He couldn't get a single Republican vote. He could barely convince a majority of his own party to vote for the bill. He couldn't convince a majority of the American people to support the bill. So what exactly did he achieve here? I'm not talking about what the bill will supposedly do. I'm talking his ability to lead.
Certainly didn't show how he can bring the parties together, get public support, etc. The fact he had to twist the arm of his own party (probably through bribes) speaks volumes.
When you read FoxNews, CNN, or pretty much any news outlet, this is a major win for Obama.
This is what he pretty much campaigned on, and if he would've lost this, he would've been a lame duck.
Now on the other hand, he's been able to do what no other president has been able to do before him.
JFK, Clinton and five other presidents have all tried to introduce it.
Whether it is a good thing or not, that is debatable.
But I think once this is put into writing, the support for Obama and those who voted yes will grow.
Because there is always better to be a "doer" rather than an "obstructionist".
Just look at the Iraq war.
It was the wrong thing to do. There were no WMD's. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attack on USA.
But it was the popular thing to do.
And those who opposed it back then really took a rough beating in polls.
I think perhaps the Republicans should've at one point decided that the bill was gonna pass and that they would be better off dealing in their own demands on condition on getting a unanimous vote.
That way they could've been seen as the "doers", and as the guys who made sure the health care bill ended up fiscally responsible and with freedom, et al.
