comment #1

Rich S. says ...

Well, I do notice that the only specifics of the plan noted in the commercial are that it will be universal and will save the average family $2500.00. But it's a short spot. I guess I can reserve judgment until I've reviewed the specifics of the plan on his website.

comment #2

JHRussell says ...

His plan won't save money. It will cost big money that will come from increased taxes. So if you don't pay much in the way of taxes now, why not vote for Obama and get even more from the government?

comment #3

Edward Havens says ...

We don't need universal health care. We need universal health care regulation. Most people cannot afford health care because of the greed of those in the health care industry. Government should be working on keeping health care costs down, not trying to get everyone covered whether they want coverage or not.

Heartfelt or not, it's disgusting Obama would whore out the memory of his mother for a couple sympathy votes.

comment #4

mutinyco says ...

It's false advertising. His plan isn't designed to mandate universal healthcare. It's designed to lower costs under the assumption that more people will buy in if it's cheaper. By contrast, Hillary's plan mandates universal care. Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html

BTW/ Yes, Obama is raising more money. Yes, Obama has the momentum. Yes, he might win. But...according to Monday's AP tally of confirmed delegates, Clinton is still in front by 1136 to 1108, as well as super delegates by 243 to 156.

This is why both candidates believe it'll be a draw. Even though Obama is winning more states, the split allocation of delegates is negating those wins. Sort of how Hillary won Nevada, but Obama got 1 more delegate than her.

comment #5

Rich S. says ...

I've reviewed the stuff on the website. Long on promises and sweeping generalizations. Short on specifics.

comment #6

Beaucoul says ...

yes, the spot is well-produced; it has a convincing back-story, excellent use of music, and talent so convincing, i'd buy anything he was selling.

but tell me, is he vying for an oscar, or running for president?

comment #7

tophertilson says ...

I liked A.I. better...

comment #8

JoeJustice says ...

Good ad. Although I wish it said "universal access" instead of univeral coverage. I actually think Obama is right and that a mandate is a bad idea that doesnt address cost issues. He should stay strong on his position.

I wonder if the snarky "where are the specifics" commenters are voting for John McCain then-- a man who has yet to produce a single health care plan or idea. (Let alone a single plan for anything policy related beyond, well, more War in Iraq).

You can fault the specifics of the plans, but both Democrats have excellent plans to actually address the problem. I think Obama's is better. But to whine that he isn't specific enough is disingenuous.

comment #9

JoeJustice says ...

For Rich S. and his 3rd grade research abilties: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/HealthCareFullPlan.pdf

comment #10

Rich S. says ...

Oh, I read that. My comment still stands.

comment #11

Edward Havens says ...

Joe, how does either Hillary or Barack's plans address the problem of rising health costs, which is the true problem? They don't. That McCain has no universal coverage plan means he's smart enough to know that's not the problem and he's not pandering to a miseducated and fickle populace.

If you want affordable health coverage for all, you have to make health costs affordable to all. Why do 30 pills of 50mg Zoloft cost around $150 while the same of generic Sertraline Hcl (Zoltral) is around $21.50? Because Pfizer doesn't give a fuck about keeping health costs affordable. They care about Pfizer's stock price and keeping their stock holders happy.

I wish a candidate had the balls to address the real issue of health care, instead of proposing what it tantamount to putting a dab of mercurochrome on a bullet wound.

comment #12

sardine says ...

It's a wonderful ad....I am for OBAMA TOO. i WONDER if he can win Texas....the Latino vote is for HC 2-1. Can he win Pennsylvania...and can he win in Ohio? the ad though is a good one.

comment #13

Midwest Doug says ...

It's a brilliant issue ad (healthcare) that in 3 seconds tells white voters "Hey, I'm Barack Obama, and I'm black but my mother is white; she loved me, I loved her, and you don't have to be scared to vote for me."

comment #14

sardine says ...

midwest doug, i agree.

comment #15

Rich S. says ...

By the way, Joe, I never said that I was in any way against Obama. Jeffrey asked for an unbiased opinion of the spot. I actually dug beyond that.

comment #16

Lloyd Dobler says ...

Universal Health Care is a pipe dream. It will never pass as law thru Congress. Obama's limited version might but even that is doubtful.

so voting for one candidate over the other because they off more universal health care is retarded.

Neither of them will ever be able to get this passed in the House/Senate. Esp since the Republicans will probably take back both houses(more so if HC is elected) in 2010

comment #17

bents75 says ...

"Heartfelt or not, it's disgusting Obama would whore out the memory of his mother for a couple sympathy votes."

Don't you mean he "pimped" out the memory of his mother?

And if it really is heartfelt, how can you suggest he's being manipulative? He's relying on someone in his own life, his own (gasp!) experience, to help make his point.

If it were the exact same ad with your mother instead you wouldn't complain. What's the difference?

comment #18

HillarySucks says ...

My Mother has Leiomyosarcoma and is alive today because she had insurance. People with the same disease in countries with socialized medicine like Canada and France can't get the same treatment my mother gets with her insurance because the government won't approve it. They think it is too expensive. If we do move to a single payer system like Clinton wants, my mother will lose the insurance that keeps her alive and be forced to go onto the government insurance which will almost certainly deny her treatment. I feel bad for people who don't have insurance, but there is no way I support a single payer system and no way I will vote for anyone who supports it.

comment #19

Chicago48 says ...

All his specifics are at his web site. His position papers and specifics he said so on 60 minutes last night.. People are too lazy to look it up... Jeff you may want to look into the latest news from the nypost.com, that the Hillary camp is now trying to claim the delegates from Florida & Michigan.

comment #20

T. Holly says ...

Two Paul Krugmans in one day, what happened to mute protest?

comment #21

thegreatmags says ...

EdwardHavens, you should be ashamed of yourself with such a comment.

comment #22

mutinyco says ...

Well, neither of them is going to get the troops out of Iraq either. But if you choose to believe one or both will, that's fine.

Mute protest in effect now.

comment #23

rocco says ...

Why do 30 pills of 50mg Zoloft cost around $150 while the same of generic Sertraline Hcl (Zoltral) is around $21.50? Because Pfizer doesn't give a fuck about keeping health costs affordable. They care about Pfizer's stock price and keeping their stock holders happy.

So naive, filmjerk.

Because the generic makers of Zoloft didn't spend BILLIONS on R&D, clin trials, marketing, etc.
It would be like you baking an apple pie that cost $10 and then I come along, steal it from your window sill, and sell it for $0.99.

Yes, Pharma companies make a lot of money, but then, so do doctors. Stifle profits, stifle innovation. I have no problem with pharma companies getting 5 years (which is all they usually get with current patent laws by the time a drug reaches market) of free-market profits for the risk they take and benefits they deliver.

Drug costs are just 10% of national healthcare costs while delivering disproportionate benefits. Unless a company is behaving like Merck with a repeated history of deceiving the public, we should direct our attention elsewhere.

comment #24

Edward Havens says ...

Thegreatmags, why should I be ashamed? It's a pure and simple ploy for sympathy, and judging from your reaction, it worked.

I'm sorry his mom died too young, but he's not the only person to lose a parent so young. To use that loss to troll for votes is loathsome.

comment #25

Edward Havens says ...

Rocco... when Zoloft was in R&D, Pfizer was only spending a billion dollars or so a year for R&D, on [i][b]ALL[/b][/i] their products combined. It's not until the past two years where Pfizer started spending several billion in any given year on R&D. So unless you are suggesting that somehow Zoloft was in R&D for seven dozen years AND Pfizer somehow spent eight figures on advertising from 2002 to 2007, your assumptions are off.

comment #26

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

but tell me, is he vying for an oscar, or running for president?

Considering how seamlessly this site has shifted from one subject to the other, what makes you think there's a difference anymore?

comment #27

rocco says ...

Drug discovery takes years, R&D and clin trials take nearly a decade...So after 5 years of working on a compound, a company files a patent...if they're lucky (we're talking 1:1000 odds) 7-12 years later that drug reaches market with 5 years of patent protection left...it's very difficult to directly correlate R&D costs with a particular drug....I just DON'T have any issue with a drug co. making profits anymore than I do a doctor (or a farmer for that matter). I DO have problems with a company like Merck, whose execs should be in prison and give all pharma cos a black eyes...

comment #28

D.Z. says ...

Havens: "Heartfelt or not, it's disgusting Obama would whore out the memory of his mother for a couple sympathy votes."

No worse than whoring out Iraqi vets at a fake turkey dinner for a photo op...

"That McCain has no universal coverage plan means he's smart enough to know that's not the problem and he's not pandering to a miseducated and fickle populace."

Or maybe he just knows as little about health care as he does about economics...

Hillarysucks: "My Mother has Leiomyosarcoma and is alive today because she had insurance. People with the same disease in countries with socialized medicine like Canada and France can't get the same treatment my mother gets with her insurance because the government won't approve it. They think it is too expensive."

Replace "countries with socialized medicine like Canada and France" with "countries with HMOs", and I'll believe you...

"If we do move to a single payer system like Clinton wants, my mother will lose the insurance that keeps her alive and be forced to go onto the government insurance which will almost certainly deny her treatment."

That's misleading, because they do offer private insurance in socialized countries.

rocco: "Because the generic makers of Zoloft didn't spend BILLIONS on R&D, clin trials, marketing, etc."

More like lobbying the FDA and doctors to keep quiet about the drug making you suicidal and homicidal...

"Yes, Pharma companies make a lot of money, but then, so do doctors."

Doctors have to make that much money, because medical school costs are high.

"Stifle profits, stifle innovation."

So how do you explain MS being the worst software company in the world?

comment #29

BurmaShave says ...

Sweet jesus I disagree with almost nothing DZ just said.

comment #30

rocco says ...

Burma, you should disagree with these...

"So how do you explain MS being the worst software company in the world?"

That comes from a monopoly...not really a good comparison.

"Doctors have to make that much money, because medical school costs are high."

And spending $8 billion on research isn't expensive?

comment #31

D.Z. says ...

rocco: "That comes from a monopoly...not really a good comparison."

Your argument was against stifling profits, and so I gave you an example of when it doesn't work.

"And spending $8 billion on research isn't expensive?"

Not when it's subsidized...

comment #32

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Not when it's magic money from Pluto!

D.Z., just stop, this is not a subject you have anything but cartoon views about. There is this or that one could object to about the drug companies' business model, but fitting them into your simplified corporate black and white villains mindset just to try to score points would, on a national political scale, do real harm to innovation and genuinely hurt people. And you know what the doctors' credo is, "first, do no harm."

Mgmax, filling in for Jeffmcm

comment #33

D.Z. says ...

Mgmax: "but fitting them into your simplified corporate black and white villains mindset just to try to score points would, on a national political scale, do real harm to innovation and genuinely hurt people."

You act as if corporations don't harm innovation and hurt people on their own.

comment #34

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comment #35

Carla says ...

Obama's plan won't save money. It will cost big money that will come, I guess from increased taxes. So if you don't pay much in the way of taxes now, why not vote for Obama and get even more from the government?

comment #36

Jandirk says ...

its time for 3 Kilo afvallen and meybe obama's plan won't save money

comment #37

kellywilson says ...

The stuff here is pretty cool and awesome. I got the meaning clearly and need no longer time to understand it. It's really interesting.
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