• skisnow@lemmy.ca
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    14 hours ago

    Never forget that Obama had two whole years of a significant Democratic majority in both Congress AND Senate, and still somehow couldn’t muster the cojones to pass anything even close to the socialised healthcare he’d campaigned on and had a huge popular mandate for.

    Someone please explain why it is that when Republicans are the minority they have the ability to block absolutely everything the ruling party attempts, and yet when the Democrats are in opposition suddenly somehow it’s impossible for them to do anything?

    • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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      1 hour ago

      still somehow couldn’t muster the cojones to pass anything even close to the socialised healthcare

      You guys are really trash at recalling or just looking up recent history. Many of us were there when it happened. We remember how it went down.

      Too many conservative, pro-life Democrats were against anything better, and they had barely enough Democrats to squeeze through procedural obstacles (filibusters) in the Senate. A number of them voted against the bill that passed.

      quotations

      The holdouts came down to Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucused with Democrats, and conservative Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson. Lieberman’s demand that the bill not include a public option was met, although supporters won various concessions, including allowing state-based public options such as Vermont’s failed Green Mountain Care. Many voted against the bill that passed: it barely got through.

      The White House and Reid addressed Nelson’s concerns during a 13-hour negotiation with two concessions: a compromise on abortion, modifying the language of the bill “to give states the right to prohibit coverage of abortion within their own insurance exchanges”

      On December 23, the Senate voted 60–39 to end debate on the bill: a cloture vote to end the filibuster. The bill then passed, also 60–39, on December 24, 2009, with all Democrats and two independents voting for it

      They chose this approach after concluding that filibuster-proof support in the Senate was not present for more progressive plans such as single-payer.

      Then at reconciliation of House & Senate bills for passage

      The remaining obstacle was a pivotal group of pro-life Democrats led by Bart Stupak who were initially reluctant to support the bill.

      The House passed the Senate bill with a 219–212 vote on March 21, 2010, with 34 Democrats and all 178 Republicans voting against it.

      Someone please explain why

      Because Democrats & leftists are better at infighting than setting aside differences to win.

    • Bloomcole@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      They simply don’t want to.
      Once it can happen, when it’s a pattern happening their entire history it should be obvious.
      The game is R: 5 steps right, D: 1 step left. But apparently americans can’t see it.
      Totally their own fault.
      it’s a running joke, especially now.
      The game format inevitably results in a far-right stage eventually.
      And yet they cry crocodile tears and are confused how they ended up there.

    • ALLHAILHYPNOTOAD@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      Obama actually ran on the heritage foundation Romney care plan. It was Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primary that actually ran on a public option.

      • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        It was Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primary that actually ran on a public option.

        Liar. Obama ran on a public option and no individual mandate. Clinton ran on no public option and an individual mandate.

        Centrists are allergic to telling the truth.

        • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com
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          2 hours ago

          no corroborating sources when linking them would have been trivial

          You settled nothing. Why should anyone take anyone’s word on here for it?

      • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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        13 hours ago

        He didn’t pass that either, though, only a massively watered-down version of it packed with every compromise the Republicans demanded, to make sure that the healthcare companies still got to keep over 15% of households in medical debt.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      Socialized healthcare was filibustered by every single republican, and in the 72 days they had supermajority WITH INDEPENDENTS one of which opposed public option, they passed the medicaid expansion which gave healthcare and in some cases dental to tens of millions of people. The time period you’re talking about was also the most productive congress on record since the mid 20th century.