re: #217 lawhawk

Maybe the issue was priorities - was HCR the top priority to be passed when the economy was still in a recession, or should the political capital have been spent on getting further stimulus via infrastructure to outlast the downward portion of the recessionary cycle?

You can argue that the two were equal priorities and that both could have been passed, but a President has limited capital to push on issues, and the economy remains the top priority (and overriding issue in voters’ minds). Did getting HCR limit the President’s ability to push for further economic assistance/programs? Absolutely.

Was HCR flawed? Absolutely. But the changes underway are an improvement on the system that was in place (with a cost that is still out of control - and may end up be a limiting factor in how much improvement takes place).

I have to agree. Passing a budget was first and foremost the most important thing they could have done. Climate matters above all else, because if we don’t fix that, healthcare and taxes and the government really quite literally, won’t eventually matter.

But I also think it is really important that the Dems could never get a consistent message going to save their lives. They could never stand up to all the lies and the propaganda from Fox as a party, only as disparate and confused sounding individuals. They all had to put their little stamps on things and cover their own fiefdoms first to the detriment of bills. Worse they continued to give away concession after concession to a party that clearly said it would not negotiate.