CNN

poor analogy. barack obama wants a certain kind of health care reform to pass, and it hasn't been publicized exactly what he wants. it's fascinating that the american people, sensing danger, have spoken out against a government-led health care reform. if this were truly a democratic-led government, the american people would have been far more involved writing the bills for health care revision. but the american people have been excluded from the writing of these bills, not excluded.

If Obama supports any single-payer plan, and that includes the "public option", he signs his own termination papers for Jan 20,2013.

for the sake of sarcasm I have to do this......you have just offended many Americans who suffer mental illness by using the terminology of Sybil ...shame on you

great for democrats! now everyone will be able to compare the mindless ranting of Limbaugh, Hannity, Palin & Co. to the sound, reasonable and ultimatley superior logic of the Obama Admin.

Obviously, Rep Weiner (how do you pronounce that? Doesn't matter) never read the book. It was observed by Dr. Cornelia Wilbur diagnosed 16 distinct personalities. The book "Cybil" is based on the life of Shirley Ardell Mason and she and Dr. Wilbur worked on the factuality of the content and was one of the first publications to bring to public eye "Disassociative Identity Disorder" or commonly called "Multiple Personality Disorder". Shirley Ardell Mason died of Breast Cancer.

Note to author: She was a little more than a character in a movie.

Weiner is awesome! I admire someont that is told to sit down and shut up, but opens his mouth bigger.

The Rethugs have NO solutions...........the Rethugs Just Say No.

**I think all the politicians, the old White people protesting at town halls and Sarah Palin should refuse Medicare and any government health care.

Obama's 30th speech on health care reform. Yeah, that 'ought to do the trick. Like we haven't heard his position yet.

It's more like he hasn't heard our position. American's don't want a government insurance option. We want real reform like Tort reform. We want co-ops for small businesses. And we want the government to stay out of the insurance business.

The Democrats have the nerve to say everyone else is holding this up. They have the super majority and they can't pass it.

Why?

Because the plan stinks. And we don’t need another lecture from Obama to tell us it doesn’t.

The aptly named Weiner is just an obama lackey that needs to be sent packing in the next election. The people don't want your stupid health care ideas but, of course, that doesn't matter to the dumbocrats.

I think obama is the president.

Obama should be able to set things straight. Time to hear him speak.

We need more good congressman like weiner who actually care about the people. Good guys like him are a rare sight these days

I don't think the CNN headline of another article is corret that states Obama gets a boost from the AMA.
In the letter from the AMA there is no mention of a public option. And everyone wants congress to come to an agreement in the reform.
The letter also asks for two things the Republicans are asking for but Dems are not talking about. The letter asks for insurance market reforms that expand choice. Sure sounds like the Republcan suggestion to tear donw state barriers and allow insurance market competition to expand across state lines. And the letter asks for tort reform, something not supported by Obama or the Dems.

I have a list of how much each peson has received from insurance companies.. I post how much this one has gotten in just a second...

Health Care under the Obama plan:

We'll take out your kidney and that will cure you
No maybe we'll take out the liver and that will do it
No, let's take out one lung.
No, maybe if we amputate a leg?
Amputate an arm?
Okay, we will remove the heart ................ oops, never mind

That will be $45,900 please. Shall we take it right out of your social security checks?

I say enough is enough. Spell it out, forget the Repubs and get it done. Their job is to stall, disrupt, and delay then accuse the Democrats of not being effective. Be effective and ram it thru ( public option). ------ Has any pea brained Republican given serious thought to what this country would look like if we never had social security, medicare, or any of the other "socialistic" programs we have ??? Better yet, if they feel that strong, refuse to participate and reture your check and refuse medicare. --Those that did, I would respect.

Uh, I think Mr. Weiner needs to go back to Government 101, if he ever took it. The 'Sybill' syndrome we are seeing is a direct effect of the bi-cameral, bi-partisan representative Congress that we have! If you want to blame someone, blame the Founders. The House says and does one thing, and the Senate another. Constitutionally, the President isn't even suppose to be this entangled in the process, he is only to give periodic suggestions as necessary and to brief the Congress on the state of the Union. He is NOT supposed to draft whole legislation. Now he's being criticized for not doing what's not his job to do? He practically has to do it because Congress won't get off of its campaign finance padded, special interest kissed butts!

Leadership is whats missing from the White House..

The "blue dogs" are Democrats. They need to step up and act like it. If they don't, I hope they lose their seats in 2010. Not only will they have lost their jobs, but they will have failed the American people because all they cared about was reelection. At this point they are no better then Republicans.

Sybil is a good analogy. Because everything in this bill has multiple facets. And if it can be interpreted differently by many in different lights, it can also be easily abused by too many. Imagine what a talented Lawyer could do with this. Throw it out with the days garbage and start over.

It needs to be written so that an 18 year old can read and understand it and a politician can't twist it into another shade of gray.

Actually this 'wake up' guy is still sleeping.
May be he will wake up when he reaches age 65 and has to accept Medicare A GOVT. RUN PROGRAM because health insurance co. will deny him coverage. BECAUSE HE IS OLD.

And so ends the meteoric rise of Barack Obama.

His Presidency basically ends with this speech. Whoever said this topic would be his Waterloo was absolutely right.

How can CNN blame President Bush for Weiner's comments?Hmm Erica Hill can. watch tonight for a closer look.

By all means Obama should make it perfectly clear what he wants in health care reform in his speech. Would be nice to finally know, though I do think I already do know what he wants. I won't be one bit surprised if it is and always has been the HR3200 bill in the House. But we will see.
But in the end, once bills are presented in the House and Senate ready to be voted on, the American voters are going to demand that there is ample time for the American people to fully understand and vet them before they are voted on and passed into lay.
No more rushing bills before voters have a chance to understand them and express their views on them. Congress works for us not the other way around.

I hope it's not too little too late. Obama gave the Republicans fear-mongers a huge head start, and Bush proved that once you scare people, they are easily manipulated.

You know it will just be a "hopes and dreams" speech. Obama is leaving out details on the cost and who will pay!

Here he goes again! It's what "I want" and "I need." American's have voiced their opinion and it appears that most also want health care reform, just not what he wants to shove down our throats. The guy is like a rookie quarterback who gets to be in the starting line-up and the big bruisers in the defensive line tell him "welcome to the big leagues" as they walk away from burying him. LaBamba is not a leader. He's a guy who dreams big but when he awakes to reality, he realizes it is all just a dream.

Obama needs this bill a lot more than America does. Without it he's a lame duck with 3 years to go.

When a red state Republican reaches age 65 let us deny them medicare to save money, as they don't want to associate with a govt. run program.

The American people are on their own side, not either political party. All the polls show that the majority of Americans are happy with their own insurance plans, and while they believe that health care reform is important, they don't want their health insurance messed with. Can't the liberals understand this?

Big guy?

"But now the big guy is going to have his SAY," he added

He is having, has had, and will be having his say. Unfortunately we have to listen to his say..."Let me be clear on this..."We will pass Health Legislation this year" "The time to Act is Now"... "America's future depends on this"

Say anything you want President Obama...
Speak, state, declare, utter, pronounce, recite, repeat, indicate, show,
communicate, it is your gift after all.

Unfortunately it is the gift that keeps on saying, and saying and saying

More likely Obama is going to eliminate the public option in order to get a bill passed. If he insists on one, no heath care reform bill will pass, period. It's called political survival and his entire presidency will be riding on it.

What the democrats just don't understand is that a MAJORITY of the american people do NOT want a public plan, do NOT want an increased deficet of $1 trillion (or even $880 million), do NOT want higher taxes, and do NOT want the government control of a healthcare system that basiclly the people like. Yes, there should be changes to get some cost control, and we should help those who cann't afford health-care and want it (understand, that equals only about 13 million people, NOT 50 million which include illegals and those who choose not to have insurance), but another government program that we cann't afford (i.e., Medicare, Medicade, Social Security, Post Office, etc) is NOT the answer. And if the democrats shove such a program down the throats of the people, they will not be in power long.

You know, just because I'm good don't mean I'm a jerk, or am I? Na'h, I'm playing.

You know, this speech is arguably his biggest speech for his administration, I believe so. If he fails, he fails or if he succeeds, he succeeds. But I don't know, he does need to hit a grand slam, to put it in terms. And for the record, whoever doesn't watch this speech, is NOT an American...oh yeah, I can say that, redemption is best served as a jerk! Thank you!

U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!

I hear he's going to "talk specifics" tonight.

I say, hells bells... with approximately 20% of his one-term presidency already behind him, why start now?

There is only two things to count on with this moron in office, whatever he says will be a lie (kind of like no more taxes for those making under $250K per year) and that the state run media (CNN, MSNBC, NYT and the rest) will be falling all over themselves on how great the speech was. He is real good at giving speeches and saying what his people (dope smoking, non working, non taxpaying, Oprah watchers) want to hear.

Today I was listening to senator Hutchinson of Texas, she said that we Republican are very serious about health care reform.
I have follow up question to her if they are really serious than how come republican never solved it when they were in power for 20 years in Reagan and Bush presidency.

I can see why his name is WEINER.

He pegged it right, Sybil! Looks like the Whitehouse must have issued another all liberal blogger alert!

How many more days till we get to vote this clown out of office?

This will be the defining speech of Obama's presidency. Unfortunately for him, this speech will also prove to be the defining reason he will not be re-elected for a second term.

What a perfect way to describe this admin so far on all matters....

A little bit out of their minds, and changing opinions as the winds blow.

"I want my country back" ... I want less government and bigger and more powerful corporations and I want bigger and better businesses. I want less taxes, no more state and federal/national parks. No more local fire and police departments, we will put the fires out ourselves, we will help our neighbors and carry more guns to police ourselves. We will care for ourselves and teach our own children. I want the corporations to have the power in this free capitalist country, they will treat the people with respect and provide good jobs and benefits for everyone that they want to, and if they don't the people will vote them out ........... OH crap, I forgot you can't vote them out of power. Hmmmmm... what to do...? what to do...? "I want my country back"

Just more juvenile nonsense.

Excellent analogy! Wish I would have thought of that myself. The notion that the GOP are the ONLY critics has been tragically exposed as a lie, once again!

I think Obama will suceed as long as he is speaking in the tone and manner of voice for the 70% of Americans who do need this public option passed, it should be 100 % of Americans but unfortuntly they still have there eyes closed to what is really happening with these health insurance companies,

I think that most of us agree that healthcare reform is a must. Even people who have good health insurance (including me) are aware that we can’t continue with the status quo. The problem is that we don’t trust our government to make those changes, republicans and democrats alike.

"You never get 60 votes in the Senate or a majority in the House without the president standing up and saying, 'I really need this and I'm prepared to fight for it."
____________________

And there's no way you're getting the votes. Period.

Sayonara, public option. It's been real, it's been nice... but it hasn't been real nice.

weiner is not your typical liberal loony, he is the best loony.

Conservatives are certainly offensive enough. They make up crap, like death panels and converting our kids to socialism, knowing that those are lies. But, they are skillful at stirring up the emotions of the snake handlers and the dingbats of the far right. So, the country spends two weeks debating nothing. Then Conservatives forget about each lie when its power to stir people up wanes. They just invent a new one.

Who is talking now about Obama giving our kids a socialist message? No one. Why did we spend two weeks arguing about it? Because Conservative leaders just want to throw a series of wrenches into the gearbox.

I "bet you" that if we put this issue for public referendum, Obama will get the popular vote again. So those of you in Senate and Congress better watch it. We’ll vote you out if you don’t support OUR PRESIDENT.

I wish Sarah Palin would go away

Obama's arrogance will not let him back down on health care or anything else. He believes he knows what is best for everyone else and their opinion does not matter. His contempt for the public is displayed in his refusal to release any of his past writings or documents to clear the air and shut up the "birthers". He wants us to trust his health care proposals but he does not respect the American people enough to let us know who the real Obama is ? Like the Wizard of OZ " DO NOT LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN !". Obama prove to the public that we can trust YOU ,not your teleprompter or your spin doctors and maybe more people will consider your ideas. Last but not least how can we trust any proposal you put forth that does not consider tort reform ? Obama we will not give you our trust you must earn it !

This may be Obama's 'signature issue' but the economy is America's issue right now. To come out with such an obscenely expensive program at this very moment, it's very clear he is out of touch with what's going on in America outside of Washington.

Guaranteed it would have been an easier discussion if he would be able to talk about some of that success he promised from the stimulus bill. But he can't.

I don't know how people without insurance are going to be insured without a public option. I can't understand retired people being against it when they are on Medicare. Just phase everyone into a Medicare system and let them buy supplemental plans through an insurance co. Health care will continue to destroy this country if not fixed. No health care system can be free to everyone but everyone needs to have insurance.

For once, I partially agree with this Weiner.

These people who are using vicious retoric to scare uneducated, uninformed people about health care reform should be challenged. No intelligent person could believe anything people like Palin say.

I don't know what the answer is really.. but, i know what it isn't. Clinton says, look at Canada.. well..yes.. look at us.. we pay 66% of our wages into income tax to pay for our health care. ALL this covers is a visit to the dr. Drugs, crutches, home care..etc. you pay out the nose for it. we have the longest wait times IN THE WORLD... 2 years for cataract removal in some parts of the country. Much of canada is wilderness and rural communities will wait up to a year to see a specialist.. Unless you can afford the dr fees, flight and hotel, meals etc. to book a private appt. MRI's are wait listed into years, and private clinics have sprung up to meet the demand, it is 650. for an MRI. plus plane fare, hotel etc. Health care is NOT free in canada, and people die waiting. There are already "death panels" in canada. They don't call them that of course, but Dr's decide.. oh.. 67, smoker.. heart attack.. no specialist for him. I saw that happen. I think that sort of thing goes on in every hospital everywhere but its done quietly. So, look at Canada, this is a good example of what you don't want.

i'm waiting for Obama to get tough and grow a pair!
i'd like him to tell all these republicans who seem invested in such a warped sense of reality what the program is.
this is what we elected him for....
we're waiting....

Sarah Palin cost John McCain the election.

Why? Because she's a dummy. She knows all about foreign policy because she can see Russia from her back yard. Someone should tell her she can't.

I live in LA and told a Republican friend of mine that I can see Bulgaria from my backyard.

Sarah, raise your kids and SHUT UP.

when are you going to stop reporting the stupidity from this woman's mouth. she needs to take care of her dysfunctional family and stop with the rumor mill.

Regarding the Obama's speech to a special joint-session of congress today ( Wednesday 9/9/09).

As a citizen I need to hear very specific information about the purposed Health Care bill.

1. I need to hear what specific "tools and mechanisms" will be inserted into this health bill to "screen-out" illegal immigrants. Not just "claims" that they will not be covered, because I don't believe that.

2. I need to hear specific information on Tort Reform that either will, or will not be inserted into this health bill.

3. I need to hear specifics on how the health bill will not "force" anyone into a public plan now....or in 5 – 10 years from now, no matter how many changes they choose to make in their private insurance plans or change jobs.

4. I want to hear specific's on how ObamaCare will NOT be taxing anyone's private health insurance, in order to pay for anyone else's coverage.

employer coverage covers very little read the fine print

It would also help if he stopped that boombastic rhetoric of hollering and scolding The People and his opponents, and started making the case for a solution which will pass both houses of Congress. He may be smarter than most of us, but I have yet to hear the Big Ask in a humble tenor for some realistic baby steps. His Grand Plan simply isn't working, and his political capital has expired quickly. I will listen but I expect him to fail.

The service that Seniors and Veterans are getting from Medicare and Va is good , that means government can run health care and the focus should be on bending the curve of health care cost;
I love my post office and i would not replace it by UPS
I love what the police are doing
I love my university
All the above are government runs entities.

If you judge by the quality of the service they are wonderful.
If the judgment is based on the profit they generate you may say they are not well run. But public service is not a profit-oriented goal. The quality of service is the goal
9 in 10 Medicare recipients like it. Everyone will miss the post office if we privatize.
The government can levy the tax to make up the different of and that is true for the army and it is true for the health care.

We don't want Obama's Ration Care Plan. Period!

Certain groups of the American public, seem prepared to believe (what it seems to a majority of Canadians as BS from the right) that there are no advantages to be derived by patients from a Public Health-care system.

Many members of Congress (mostly Republicans) do not seem to be affected or moved by certain indisputable facts that: 1) America spends on Health-care approximately 17% of GDP. 2) This % of GDP is more than any other OECD country government (in Canada 10% of GDP), without securing the best health-care results for U.S.citizens; According to the W.H.O. the U.S. spends 23% more per capita on Health-care than Canada does.

Knowledgeable Americans understand that Private Insurance Companies (for Profit first and Patients last) are all about minimizing the payment of health claims by these companies and that Insurance executives are primarily interested in their bonuses and their careers. Insurance Companies are less interested in the need for an efficient, patient-oriented health-care system because that would challenge their profit targets.

Death Panels are as real as Iraqi nukes.

Remember when Bush put caps on jury awards in medical malpractice suits against obstetricians/gynecologists? Why did he stop there? Why did he not include neurosurgeons/neurologists, orthopedists, and other medical specialists, even for our regular family physicians and internist physicians (also nurses and other health professionals that require medical malpractice insurance)? It would seem to me that lowering the medical malpractice jury awards would ultimately lower medical malpractice premiums for the health care professionals, which would lower physicians’ hospital, clinic fees, etc. which would then eventually lower health insurance premiums by inciting quality competition between the health insurers for the general public which would provider better coverage/service for everyone, and saving us tax payers the Trillion or Two Dollars that our government wants to spend reforming health care their way.

Why is it every time I click on a Political ticket story line on the home page with a reference to a Republican, the first article to appear happens to be about a Democrat? I have to page down to find the article I am interested in. Since this happens 100% of the time, I find it a bit suspicious.

It must be....they got Cronkite.

I really wish she would stop spreading this kind of mis-information and I really wish CNN and other news organizations would stop giving her the platform from which to say these things.

Gary's comment:

I fully support President Obama, and I know this country needs change in health care, now the question is what is going to happen?

I am afraid "NOTHING", big business has dug in and they already have most everyone to the right in their pocket, so nothing will happen.

The Republican pary has made up its mind already, so no matter what
President Obama says before Congress tonight it will all be for not.

There is too much money at stake between the insurance companies
and others for "Big Business Right Wing Republicans" to pay any attention to the President or anything he has to say. Its already over.

The average American Tax payer gets it in the end again.

And if the President would have come out at first with a plan the same "critics" would have said he should have let the Congress do it and allow for a debate.

There is no way anyone can win in America today with pompouys pundits and editorial writers who think they should be the President, socalled journalists who think their job is to be stars and formulate opinion through anonymous sources, half truths and a lack of investigative reporting and elected officials who have made getting reelected their sole purpose in life.

It's not the "Sybil Affect" they have to worry about- it's the out and out lies and misinformation given by people like Sarah Palin ( see article just prior to this one).
No one has to agree withthte reality of the proposed bill, but make you decision based on the facts – READ a COPY of the bill! It's long, at times confusing so maybe look up the sections people "quote" incorrectly.

So the lying coward in chief has only been lying to us in the first 100 speeches he has given on this, or does his lack of snicker, snicker "leadership" show when he left it up to someone else to write the bill?

Sounds like he votes "present" as usual.

His speech will be uh, uh, uh the bestist speech ever and uh, uh Chrissy and Keith will get chills up their uh, uh, uh legs and the NYT's will call it a turning point and fuzzie bunnies will come out of his....

2010 can't get here fast enough.

I love President Obama and voted for him. I sincerely hope with baited breath that he gives some crystal clear details and not a vague outline of what this plan will entail so that the nay sayers will STHU. For real. I am so tired of Sarah Palin, Alex Costianos (sp) (CNN) and all the rest opening their big mouths. With the exception of Sarah Palin, why didn't the rest of them run for President since they seem to have all the answers. Sickening. I'll be glad when it's all over, one way or the other. I tune out when I even see mention of it on the news. It is my hope that it will pass with the public option.

There's a lot of Sybils running around out there and most of them are too incompetent to understand anything about healthcare vs. insurance companies.

The reason it is difficult for the democrats to deilver one unified proposal or coherent message is because the whole party is ruled by competing special interest that are looking out only for themselves. The democratic party isn't schizophrenic.......just extremely corrupt and self-serving. Intelligent people (aka non-democrats) realize this.

its not going to bring any focus. this obama has proven himself to be anything but a true statesman. i just wish he could be impeached

Frankly, I think he's done all that was necessary to work in a bipartisan way with the GOP. Time to move on and just get reform done.

FYI. I work every day and thought I had decent insurance up until 5 minutes ago when a referral clerk at my HMO informed me that the authorization for a cat scan (requested by the nuerologist for possible blockage in some arteries in my head) is "PENDING WITH THE REVIEW BOARD FOR UP TO 15 DAYS, BECAUSE CAT SCANS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE PROCEDURES." Her exact words...

So if I happen to have a STROKE in the meantime, that won't be expensive??? Guess not, since there's a 50-50 chance I won't make it. So who's in charge of my health care exactly??? Sure doesn't sound like me or my doctors, now does it???

Good grief people, please wake up...

finish it up mr. pres. and get the bill passed

Doesn't this woman realize that stupidity is not the key to staying relevant for the long haul?

If he hasn't spent all of the good will he was given as a Black man, a new president and by not being George W. Bush, he'll use it up tonight. If he pushes for a single payer plan or any other government owned entity plan he will oficially alienate most of the voters. Tonight may mark the moment that begins the end of his political career. I can't wait!

Why does CNN give Palin any press? Leave it to TMZ or Perez Hilton to cover her ramblings. Palin isn't news worthy.

And the American public will get screwed again.