Obama will run again. If he faces a challenge, it will be from the extreme left of the party. Perhaps Feingold.

which brings us back to the amnesia (etc) thing and the baffling nature of it all

I'll try not to gloat. What bugs me is Obama wants to charge those of us who don't have health insurance for not having it. If we don't have it it's because we can't afford it. If we can't afford it, then we sure can't afford the fee for not having it. YUCK...

I'm not that baffled. We elected Reagan how many years after Nixon? I would complain about that sort of thing and my father would say, "Don't believe people actually care or think about it that deeply." Studies I've read indicate a good many people make up their minds as they drive to the voting booth. I voted for Obama purely on the reactions of the black people around me who wanted it so badly because frankly, he was inexperienced and completely unqualified for the job. I watched the feminists I knew swoon over him and overlook the fact that his campaign had created urinal cakes with Clinton's picture on them. But given the choices given, he was and is the guy. Rah...

So no, the voting behaviors aren't that mystifying. Politics is a game of emotions, not logic or even common sense and that is as true of the left, the top, the right, the bottom and the center. Life among the mammals.

GW was on TV this morning. He shows no remorse and believes history will justify him. Given the echo chambers of the left and the right, what comes next is predictable. Anyone trying to defeat the Republicans will have to couple good news, common sense and excitement in a way that is louder and more frequent than smirk and disgust. No one wins an election calling the voters stupid. They may be but it doesn't matter.

As Larry says, Obama will run again. His only real competition would be Hillary Clinton and she won't run against him. It would rend the party and she is too loyal and effective for that. Also, she has enough power and she uses it smartly. Obama will be running against Palin, Romney, Pawlenty etc. From this vantage point, his ace in the hole is the Republicans need to destroy Palin first and that can get fugly.

I think he can win handily if things in the economy go as I expect them to. Real change? I've never believed that would happen but I've been wrong before and will be again.

Cheryl, you are very confused or misinformed about the health care bill as it currently exists. Noone is going to penalize you as an individual for not being able to afford insurance.
The very goal of the bill was to try and secure coverage for more people. Had the 'public' option become a reality, you'd have found it very easy to find an affordable insurer, NOT of last resort. But then again, if you're over 65, you have that option today... it's called Medicare, and it's been working fine for all these years. And yes, there is a 'penalty' built into it... if you don't join up in reasonable time, you pay more in premiums later on. Basically because the concept works best when all join in. Socialism?? What's in a name?

What Arnie said, Cheryl, and I think I tried to explain that to you once before. The right wing has demagogued this health care issue so much, that nobody knows exactly where they stand in it.

I'm actually looking forward to the hearings that will be conducted on health care. I fully expect that when the facts are on the table, many people who think they're against the new law will decide they're for it. Also, there will undoubtedly be some "tweaking" of it, a good thing generally.

I guess we're not going to hear from ADG' probably too busy on the road.


mikey

???


okay, you are right...if only hillary clinton were president instead, everything would be all fixed by now!

getting on a reasonable trajectory, and then staying would be the idea i think...would be nice

Arnie, mikey, and Cheryl H -- I'm pretty much on the same "side" as A&M, but the health care reform law as enacted did contain a provision that creates a tax on individuals who don't buy health insurance. It's not much of one, though: it doesn't really kick in till 2016, and doesn't apply if your adjusted gross income is below poverty level ($10,830 for a single person) or if insurance would cost you more than 8% of your monthly income. The tax is $695 or 2.5% of adjusted gross income, whichever is higher. There's a good explanation of it in this article:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-k ... andat.html

Thanks for the info ya'll. If I can't pay for my insurance Obama needs to step in and make sure we who need the medical care get free medical and not have to pay...

yes, sorry I was not clear about that. The same way Medicare 'penalizes' you for CHOOSING not to enroll in a timely manner, the new Health Care bill does provide a 'penalty' if you CHOOSE not to get Health Insurance. It clearly does NOT penalize you for not being able to afford insurance. I have to go back to the bill later, because I did think this 'non-enrollment' tax was a burden on the employer, not the employee, but I could be mistaken.

In any event, what has me quizzled Cheryl (and lord knows much of what you say quizzles me!) is when you say:


Why do you believe you should get something FREE? And why do you believe it is Obama (and thus the Government) who should provide it?
Are you a closet Liberal??

Seriously, if you can't afford your health care, why is it an automatic expectation to get it free? Why not instead: I'll pay what I can, when I can, but in the meantime could use some help!

something about the old adage, Give a man a Fish, he eats for a day, Teach a man to Fish, he starves when the river gets polluted by that big chemical plant upstream!! (or something like that, huh?)

Hey Cheryl (and anyone else who is interested)...

The Health Reform Law has provisions to help those with no current insurance and who are in lower income brackets. There are tax credits that would lower the amount of tax you would pay, to help cover the cost of your insurance ... and there are subsidies to help the lowest income people to pay the insurance premiums.

There's a 'calculator' that can help you figure out what it may cost, and what help you would be eligible for based on income at this website:
http://healthreform.kff.org/Subsidycalculator.aspx

All you have to do is plug in the income you anticipate for 2014 (when this part of the law takes effect) and a little other information, and you'll be able to see how this law can help you.

Thanks Wyld, that is a very cool tool!!!

Thanks so much for the info ya'll. Makes me feel a little better about things. When I was referring to Obama paying for me it was cuz I was ticked that he would charge folks for not having insurance. Hopefully they will get something that works out for all. I'm not a closet liberal but I do believe in helping the less fortunate...

Cheryl H. WROTE:

" I'm not a closet liberal but I do believe in helping the less fortunate..."


No matter what the label, that is the most important thing. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me

Cheryl, you weren't getting free health care when Bush was in office...!