The much awaited health care speech is over. According to CNN, President Obama got a double digit boost in approval rating from those who watched the speech. How did he do? Did he clarify his position? What assurances does he have that the Democrats will pass his version of health care reform? Did he compromise? Was he forceful?
Now that everyone has had time to digest the speech, does the Obama plan seem like something that will improve American lives?
Text of the speech:
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
ON HEALTH CARE
There are rather tight rules of decorum during State of the Union addresses. That’s not to say booing doesn’t go on. The one time I attended during the Clinton years, I was the guest of Republicans. I was told as part of the general speech the do’s and don’t. I was told I would be thrown out.
Those booing and heckling should have been removed immediately. Non members of Congress would have been. I just heard no’s rather that booing and heckling but there is no excuse for that either.
I generally watch the State of the Union Addresses and I never remember anyone calling the President a liar during the address. I have seen quite a few in my day also.
However, my criticism is of those who had unacceptable behavior, not of all Republicans. I know that Senators Hatch and McCain would not have misbehaved, nor would former Senator John Warner. I doubt if Congressman Frank Wolf or Congressman Young would have been troglodites either.
I was talking about the booing and heckling actually. I think the congressman who called the president a liar has been universally condemmed by both Democrats and Republicans.
I was talking about the article you posted. I didn’t hear much along the lines of booing and heckling in the video but I did hear NOOOO and that is unacceptable also.
I am wondering if the rules of decorum are different between just addressing both houses of congress and the State of the Union Address. Maybe they are different.
Wow, where to start. You may have noticed last night that the 47 million number that Obama and the Dems like to throw around shrunk to 30 million. Who left the party? Illegals Funny how they just left last night. Do nothing? No, but how many times do we have say what we want to do with nobody willing to listen? (and Obama’s nod to tort reform was an absolute joke…he won’t put his trial lawyer buddies at any risk). The best part of the speech was chastising “scare tactics” in the same speech with “companies will go out of business, people will die”. Unbelievable.
OK, I just thought saying NOOOO loudly is heckling! Well, maybe I don’t know what heckling really is. I would also roughly equate saying NOOOO loudly to saying BOO loudly. Well, it’s just my opinion, which isn’t worth much.
Actually, I don’t see a huge difference between a State of the Union address and adressing a joint session of Congress. Both are pretty big deals and don’t happen very often. One would think the rules of decorum are about the same. Then again, in Congress itself – is booing, heckling, or whatever allowed? I somewhat doubt it – I thought they even had to ask permission to yield time when someone’s talking, etc. It would seem that at the very least, the rules of decorum for Congress would apply to a joint session! Doesn’t seem like it has – for several State of the Union addresses and now this joint session. I would say both parties are just as guilty of violating those rules, with the exception of the “you’re a liar” incident.
Slowpoke, I got my figures from the Frank Wolf tele-town meeting. He said 46 million uninsured. (somewhere else I might have misstated 47 million) He said that 20% of those people were illegal aliens and to call his office for the statistics on this. Last time I checked, Wolfe was a Republican.
It seems to me that illegal aliens would have to buy health care outright or be fined.
Gainesville, I already said NOOOO was unacceptable. Heckling to me would be name calling but maybe it is I who doesn’t know what it is. I always think of heckling the ump…you need glasses, that kind of stuff.
I would have thought the rules the same. I think they should be thrown out if they break the rules. period. ‘Civilians’ would be removed had they had signs, boo’ed, heckled, or called out. Everyone should be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikcOmQZgf8
I dont want to keep paying for those who want to get drunk rather than get health insurance. How about you?
Gainesville,
I do agree that it is not realisitic to believe that this reform will initially cost us very little. However, if you look at the numbers if we do NOTHING, better to bite the bullet now then 20 years down the road when fewer people will be insured and more people being crushed economically by their health care bills. That is a recipe for stale growth in the middle class.
amazing that the Illegal Immigrant is the button that is getting pushed.
How much are we paying for smoking? Diabetes? Obesity?? and how much is that costing us?
The human is very odd, in that if the human has an incentive to do something, he/she will do it. If there is no incentive, then he/she will not.
Excellent point, Pat. Let’s throw booze in there also.
You mentioned something about people working places just for benefits earlier. People should know that Starbuck has health care even for part time employees, as long as they work 20 hours a week. They also extend benefits to domestic partners of either gender. They are an impressive company in that regard.
If people really understood that concept, there would be no liberals.
I’m with you there Gainesville. It’s very hard to promise something will be deficit neutral. I would be willing to do it if it were adding 900 billion to the deficit. Because there are just some things that are too important to the general welfare to leave them to corporate profiteers without any regulation. National defense is one of these. Transportation is another. And I believe that Health Care is a third. In all three cases, when we allow the people and the government to be exploited and ripped off by corporate profiteers, we all lose. Not just the poor people.