Lunacy: Right is upset that Obama is FOR Single-Payer, Left is upset that Obama is AGAINST it

To be clear.

In 2003, Obama made a comment saying he was for it. Since then, he has consistently and repeatedly said he was not.


To recap:

In 2003: FOR it

In 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009: AGAINST it



Anyone claiming that Obama is *FOR* single-payer (rightwingers) but is pretending to be against it is an idiot.

Anyone claiming that Obama *WAS* for it and misled the voters on the left by being against it now is ALSO an idiot. In both his senatorial campaign of 2004 and presidential campaign of 2008 he repeatedly said he was NOT for single-payer.


To argue that "Obama is NOT the change I voted for, because he was for single-payer until now" is to be an idiot who didn't listen to a word Obama said during the campaign.

To argue that "Obama is pretending to be against single-payer when he's REALLY for it" is to be an idiot who thinks a single statement in 2003 outweighs every statement made in the past 6 years.



Dennis Kucinich, at one time, was pro-life. Does anyone think he is "secretly" pro-life now?

Mitt Romney, at one time, was pro-choice. Does anyone think he is "secretly" pro-choice now?



At one point... early in his political career... Obama was for single-payer. He's not now, and never respresented himself as being for it in either of his federal campaigns.


You may be for single-payer or against it. But please keep it accurate when describing the President's position. If you are for single-payer, the President is on the opposite side as you. If you are against single-payer, the President is on the same side as you.

He basically says things like "it won't work" or "it's too big an impact to the current system". It's not that he's against it, but more a case of he doesn't think it can be achieved. Whether he means politically or functionally isn't clear.

heh. But yes, its amusing how the right and left hate him for being for and against the same issue.

Half-assed measures to preserve corporate supremacy are not the change we need. No matter when the president seemed to support single-payer in the past, or didn't, he needs to change his mind soon, and help to get us something approaching universal affordable coverage.

I got into an argument about this very thing a few weeks back on here. Obama isn't trying to pull some kind of "bait and switch" here. Agree with him or don't, certainly that's your choice. But don't pretend he claimed something he didn't.

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama promised single-payer. They both had some sympathy for it, but would not support it, because of how much it would disrupt the current system (and the American economy).