I think Obama has slowly been playing chess 8 steps ahead. Checkmate is very close.

[patrice]

97. All good stuff, except that when you're talking about Medicare, it is a mischaracterization to

assume what "cuts" means, especially with the PP ACA in place providing a door through PP (Patient Protection) INTO - if I could enlarge this to foot-tall letters I would, but I'll have to settle for this - MORE DIRECT AND PATIENT CENTERED CARE THAT IS DIRECTED BY DIRECT CARE GIVERS (families, if there are any, nurses, CNA/CMAs, & doctors' team decisions about concrete outcomes) - not by high paid risk managers in all systems whose entire purpose is to get in between the care and the care-receivers for all kinds of political and economic motives that have little or nothing to do with, and in some cases directly EXPLOIT the people in our "care" factories. A HUGE PART OF THAT IS STAFFING/anti-LABOR strategizing which affects exactly WHO (with what kind of skills) shows up WHEN to do WHAT for people in need - AND THE POOR GET THE ABSOLUTE SHORTEST END OF THE STICK, OR ACTUALLY, NO STICK AT ALL IN THIS SITUATION.

These issues are being addressed, in just one dimension of this over all situation, by the formation of the federal insurance exchanges and THAT is affected by the insurance companies' perceptions of what they can get away with POLITICALLY (because, after all, their business is market driven), which they guage by all of the bullshit they can peddle on and around any Democrat but most especially PO. All of which SHOULD matter if you are, LIKE ME, a Single Payer/Expanded and Improved Medicare for ALL (HR 676) advocate, because if we can use the PP ACA/Obamacare to drive costs down low enough that will make Medicare an even better deal than it already is and THAT will allow us to PUSH for expansion of services to OTHER CARE MODELS and other/alternative services to include hopefully even full parity for Mental Health coverage.

Again, I'm not okay with the CPI, but I'm MORE not okay by people who lie about what is going on and take the definition of "everything is on the table" to mean CPI and only CPI when the people adopting that position totally reject that there is anything else FACTUALLY anything else that they, in their own best interest, ought to at least THINK about, because what I'm talking about above affects THEM waaaaaaaaaay more than it does anyone else.

But oh no, we're on the internet and bunch of reactionary people get a buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz on here posturing against the oppressor and end up cutting their own nose off to spite Obama's face.

You know what, this IS my life's work here now, until I die, I will be working on these issues one way or another, and I refuse, I REFUSE to work with anyone ANYONE who intentionally BLINDS themselves or others to the FACTS.

Everything =/= CPI.