In Defense of Obama (Krugman in Rolling Stone)

[fbc]

Krugman on Obama in Rolling Stone:

But now the shoe is on the other foot: Obama faces trash talk left, right and center – literally – and doesn't deserve it. Despite bitter opposition, despite having come close to self-inflicted disaster, Obama has emerged as one of the most consequential and, yes, successful presidents in American history.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/in-defense-of-obama-20141008#ixzz3FcH02otq

[burnsei sensei]

1. I'm disgusted with all the

facile fault finding with the Obama admin.
Obama is the legitimately elected president. Just for that, he is far ahead of his predecessor. He has done the best he can with an obstructionist congress and a corrupt, warlike world. I am satisfied with his work, and will not dwell on his few mistakes.

[MBS]

3. " " "" n/t

[freshwest]

2. Thanks, there is a lot of encouragement there.

[Doctor_J]

4. A big chunk of this is unfortunately nonsense

And this big improvement in American society is almost surely here to stay.

That part is true, unfortunately. I am glad that Prof. Krugman has the clarity and nerve to admit what the BOG won't - that Heritage Care is not a "step toward SP", but it is our final, godawful system.

The conservative health care nightmare – the one that led Republicans to go all-out against Bill Clinton's health plans in 1993 and Obamacare more recently – is that once health care for everyone, or almost everyone, has been put in place, it will be very hard to undo, because too many voters would have a stake in the system. That's exactly what is happening. Republicans are still going through the motions of attacking Obamacare, but the passion is gone. They're even offering mealymouthed assurances that people won't lose their new benefits.

The ACA is the plan that Gingrinch proposed in 1993 to counter Clinton's Medicare For All proposal. The reason the Repukes are no longer trying to repeal it is that Big Insurance has told them to STFU, lest this debacle be scrapped for an actual health care plan that cuts them out of their guaranteed hundreds of billions.

By the time Obama leaves office, there will be tens of millions of Americans who have benefited directly from health reform – and that will make it almost impossible to reverse. Health reform has made America a different, better place.

A better place for the fraction of poor who were helped, and for insurance executives. For many of us it's a disaster, since we're bearing the brunt of the half-trillion in guaranteed yearly profits. In addition the president's duplicity (lies) about insisting on a public option have done an enormous amount of harm to the Dem party brand that was shiny and bright in 2008.

I miss having Krugman as a voice of reason that he provided before he decided he had to defend everything the president does.