Slog
News & ArtsSaturday, September 12, 2009
Health / Politics Meanwhile in Minneapolis
Posted by Dan Savage on Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 3:21 PM
The president delivered his health care speech—pretty much the same speech he gave before Congress—but this time to a live audience in Minneapolis.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Unlike George W. Bush's rally/rimjobs, the Staples Center—sight of the president's speech today and Republican National Convention last year—was open to all comers. You didn't need a ticket, you didn't have to be a Dem, you didn't have to take a loyalty oath to the president. The crowd was large, lively, and overwhelmingly supportive—they were fired up—but at one point a stray teabagger heckled the president. The crowd booed the teabagger... and the right-wing blogs are now claiming that the crowd was booing the president. Watch the video and judge for yourself if this was a crowd that was hostile to the president. Or just watch it because it'll make you feel all hopey again.
1
So a crowd goes from cheering to booing and shouting "sit down" to cheering again? Right, okay rightwingers, exactly, they were booing Obama and not the teabagger.
3
sorry, can't applaud. The two senators from Minnesota are senators we have already got on board.
if he's out giving speeches that's great but try to go somewhere blue doggy where you actually need to get the senator on board. And I doubt the congressional districts in the Minneapolis area are where we are lacking votes in the house.
Give a speech in Maine or Arkansas or Montana.
It's all about those 8 or 9 blue dog democratic senatorial votes plus the two from Maine. We don't even have those on board yet for the watered down plan the president is pushing (lots of good things, great things, really plus a very watered down public option).
Um, howsabout trying to, you know, get votes in the senate 'n' stuff?
What, too LBJ??
In fact, why not give a speech in Maine and promise Snowe the ambassadorship to Canada/threaten her with a supporting a Democratic challenger next time? Right there in mudhens stadium or the seadogs stadium whatever their little triple a team is. There's only about 800,000 people in the state, how hard could it be to mobilize enough on the ground to change a senator's vote?
The effort is largely wasted in minnesota. We have already got Franken and Klobuchar.
And btw that speech wasn't so great for converting the undecideds, a bit more emotion is needed, like saying here's the Olsens, Frank Olsen worked 20 years at the maytag plant then got laid off so when he had two heart attacks his insurance hit a limit so now he's banktrupt and he's serving donuts at the local donut shop but his kid trish has to work there too and can't go to junior college anymore where she dreamed of being a computer programmer....their medical debts of $75,000 have force them out of their home and this is a crime.
And if he's going next to Canada next to freaking Saskatchewan -- where the wheat farmers invented socialized medicine in north america, back n the 1950s -- fuck it, why not just pull in a family of canadian wheat farmers to tell their story, too? Their daddy had two heart attacks and it's all paid for. And like Michael Moore's parents, they stopped visiting their kids down in the USA "because if you get a heart attack in the USA you end up with $25,000 in bills you can't pay."
compare the minimal effort to sell health care with his massive effort in every state to get elected. he's capable of far more than this.
for something he really wants.
judging from his efforts, you'd have to say he wants his minimal health care reform about 20% of how much he wanted the job of president.
More...
if he's out giving speeches that's great but try to go somewhere blue doggy where you actually need to get the senator on board. And I doubt the congressional districts in the Minneapolis area are where we are lacking votes in the house.
Give a speech in Maine or Arkansas or Montana.
It's all about those 8 or 9 blue dog democratic senatorial votes plus the two from Maine. We don't even have those on board yet for the watered down plan the president is pushing (lots of good things, great things, really plus a very watered down public option).
Um, howsabout trying to, you know, get votes in the senate 'n' stuff?
What, too LBJ??
In fact, why not give a speech in Maine and promise Snowe the ambassadorship to Canada/threaten her with a supporting a Democratic challenger next time? Right there in mudhens stadium or the seadogs stadium whatever their little triple a team is. There's only about 800,000 people in the state, how hard could it be to mobilize enough on the ground to change a senator's vote?
The effort is largely wasted in minnesota. We have already got Franken and Klobuchar.
And btw that speech wasn't so great for converting the undecideds, a bit more emotion is needed, like saying here's the Olsens, Frank Olsen worked 20 years at the maytag plant then got laid off so when he had two heart attacks his insurance hit a limit so now he's banktrupt and he's serving donuts at the local donut shop but his kid trish has to work there too and can't go to junior college anymore where she dreamed of being a computer programmer....their medical debts of $75,000 have force them out of their home and this is a crime.
And if he's going next to Canada next to freaking Saskatchewan -- where the wheat farmers invented socialized medicine in north america, back n the 1950s -- fuck it, why not just pull in a family of canadian wheat farmers to tell their story, too? Their daddy had two heart attacks and it's all paid for. And like Michael Moore's parents, they stopped visiting their kids down in the USA "because if you get a heart attack in the USA you end up with $25,000 in bills you can't pay."
compare the minimal effort to sell health care with his massive effort in every state to get elected. he's capable of far more than this.
for something he really wants.
judging from his efforts, you'd have to say he wants his minimal health care reform about 20% of how much he wanted the job of president.
4
Too bad no one from outside Minnesota can possibly see this speech. And it's too bad the president isn't going to deliver it anywhere else, ever again.
5
ah- a speech!
talking is Obama's speciality, you know.
that and making nice with the GOP.
keep feeling hopey.
enjoy the high.
before the crash.
talking is Obama's speciality, you know.
that and making nice with the GOP.
keep feeling hopey.
enjoy the high.
before the crash.
6
@4
It doesn't matter because this speech wouldn't convince any of the Dumb Crazies anyway. Nothing will. They're sick. Glenn Beck 'n' friends will continue to flash their Hitler posters no matter what. That's fine - let 'em. They're LOSING.
It doesn't matter because this speech wouldn't convince any of the Dumb Crazies anyway. Nothing will. They're sick. Glenn Beck 'n' friends will continue to flash their Hitler posters no matter what. That's fine - let 'em. They're LOSING.
9
His message may seem hopey, but they've got a lot of stones to try and call what they're doing now "reform". The lobbying money was too great for our elected representatives to resist, so no public option will be present in the final bill. They may pass a bill with some good things in it, but they won't have reformed the industry. The industry has set the terms of the deal. Our government is broken.
He could come give a speech in my living room and I'd feel the same way.
He could come give a speech in my living room and I'd feel the same way.
10
Sorry, Dan, but Staples Center is in LA.
Target Center is in Minneapolis and was the site of Obama's speech today. The Republican Convention was over in St. Paul last year at the Xcel Energy Center.
The Twin Cities really are two cities; Minneapolitans and St. Paulites at least do agree on that.
Target Center is in Minneapolis and was the site of Obama's speech today. The Republican Convention was over in St. Paul last year at the Xcel Energy Center.
The Twin Cities really are two cities; Minneapolitans and St. Paulites at least do agree on that.
12
@10: Minneapolitan would be an amazing frozen treat, I bet.
Maybe a soy version of neapolitan ice cream?
Maybe a soy version of neapolitan ice cream?
13
#10's right... and I can pretty much guarantee that the Teabagger was the one getting booed. Lots of people voted for Obama in this part of Flyover Country.
14
@3: Oh, and PC, Obama pretty much did what you suggest on Labor Day in Cincinnati, where we have our own havering blue dog dem rep Steve Driehaus. I'm sure there will be more such appearances to follow.
15
yup, keep on perpetuating that "us vs. them" mentality; that's the ticket.
dan, instead of using loaded language and pissing on them, why don't you try being a real journalist for a moment and try to figure out why "they're" saying those things.
oops, forgot that you're not a journalist and that you have no care or concern to seek any middle ground or peace.
is your bully pulpit any better than any other bully pulpit (except that theirs is bigger). you, sir, suck (and not just in the faggoty way).
dan, instead of using loaded language and pissing on them, why don't you try being a real journalist for a moment and try to figure out why "they're" saying those things.
oops, forgot that you're not a journalist and that you have no care or concern to seek any middle ground or peace.
is your bully pulpit any better than any other bully pulpit (except that theirs is bigger). you, sir, suck (and not just in the faggoty way).
18
I was there (at the Target Center, not the Staples Center) and nobody was booing the president. They were booing the clown that threw trash and started shouting gibberish. He was one section over from me and he was a CLOWN. He left waving to either side of him as if he had accomplished something great, when in reality, hardly anybody even heard what he said.
20
I was about to go all grammar-nazi on "*sight* of the president's speech", but the word "hopey" disarmed me with sheer adorability.
But seriously ... ? Does this mean you're a newspaper "righter" now?
But seriously ... ? Does this mean you're a newspaper "righter" now?
21
17
Dan's gotten his feelings hurt and he's not going to change it dammit no matter how stupid it makes him look.
Dan's gotten his feelings hurt and he's not going to change it dammit no matter how stupid it makes him look.
22
mmbb_c @ 15 -
They are saying those things because they don't want to have a black president, and certainly not a SUCCESSFUL black president. If he supported reducing taxes to zero they'd be against it. No matter what he does, they'll be against it.
Compromise with such people is impossible - they should be quietly ignored.
They are saying those things because they don't want to have a black president, and certainly not a SUCCESSFUL black president. If he supported reducing taxes to zero they'd be against it. No matter what he does, they'll be against it.
Compromise with such people is impossible - they should be quietly ignored.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (22) RSS