Mr. President, ‘Listen to the People’ on ObamaCare
During the recent anti-Mubarak uprising, President Obama told us he’d urged the embattled Egyptian to “listen to the people” in deciding what course to take. Whether or not it was the best advice for the now-deposed pharaoh of Egypt, it certainly would be excellent advice for our president himself when it comes to ObamaCare.
The American people sent him a series of clear and increasingly louder messages to back off from his ill-conceived takeover of the nation’s health-care system — a surprise election in blue-trending Virginia, a shocking upset in solid-blue New Jersey, and then the phenomenon of a Republican taking the 60-year Kennedy Senate seat in Massachusetts — but he rammed it through anyway.
Since the law’s passage he has ignored all signs that the people aren’t happy with it — an unhappiness that contributed heavily to one of the biggest “shellackings” a president’s party has ever taken in a mid-term election. In fact, that rejection was so comprehensive that it threatens to wipe out the Democrats as a viable alternative in some parts of the country. Still, our president continues to turn a deaf ear to the people.
True, he allowed in his State of the Union address that he might countenance a little tinkering around the edges of his health-care masterpiece, much as Mubarak sought to buy off protesters with promised concessions. But Obama has also made it clear that he’s willing to sacrifice his party’s majority in the Senate as well as the House in order to hold the line against meaningful change. (Whether all Democrat senators share his stomach for this fight is questionable, given Sen. Webb’s decision not to run again and other Democrats’ search for way to jettison the law’s lynchpin, the individual mandate.)
More than half the states have filed suit against ObamaCare, and two federal courts have also weighed in against it – the second one actually voiding the entire construct — although the Supreme Court has yet to have its say. When it does, though, it’s quite possible it will deliver yet another negative verdict — in fact, the ultimate one. Does it make sense to wait for ObamaCare to be struck down for once and for all, or get ahead of the curve if possible while also gaining back the people’s favor?
After all, the president came into office with a huge reservoir of goodwill — a large part of which still remains. Many of those who voted for him in 2008 will be looking for an excuse to do so again if only because they don’t want to accept the possibility that a presidency that began with such high hopes could end so ignominiously. He’s attractive, has a great presidential voice, can deliver a decent speech (although he’s no Pericles, as his media acolytes would have us believe), and seems to be a good family man who can even deploy some self-deprecating wit occasionally. All to the good as far as re-election goes, but maybe not good enough if ObamaCare is still rankling the electorate by November of 2012.
And, having just proposed a budget that attempts to put the government’s exploding spending, deficit, and debt on a high-speed rail line to nowhere, Obama definitely could use something to counteract the impression that he’s terminally out of touch with reality.
Let’s grant that, especially in a democracy, it’s good advice for a leader to “listen to the people.” Well, Mr. President? Are you ever going to quit covering your ears? Listening to the people would certainly involve eating some crow — that is, admitting you might not have had the best solution on health care after all while expressing earnest willingness to try another tack — but that would show a winning humility and might even top up that dangerously reduced reservoir of goodwill. Of course, you could continue to hunker down and try to ignore criticism like Mubarak, but wouldn’t it make more sense to just listen to the American people?
["Since the law’s passage he has ignored all signs that the people aren’t happy with it...."]
There is a constitutional ‘process’ that must take place after a legislated law in enacted. Unless the Supreme Court rules the enacted health care bill unconstitutional in total there is nothing going to happen to it so long as the congress is a split congress and a democrat remains in the White House.
The health care bill is to be Obama’s presidential legacy so why would he listen to the people? He had the perfect and constitutional evironment to ramrod it through regardless of what the people said. Now enacted he still enjoys a constitutional process ‘stacked’ in his favor notwithstanding a Supreme Court reversal.
Obama campaigned openly and honestly for two years on a new socialist national health care bill along with other socialist advancements and he got elected quite handedly….some would say with a mandate to do what he campaigned on.
The fact he is ignoring the voices of some is irrelevent! What is relevent are all the ‘fickle minded’ republicans and independents that voted for this health care and *$#!$#* in the general election of 2008!
You are right that Caesar will not listen, and even when repealed the major damage will already be done. As for their history Caesar and the Democrats have brought a problem that will take generations to overcome. However, as to open and honest you are just a tad off the mark. Like misses completely!
["However, as to open and honest you are just a tad off the mark. Like misses completely"]!
I’m willing to be shown where I’ve missed the mark.
Only about 40% of blacks voted in Chicago’s mayoral election. I think many black Democrats will stay home in the next presidential election if things don’t turn around. For many of us, he is a BIG disappointment.
The people, mainly the young and blacks, will vote for this man again.
The rest of us know better
,,you know…fool me once shame on you.
..it only takes a little bit of common sense to know he does not like America and could not possibly care less what we think, so far so good for him.
Anonymous – It’s obvious where many Obama votes came from. For the black community, yes I concede, Obama’s election was something many blacks (who see him as black anyway) probably never though would happen.
But, now the black community truthfully have to ask themselves (as well as many other young/old Liberal Americans who voted for him) is your life better now because of Obama? And how did he specifically make your life better? Did he pay your bills and gas like you though he was going to? Did the black community’s (as the liberals like to call it) unemployment go down or did it just go up another 9%?
All the warning signs were there and more than half of the voting population were either too ignorant, angry, or just chose to ignore them. Surely Obama’s election epitomized the dumbing down of America…
As it stands right now, Obamacare is dead in the water after Federal Judge Vinson declared the mandate unConstitutional. The DoJ has requested a stay on that verdict. But, hey, what’s the rule of law matter to the Despot in Chief?
Anyone who believes Obama is moving to the center is deluded after his most recent proclamation that the DOMA is unConstitutional in his view. I thought this guy was supposed to be a Constitutional Scholar! Where in the Constitution does it say that the Executive Branch can supersede the Judicial Branch at will?
* Make that — the Doj has NOT requested a stay.
The picture posted at the top left of this column says it all: Try to tell Obama something contrary to his previously established position and he immediately tunes you out. He falls half-asleep, no doubt thinking that your sonorous drone against the products of his deep insight and unparalleled wisdom makes an excellent lullaby but little more.
Barack Hussein Obama will not “listen to the people.” After all, “the people” aren’t nearly as smart as he is, and anyway, “he won.” There will be no significant corrections of course from this faux-president.
“Since the law’s passage he has ignored all signs that the people aren’t happy with it — an unhappiness that contributed heavily to one of the biggest “shellackings” a president’s party has ever taken in a mid-term election. In fact, that rejection was so comprehensive that it threatens to wipe out the Democrats as a viable alternative in some parts of the country. Still, our president continues to turn a deaf ear to the people.”
Why? Because Obama is a socialist, plain and simple. And socialists always know what’s good for people and socialists will never admit that their form of governing never, ever, works out. It is a giant Ponzi scheme that always eventually runs out of other people’s money and it only breeds inefficiency and corruption. Nope, this man will never stop until the United States is as big a failure as Greece, France, England, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Italy, all countries that are now bankrupt because of their massive social-welfare programs. If this president is NOT thrown out of office in 2012, there won’t be much left of this country to save. We will be broke, worse off than we are now, and our influence in the world will be negligible. We cannot, as a nation, allow that to happen.
“Listen to the people” means listen to the loudest voices, such as the thugs in Wisconsin.
The punk we have as president now, will say anything the tele-prompter puts in front of him. Except corpsman.
This punk loves insurrection, and he’s helping direct it in Wisconsin.
My only hope, is that it gets out of hand enough to bite him in the ass. And he probably won’t even pay much attention to that.
The Boy Emperor does not *listen* to majorities opposed to his dictates. He merely doubles down, while simultaneously announcing that “working together to build a strong America” (or some such gibberish) is his “Top Priority.”
You can cover your ears or cover your ass – but nobody has enough hands to do both. Obama has obviously decided his ears need more coverage.
I personally want him to continue to not listen to the people. I know what he wants and what he is, and I know that his possible APPEARANCE of listening would have one purpose only – to deceive. I want him to be overconfident and fail, rather then lie to us and win. And I do not believe that he will ever change, and my fear is that gullible American public will buy his lie.
So, please, Mr. Obama, do not ‘Listen to the People’.
This sounds amazingly like the Rush Limbaugh comment that he hoped Obama would fail (for which he was excoriated relentlessly). Interesting, is it not, that centrist voices are now expressing the same sentiment??
He has a lot of Goodwill remaining? Really?
Cracks are definitely appearing. Last night on CNN Wolf Blitzer was criticizing The One and on the same show Nick Kristof of the NYT called the administration’s policies on Libya “feckless”, granted,without getting his mouth around the word “Obama” in the same paragraph, but the message was nonetheless clear…..
Obama listens to the American people just fine.
He doesn’t give a rat’s ass what we think. THAT’s the problem. His mind was made up for him 30+ years ago, and he hasn’t updated a synapse since that time. He is utterly and completely locked into his marxist ideology and utterly and completely locked into his malignant narcissism.
Asking him to change ANYTHING, not just listening, is an exercise in futility.
This man is the most dangerous person to appear on the planet in 60 years; not because he is the most malicious person in that time, but because he has his hands on the country that has maintained peace for 65 years, and he is bound and determined to undo it and remake it in his adolescent, ideology rigidity. This is not going to end well.
Unfortunately, I agree with you.
I think “CHILDISH” is the perfect description for that President.Most politicians as well,but Obama is the BULLY in the playground.
Tyrants have no interest in listening to the people. The Marxist in the White House is intent on turning America into a 3rd World cesspool like Detroit and he is well on his way. He already has control of health, energy, and finance. Most of education is controlled by Demcrats and their union thugs. What else is left?
During the health care debate most polls showed a 60% approval for a public option. How come you are not pushing for that, since it is what the people want? Also, Obama’s budget cut a billion in spending. Why did you not mention that aspect of his budget?
Brian, remember he spent $876 billion on a stimulus that did basically nothing except get us farther in debt and postpone recovery. Obamacare will add to our collective debt burden. Even if his budget did cut $1 billion, that is next to nothing compared to the $1 TRILLION PLUS hole we are in. (For your reference, $1 trillion is one thousand times $1 billion. It looks like this: $1,000,000,000,000.00)
Key words: “During the health care debate.”
We’ve had another national debate since the law was enacted… it’s called the 2010 elections. How did the congresscritters that voted for the law do in that debate? Not that good, did they?
Obama is not “hunkered down.” He is convinced that he and his Csars have the intellectual elites self imposed prerogative to do what they are absolutely convinced is best for the Collective. He is a Socialist ideologue determined to “transform America” into his perception of a great but not exceptional nation, Green, with income leveling through “righteous” income redistribution. On his foreordained “rise to greatness” the rich must be taught when they’ve “earned enough” and learn to pay their “fair share” of the tax burden which will necessarily grow.
To expect this man and this crowd to react to the will of the people is delusional, wishful thinking. Don’t go there! Make Obama a one term President noted for his bombastic oratory, physical presence and promises un-kept.
The Kenyan could care less what we think. His life’s goal is to destroy our way of life and make us a Marxist nation.He’s not an american and never will be !!
You have not figured it out by now that Obama thinks he is the smartest one in the world. That he has to show us the errors of our ways and which path is right for us to take. He can make everything all better for us less intelligent ones, with his mere presence. I can not see how the world survived without Obama, making every flower bloom and bird to sing You know with the strong leadership he has shown to us and the rest of the world. Obama, maybe can get a job on the docks directing the loading of the last ships with the last remains of wealth leaving America. Good night Dan!!
Yea, right. He listens just like Castro, Chavez, Jung Il, Jintao, and Ahmadinejad.
The Bamster won’t listen. He may not be a Manchurian Candidate type, but he is self-programmed in his own way and reality was not part of it. Expect him to carry his leftist fantasies on to the bitter end. This is who he is. All of those gaffs, missteps, and outright stupidities were not committed because he is knowledgeable and possessed of a philosophical, open-minded disposition.
Meanwhile, in completely unrelated news, Pres. Obama is being sued by an empty suit for defamation, fraudulent appropriation of identity, and plagiarism: http://tinyurl.com/4vjx5be.