t what we all wanted. But the main thing we should take away is that if this survives the Supreme Court, the country will be on its way to a functional national health care system.

Afterall, we can fill in the blanks as we go.

[jeff47]

1. Um....no

The stimulus bill had already been passed.

The cabinet had been voted on.

The ACA took a very. very long time to go through Congress. Almost a year.

They were not rushing to get things done.

[WCGreen]

2. You have to take into consideration the trading that was going on for

the cabinet and the Stimulus Package and the deals that were struck to get those passed.

Like I said, it's um, how do I put it, not put together in a vacuum.

There was trading going on right from the start because everyone knew what was coming and what it would look like when it hit the floor.

I worked for the Ohio legistlature while in college and saw how everything played off everything that happened in any session.

I am positive that the same thing goes on in congress.

[jeff47]

3. The only significant horsetrading was 1) for the last few votes in the senate.

and 2) to get the insurance companies to not go scorched earth.

2) was complete very early in the process. 1) was complete very late in the process. Everything in the middle was posturing. The administration wasn't making deals because the administration was staying hands-off for the first 90% of the effort. That's why it took so long - there was nobody trying to actually get the bill done.

[WCGreen]

4. Do you work on capital hill or have any experience working in a state capital....

This stuff goes on long before and long after any votes.

[JDPriestly]

5. The bill was allegedly written by insurance companies.

It has a structural flaw which will may mean that the whole bill was a lot of noise about nothing. Including a severance clause is absolutely basic in any contract or bill. This was a stupid mistake.

[emulatorloo]

6. A Stupid Mistake? Tell that to the people who are benefiting from the law.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. I agree, and well said...n/t