I was so happy when they yanked David Gregory off the screen and brought in RM and KO.

Gregory tries so hard to look like he knows what hes talking about, but he really hasn't a fuckin clue.

I wonder if Bobby Jindal will deliver the republican retort.

Watching the raw feed from whitehouse.gov..

*yawns*

Well, everybody looks happy.

Chuck Todd is a douche. Just throwin' that out there.

Watch it on MSNBC, if you've got it.

I think Hillary could fill at least 3-4 cabinet posts by herself.

It's always good to see her.

Joint Session!

Red tie. That's bi-partisan.

I agree with Kat.

I think Mitch McConnel's approval numbers just gained 9 points being seen standing next to the president.

Who's sitting out? (sorry....the trying to figure it out is defeating me)

Damn, there is a lot of red in that room. Nancy Pelosi fuckin' glows like she's radioactive. Aren't we supposed to be blue peoples?

Are they seated according to party? left side, right side? I can't tell.

Good start. Say stuff everybody has to applaud.

O.K. - I see the pukes. The ones not standing.

Pelosi is always wearing red.

It would be nice if Ed Kennedy was in that room.

Oh, such frowny faces, those glum Republicans. I do wish they'd tone down the applause, though.

"nearly every president" has attempted health care reform in some way. Ha!

I know which one didn't.

Hmmm...looks like they've filled the first couple rows of stage left with blue peoples. I don't think they've always done that. Lessens the impact of those not standing.

Good, starting on how backward we are. And yes! remind the insured that they're thisclose to losing their insurance.

Well they're all standing for the "No one should be treated this way in the United States of America".

Single payer! Yeah!

They are on that side because of the size of the majority Kat. It's been a long time since we have had this much of the House. Nice, huh?

"The time for games has passed, now is the season for action".....HELL YEAH!!!

They always say 'slow the growth of health care costs'. Never 'reduce them'.

(...c'mon...say 'public option'...)

wait for it...

He's saying a lot of the right stuff, but the words "public option" haven't been spoken yet.

BAUCUS!!!

Jump!

"No one should go broke because they get sick..."

The Republicans sat that one out. Not one of them even applauded.

Exchange, oh no. He's not going for the co-op. Please oh please no.

that sounded like a public option to me just now

"private insurance will be able to participate in this exchange"

but they wont be the only participant? the government will be a participant

Was Jeff Sessions Tweeting? How rude.

What was that interim thing he just talked about?

The pukes look like they all just sucked on lemons.

Here we go.

well, there were a couple of hints- but apparently "there are some significant details yet to be ironed out"

nothing new.

I'm still confused about the insurance exchange. Sounds like it would be purchased through private insurers only?

Name names, pleeeeeeeeze O.

the republicans are such soreasses

Booing from the peanut gallery. Brilliant.

Sounding like British Parliament in there.

Are the pukes actually going to start booing?!

Wow, he said, "It is a lie; plain and simple." And not one Republican even clapped.

(Did someone just yell out "Fuck you?" I could've sworn I heard that.)

No one booed shrub....fuckers

He's leading up to the PO.

Public Option = Competition

right on! ... and it's necessary. Just say it already!!

Members of congress booing looks really bad.

Choke on it, Repubs!

Hold 'em accountable, O! Wish the front row wouldn't be clapping so robotically. Put some energy behind it, Janet!

Oh, thank FSM. He finally said it.

Who called out liar and what can we do to get his ass kicked out or censured.. No one should be able to call the POTUS a liar.

Yay! He mentioned the public option, but now it's one part blahdeblah.

so there's the middle road. Subsidies are available for those who need them, regardless of whether they go with the public option or with a private insurer..

The republicans all look like they have soiled their depends and need to go home to mommy and cry.

Republican friends. Oxymoron.

HA!!

What legitimate concerns?!?!

Who's waving those papers?

and boom goes the dynamite. public option

And there's the rub. Obama said the magic word: CHOICE. Republicans hate that word.

Cantor's tweeting

He's a mister smartypants, isn't he? Fuck the Bush Administration and their trillion dollar deficit.

so wait.....public option is on the table?
but - what about the people quoting unnamed sources who said if was off?? how could unnamed sources be wrong???

I think I can see Boehner getting a little moist behind the eyes.

fair weather budget hawks.. exactly.

this all sounds so logical and right. something everyone should be able to get behind. Why are these boobs grumbling and grousing?

Because hes black and smarter than they are.

Yes I said it.

Ha haha hahahahahahaaaaaa. Calling out the secret Medicare haters.

Nailed the pukes on Medicare!!

that one jerkoff was shaking his head as Obama said protect medicare.

Nice shot of Joe Lieberman. He looks more and more like Falcor the dragon from The NeverEnding Story.

No, Ash...that's shit...not moisture...lol

It's about Goddamn time someone has called the lies what they are...lies. And the repugs don't look happy about it either. They aren't going to be happy when a microphone finds it way to their smug, bully faces. dicks.

I think unnamed sources might be wrong, ceu.

you know those sitting represent the 18 percenters. That's it. 18%.

one mention of medical malpractice, and the Gigrich-bots finally stand up in the wings..

Did I get that right?

The Public Option that Obama is proposing will only be available to people who can't afford other insurance? And won't be available to people who have insurance already?

And it's going to be mandated.

And nobody ever said it was off the table. I never did at least. Clearly, a shitty public option is on the table as a bargaining chip...but it could become a co-op or a trigger.

And progressives need to deal with it, the President says.

Ha! Way to bring up the tax cuts for the rich bastards!!!!

rofl @ Holy Joe as Falcor, nice Zirgar

It seems to me he is beating the Republicans up pretty soundly.
They look bad when they sit and grim when they stand.Some are sort of bouncing like they are about to get up and then don't.
And the dope that called out Lie did not help their cause at all.

Oh God, he's talking like a democrat, how dare he. Who elected him anyway.

60% of the voters?

Nail them.

We know these things to be true. Nice.

Invoking the word of Ted. That'll kill the Repubs who were dragging him out as an example that he'd compromise.

sarcasm, Ashby.

thems reteardicans are not serious,

gawd, if only they were half as smart as he is you might have a shot at a decent country

"Social justice". Fox News will have fun with that.

Beck is probably maniacaly scribbling on a chalkboard inside his dungeon lair at this very moment. The coming... Oligarhy, worries him

Kerry looks bored.

We did not come to fear the future, we came to shape it. Nice.

I missed this president this Summer. I'm glad he's back. I can't imagine what this would sound like if John McCain had become Pres.

if they were only half as decent as they are corporatist, then we'd be on the right track at the least.

are you trying to be ironic Steve?

yeah, Lee. You totally didn't buy into the "public option is dead" meme spouted by anonymous sources who supposedly told some non-profits to not spend any more money promoting it. Nope. You refuted that up & down the line...

Now, for the rebuttal, by Lord Twatty McDickerson.

I think the Repukes screwed themselves with their behavior. 'Specially at the end.

what were those weirdos waving in the peanut gallery anyway?

"I've got names!"

@Lee. You never said the public option's off the table? From your post The White House Vs. The Public Option

From Talking Points Memo "Low-level White House officials have reached out to certain reform groups that have staked their ground on the need for a public option, I'm told, and warned them not to spend any more money advocating for the (Public Option) --that it's just not worth it." ....

This isn't speculation or rumor or defeatism - this is first hand reporting from a totally reputable news source. It's completely consistent with everything we're hearing from the White House, as well. The fact that Pelosi and others in the House are coming out so strongly now -- before the sppech -- should also tell you that there's something afoot.

Sampling threads on a few blogs, it appears that liberals or progressives aren't going to be satisfied with this here speech.

Well, perhaps if they'll cry to the heavens a kind pigeon will listen to their pleas for sanity as they live in a burgeoning Republicon police state beyond 2013. No one that votes will, including independents.

Idle threats are for losers, so try not to make any here or anywhere else, ok, liberals and progressives.

Have fun watching the media swine pontificate and prognosticate.

I assume if Kucinich is smiling, that's a good thing.

Oh God! He's another Jindal!!

Obviously Lord T McD didn't listen to Obama's address.

Didn't the President just debunk everything this Republican rebuttle has included so far?

"Government takeover of your care"

This Boustany didin't listen to the speech, did he

@Lexaburn: That's exactly what I've been saying the past few weeks. Go ahead and vote a third party if you don't like how Obama is handling things. Then you can see what health care reform looks like under a Republican administration: "Here's your gun and King James. Go America!"

Eric, he's not another Jindal, the Lord is easily at least 50% less charismatic than Jindal. He makes Jindal look like George Clooney.

That was beautiful.

It's like Mr. Bad-Lighting watched a completely different speech.

Now for my favorite part - the CSPAN callers.

So now Obama wants to take away our freedoms?

Well, that was short.

Haaaaaaa! Joe Wilson shouted the LIAR comment.

Republican response by Con. Charles Boustany from The Strom Thurmond room of all places.

Their response is quite literally based on a foundation of discrimination.

Repubs as stage-props. Yep.

'Night all!

The President said exactly what I've said he'd say - he prefers the Public Option but it's not central. Further, he said triggers and co-ops are ideas worth exploring.

And he called for a mandate. THAT is central to his plan.

I never, once said he'd say it's 'dead' - I said they would dilute it down or change what it means. It's not the push.

And he said the private insurance industry is valuable.

This is a massive sellout to that valuable industry. It's what I've been saying.

Now watch as some progressives satart repeating 'it's better than nothing!!!'

QUICK! Before they change it!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wilson_%28U.S._politician%29

South Carolina, asshole of the nation? Mark Sanford and Joe Wilson.

Lee said:

And he said the private insurance industry is valuable.
This is a massive sellout to that valuable industry. It's what I've been saying.
Now watch as some progressives satart repeating 'it's better than nothing!!!'

First off, it is. That's a grim reality with our political system that no amount of wishful thinking will change. It was either Obama or John McCain, and we got the better option. (Or, yes, lesser of two evils. I'd say much lesser, but shit, it's politics.) In the meantime, the man can't just kill an entire industry. Yes, the CEO and higher ups are the worst group of crooks profiting off the sickness of others. But the insurance field employs a massive load of good people who work in the administrative offices that 30% of our premiums go to. You can't just lay all those people off in the middle of a goddamn recession. Granted, some of them could be employed by the government, but a vast majority would be on the street. That's the simple economics of the situation.

Actually I am listening to Sherrod Brown saying it was great and that he thinks the President hit a home run... That he felt that he endorsed a strong public option and that it was just what was needed.. Lee I think you must have heard something different than I did.. and some of the rest of us too.

Maybe you should go to Crooks and Liars..they seem to believe like you that the President has sold us all out.. at least that's what I was reading.. they are also ready to say that Keith Olbermann and Rachel has sold out too..because they endorsed the President's speech.

Keith has the Republicans looking pretty bad right now! The clown from South Carolina will be lambasted on the interwebs!

damn I hate type wad.

exactly Red...thank you. I tried to tell Terri that the other day. You said it much better, thanks.

@Annette--:)

I'm having a good time watching Joe Wilson's Wikipedia page change every 20 seconds.

Yeah I just glanced at C&L and everyone over there is shitting their pants claiming sell-out.

I watched every bit of the speech and I did not see or hear anything that the President has not said before, accept for the outright support of a public option which is a plus.

Where is the sellout? You were shitting your pants that he wouldn't support a public option, but now that he does you're double shitting your pants?

As was pointed out, tens of thousands of people work for insurance companys. You cannot put 50,000 people on the street over night in the middle of a recession.

I am very impressed.
If there are people on other blogs who are not able to take in all he said and accomplished with that speech, I believe they should listen again and pay closer attention.
While he decimated the Republican positions and attitudes he did not exclude them from what is good about the country, showing his strength and generosity.
I did not see how he could meet expectations but I think he exceeded them.
I think it was beautiful.

amen JDS

I just watched the "The Lie" video. Nancy Pelosi looks shocked, then she turns back to Biden and you can see she says "Joe Wilson."

Let's hope that asshole gets censured.

@Annette- I was just thinking the same thing. What speech did Lee listen too? I guess the one playing his head or the one given by an anonymous source.

@Redmond- Speak the truth, that made me smile!

Hasn't the Public Option always planned to be available only for people who didn't have or couldn't get insurance anywhere else?

If you had insurance through your job why would you need the PO? You have insurance so why would you want to leave what you have and get something else.. that's always the way I understood it.. so why are you arguing against that now?

be back in a few..nave to get something to eat..

Stranahan wrote:

And he said the private insurance industry is valuable.

You know how I feel about the insurers, but the truth is that that ARE valuable. Health insurance bridges the chasm between patients and expensive medical treatments. But that doesn't make the insurers great or admirable. The president wasn't embracing them, he was merely stating that they serves a purpose.

Adding...

Stranahan wrote:

The Public Option that Obama is proposing will only be available to people who can't afford other insurance? And won't be available to people who have insurance already?

And it's going to be mandated.

What the hooiswhatsits? I have no blinking idea what you're talking about.

Stranahan on Twitter...

I expect some fellow progressives to fall for President's Obama speech. Few independents and no conservatives, though.

I gotta tell you, there wasn't a lot in that speech to make me feel any better about the chances for a public option. He didn't cite any stats by the CBO about the cost benefits of having one; he didn't go out of his way to seriously debunk the notion that it would lead to complete government control of healthcare; in short - he didn't exactly give an impassioned defense of a public option. Which, in my mind, means he doesn't have plans to push one through.

I get the feeling that all he's thinking about is the 2010 elections. Otherwise, why doesn't he just do what Bush spent 8 years doing? Why doesn't he just ram it down their throats and make them say, "Thank you, can I have some more" when he's done?

We went from the promise of Universal Healthcare, to a Single Payer, to a Public Option, to the THREAT of a Public Option, to... I don't know what.

This sucks.

The takeaway, I think, is this: Obama is not going to veto a bill with a strong public option--stronger, maybe, even than he's advocated for. He will (it seems) not sign a bill without a PO at all. So it is now up to Congress (as it always has been and alway swill be) to write the kind of bill that the majority of Americans want.

He did cite some stats from the CBO, but kept it pretty limited. He was speaking not just to congress but to tens of millions of americans, most of whom have no idea what the CBO even is.

He never promised Single Payer or even a Public Option, but tonight he came out in support of a Public Option.

Many people, including myself, would like to see Single Payer, but you have to crawl before you can walk.

I wonder if certain people have even paid attention to what the President has said himself the past year, or if they just made up in their mind what he said.

Right now Hannity is devoting his show to trying to take Obama to task for demonizing the good people of the Insurance Industry. Lets see if the Republicans manage to get their sheep to stand up and fight for the honorable, God fearing Americans that work for Aetna and Met.

His guest is saying Obama wants to, "take away American's healthcare." I'm not even sure what that means, exactly. But Hannity isn't refuting him, so I guess he agrees.

I didn't stick around for the Repubuttal, but I have to say that once Mr. Obama got past describing the legislative and policy parts of healthcare reform and into the motivational part, I was deeply moved, only this time my soul was stirred instead of my bowels, like Dubya speeches used to do. That man was a natural laxative. Obama on the other hand is one of the best public speakers I've heard in my lifetime. He's an oratorical wonder. Truly marvelous stuff tonight.

But isn't that the way the system works.. Congress is supposed to write the bills.. and the POTUS signs them... that's what makes them LAWs...

He told what he wanted in it.. now it is up to Congress to do the reconciliation of the bills and get it done.

Sorry Lee and KSDem.. I don't think you are right.. I don't think he sold us out at all.. and I don't believe you are correct in your assumption we are in a worse mess than we were before.. I certainly don't believe we are owned by the insurance companies.

@Annette: YES! THANK YOU! That's why it was so important to call and write Congress (and the media, so they would stop distorting what Americans want from Congress.) And Barack Obama's Twitter agrees: "Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you."

MSNBC’s Scarborough Calls Rep. Wilson a Dumbass

PoliticalTicker"Wilson calls White House to apologize" -

That was certainly a new low in American politics. Can you imagine if a democrat had yelled out something similar during one of W's speeches to congress? My God, the outcry there would've been. Where are the republican grownups in all this? The moderates? I know McCain called Wilson out. But what the man did was absolutely shameful, disgraceful. It was an insult to the office of the presidency, and, thusly, in effect, to America itself. I would imagine that some of the more intelligent republicans have to know that they can not possibly win a national election by pandering to their "base." They need to WIDEN their base, and what they're doing is kamikaze-like in its stupidity. They might have some luck in the congressional elections in 2010 with this monkeyshit... MAYBE. But if they think even for a second that their antics are going to appeal to the independents and more-conservative democrats that are desperately needed by them to win the presidency, they are sadly mistaken. There has to be SOME republicans just shaking their heads in shame and embarrassment at the path their party has taken.

Fuck it - let 'em keep it up; they're doing a much better job than we could ever have hoped to have done at causing themselves implode.

I guess.

I hope.