Dan Rather and Andrea Mitchell said this weekend that Barack Obama made a huge mistake pushing healthcare reform so soon in his first term.
Appearing on the syndicated program "The Chris Matthews Show," the former "CBS Evening News" anchor said of ObamaCare, "Bad choice. Particularly looking back on it. Jobs should have been the first choice."
A few minutes later, Mitchell concurred, "I agree with Dan and everyone here that this was a big miscalculation to go into it."
Yet, they also both agreed that even if it was a mistake to tackle this issue, Obama has to win (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript):
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: The President's determination to get healthcare against all odds has even some Democrats wishing he had chosen to pursue jobs, something far less partisan. Congress watcher Charlie Cook calls it, "One of the biggest miscalculations in modern political history." Dan, he has made the decision. It's healthcare. Bad choice?
DAN RATHER, HDNET: Bad choice. Particularly looking back on it. Jobs should have been the first choice. Smart choice for him. Not saying that healthcare is not important, but your question is, was it a mistake, at least in hindsight? Absolutely. Because the economy is what it's about, jobs, jobs, jobs.
MATTHEWS: Okay, in foresight. Now that he has made the call and he sunk his teeth into this and his feet into this. Does he have to win on healthcare this month?
RATHER: Absolutely positively without question he's got to win on this. [...]
ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC: I agree with Dan and everyone here that this was a big miscalculation to go into it. But now that they're into it, they've got to win it.
Interesting: mistake to go for it, but he's got to win.
Quite a contrast to when George W. Bush was President and the media were constantly pushing him to admit errors they believed he made.
I guess "character" only matters to these folks when there's an "R" next to your name. Move that letter far to the left in the alphabet and victory is much more important.
Color me quite unsurprised.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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He HAS to win this mistake?
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:02 ET by CountryslimHe HAS to win this mistake? ..lol... That mentality or lack of is bothersome..
If it ain't broke, don't fix it..
A BIG THANK YOU! To NewsBusters!
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:08 ET by P. AaronBecause I can't spend my time watching these dolts.
I appreciate that someone can and tells us about it.
Including himself, that
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:16 ET by TEMatthews is so stupid that I would bet my last penny that Matthews considers himself and the four other virulent, militant, leftist useful idiots on that panel to be "non-partisan," "non-ideological," "straight shooting" "moderates".
He has to win! So who
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:18 ET by EdhenryHe has to win!
So who loses?
<Strong> America </b>
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 02:46 ET by RowaneAmerica does.
*******************************
"That boy'll lie when the truth will do"
- Mrs. Johnson, 8th grade teacher (ca. 1970)
Dolts!
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:24 ET by HoosierEmThese MSM dolts only care about the worst president ever "winning" this fight. This isn't an effing football game - it's a huge portion of our economy and something that will affect every American and future generations to come in an extremely harmful way, and all they can say is he must "win."
And they wonder why they have so few viewers.
That's right. Em....it's
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:08 ET by motherbeltThat's right. Em....it's all about Obama. HE has to win this; HE has to have this in his column; HE must succeed!
To hell with the country and what happens to it; what matters is that Obama's terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad plan (apologies to Judity Viorst) be dragged bleeding across the finish line so that Obama looks good.
Next on his list after he "remakes" the country....remaking the world. He said he was going to do that too!
When Obama "wins,"
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:33 ET by GregEWhen Obama "wins," America loses, which is why I want him to fail. When he fails, America at least holds steady. When he succeeds, America takes a step back. He is a freakin nightmare, elected on speaking ability, lovely (but empty) words, and skin color, and we're in very sad shape because of that nonsense. I could write about that crap for pages and pages and still have more to say about this marxist idiot who wants to "fundamentally change" America. Exactly the problem. Fundamentals are just that.....foundational....and he wants to rebuild the foundation of our nation. NO THANKS!!!! He hates our foundation, and he doesn't understand our foundation in the first place. A Hugo Chavez wannabe, and the only reason he's unable to go that far is too many Americans know, and there are too many mechanisms in our FOUNDATION that make such an attempt extremely difficult for any person to undertake. No wonder he wants to rip out the foundation and build his own.
And these morons in the media are accomplices to the madness and will be accomplices if our ship goes down.
I posted this in the open thread, but worth posting here, and very well worth the read, considering our current situation...
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/feb/09/00006/
____________________
* Get Out of Our House! * www.goooh.com
But....this is WHY the MSM was born...
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 00:14 ET by countmein5050if they can't cheer Obama to a win...why...what good are they to him? But don't forget...we're talking about 'what's in it for me' liberals to the bone. Counting on liberals to catch you if you fall works on the assumption they actually care if you fall.
I remember the grief Bush took for 'sticking by' his cabinet....his selections....his friends. I think they called him 'the good ol' boy'. Ever hear that sentiment come CLOSE to landing on Obama? "I'd sooner disown my own grandmother than Rev. Wright..." and fast forward 2 weeks....'Not the man I knew....'.
And If This Doesn't Go Through
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 00:25 ET by HoosierEmI can predict what will happen if this bill fails for some reason: Obama will make the American people pay, one way or another. His narcissitic personality disorder cannot stand any sort of defeat and he's pretty easy to read. Whoever is at fault for his losses will pay one way or another.
The dolts in the MSM continue to proclaim him some great leader. In reality, what has he ever lead in his life? From his resume, it looks like he has lead a bunch of deadbeat racemongers rattling cages of the bankers and politicians. Nothing more.
A great leader would have pulled this country together, not torn it further apart. He's a failure at leading anything. And we, the American people, get to pay the price.
In the immortal words of Dick Tuck
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 03:35 ET by KC MulvilleThe people have spoken ... the bastards!
The ultimate proof of a lack of leadership is that the people won't go where you demand.
Funny, three losers talking
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:28 ET by d1carterFunny, three losers talking about their man having to win...
Obama made a big first
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:31 ET by jkwtradingObama made a big first mistake...running for president..we the people made second voting for him and now these dolts are lost in their nuttiness.
The MSM is a terribly big mistake..
Head Out
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:47 ET by kilrod"Now that he has made the call and he sunk his teeth into this and his feet into this."
Welp, he made the call, but to win he'll first have to get his head out of his arse and then remove both feet from his mouth. This idiot the libs think is so brilliant has managed, in just over a year, to lead them into a lose-lose situation, to the point that even if they win they lose. Now that's somethin to grin about.!!~~!!
(grins) kilrod
If an unborn child cannot trust you, why should I,??
And they've all
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:52 ET by GregEAnd they've all conveniently forgotten how gleeful and giddy they were in the runnup to his election and shortly after. What a bunch of crap. Hours upon hours of elation, thinking the best day in American history had just occured and nothing could ever again go wrong in the collective, global utopia they envisioned. They literally thought the guy would raise the dead and walk on water. He's doing nothing but killing our nation by drowning her.
____________________
* Get Out of Our House! * www.goooh.com
Unfortunately, if they (he)
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:56 ET by EdhenryUnfortunately, if they (he) win, we lose.
A few minutes later,
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:49 ET by GregEA few minutes later, Mitchell concurred, "I agree with Dan and everyone
here that this was a big miscalculation to go into it."
That miscalculation is paltry, compared to the miscalculation MILLIONS of Americans made on November 4, 2008.......which led to this Obama miscalculation that otherwise couldn't have existed.
The question is, how many of his miscalculations can America withstand? Not very many at the magnitude they are!!
____________________
* Get Out of Our House! * www.goooh.com
He had to shove this down
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:09 ET by rbosqueHe had to shove this down our throats now before even the stupid people who voted for him would catch on that he's a true blue Marxist.
I agree...
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 01:36 ET by Army BratHe still had/has the majority of the American people fooled as to what he is and what he wants.
He had to act quickly before the nation realized that the Emperor has no clothes...that our President does not give a tinkers damn about us. His intent is to lower the playing field, not level it. With a weak America comes Obamas happiness at a job well done.
islam is a lie and Truth is killing it.
I disagree. Obama's
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:15 ET by MidAmericaI disagree. Obama's timing was not off. When obama first pushed healthcare the country was behind him, he had a super-majority in congress and unemployment was not recognized as the huge problem that we know it is now. But what was wrong with obama's healthcare plan? There was no plan. He left the plan up to congress. They had no healthcare plan. Neither of them to this day have a workable healthcare plan. If the President or congress worked in the medical field they could be sued for malpractice.
But That's What An Ego
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 00:02 ET by countmein5050the size of North America will do to a man. Obama's biggest mistake was to believe everyone would just step back and let him take this country which ever way he wanted. Ego fed by unrestrained arrogance...does it every time which is why liberals are never able to take more than 2 steps forward before reality pulls them back 3 steps. At this particular time in history that reality check pulling him back would be the TEA Party.
Liberals can't lead
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 00:21 ET by MidAmericaLiberals can't lead because they have always represented a small minority of voters in this country. What they should have done is what they have done with so many other liberal ideas that have been pushed onto the majority in this country is to simply to find a sympathetic judge who rules that unequal access to healthcare is unconstitutional and just like that.... universal healthcare is the law of the land.
Leftists are like cockroaches and rats, they do most of their damage working in the dark, hiding just out of sight. Now that they are out in the open the national pest control is going to fumigate congress.
Yeah--he thought he was smarter
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 12:27 ET by StarAZThe pundees reinforced this, Harvard, oooo (let's see those grades), then maybe he was a "god" or at least a demi-god or a light bringer (whatever that was)...so of course, he thought the masses would fall at his feet--oops, some of the masses also went to college, even Harvard, and many of the masses had the mother wit to eyeball his ideas and see they did not add up or were too controlling and he was too omnipresent and blabby and vague...and it all began to unravel.
RE: Dan Rather & "Mrs. Greenspan"
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:29 ET by metaphorsbwithu1) They're covering their butts as they see a political tsunami coming this November.
2) "They" have to "win" because now it's simply a Democrat v. Republican issue and to Hell with the actual consequences for the country.
metaphorsbwithu
Obama is in over his head,
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 03:24 ET by CountryslimObama is in over his head, thanks to Reid and the Dem Machine. He was picked for this AA assignment years ago in order to put the Dems back into power and he actually believed he could be King. Give him three more years and he will understand how he and the Black race was duped by Democrats.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it..
MY RESPONSE TO A KOOK LIAR
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:31 ET by reelman46MY RESPONSE TO A KOOK LIAR
This published Letter To Editor is my March 8th reply to a kook liberal LTE last Wed in the Natchez, Ms. paper (The Natchez Democrat)…
I replied to each of his misguided points:
========
DEMONS, DISTRACTIONS AND FACTS
(paper changed this to “Democrats Telling Fantasy Stories”.
I read with amazement at the faulty information found in the long letter of 3.3.10 concerning Health Care.
Does the writer know that not once in his poitical life has Obama ever ACTUALLY extended his arm to those he opposes?
He was the rated MOST liberal (aka secular socialist) human in the U. S. Senate for a reason.
Where was this writer when the Democrats were the “Party of No” just a few years ago? Was that okay?
All we heard then was the constant chatter about “the rights of the minority”.
I ask who took our Social Security megabillions and put them into the General Fund? (Democrats) Who broke the tie vote to TAX our Social Security checks? (Gore) Who signed the bill to TAX our Social Security? (Clinton) Which Party exempts themselves from this expensive takeover of our Heath Care and rejected Republican attempts to include everyone? (Democrats)
Which Party exempted the 1.8 million unionized gov-meant workers from this wonderful bill? (Democrats)
Some REAL reasons Health Care costs are way above what they should be are: Democrats refuse to allow us to shop for a Plan nationwide like we can do for car insurance. Why not have 1,300 companies to pick from?
Democrats refuse to allow lawsuit (tort) reform like the successful Texas model because the trial lawyers are big democrat contributors. Doctors pay 2-4 thousand a month thanks to democrats blocking tort reform.
Democrats refuse to allow Portability so we can take our Plan from one job to another or at least keep the same Plan for a year between jobs.
Democrats ALWAYS hurt the poor by their wrong-minded policies that lay off the little guys first. The Party that has controlled Congress since Jan. 2007 has the nerve to blame others for putting us all $13 trillion in debt AND doubling the jobless.
The voters have told the controlling Party for a year they do NOT WANT socialized medicine and 2 trillion more of
debt. They do not want to be fined because they do not buy insurance. They do not want over 100 boards and panels
to run their personal health care. Democrats do not need any Republicans to pass this but only to share the blame.
The misguided have drank the smiling socialist kool-aid again.
J. Carter Obama is clueless but the average American is not fooled by the daily lies. Voters will send a message to
the arrogant they will not forget. If this bill is sooo wonderful, why are the Democrats telling us they are willing to risk
huge defeats in the next election? Why will they lose if its so wonderful?
America is jobless, broke and hurting. It is not the time to tell us fantasy stories about strawman demons.
http://conservablogs.com/theconservativecrawfish
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish
Hilarious panel
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 12:25 ET by Scottyb4292This is a rogue's gallery of panelists. It's amazing to me that any television producer should think that anybody wants to know what Dan Rather thinks. I don't know who that moderator guy is, but we should stop caring about what he says or does. He has no credibility.
The thing that all these dimwits miss is that that the only way for the White House to salvage the remainder of their pathetic term in office is to demonstrate that they listen to the American people, by dropping the so-called health care initiative and focusing on jobs now. Not April. Now.
The scary thing is that,
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 12:55 ET by SmartypantsThe scary thing is that, had Obama succeeded in turning the economy around sooner (and I realize presidents only have a limited capacity to do that, but they are the ones who take most of the credit or blame for the economy), he would have been given a blank check to do whatever he wanted. Let's face it, the media has already pretty much given him that based on nothing more than a cult of personality effect. What I fear is that the economy will, temporarily, turn around and Obama will be given full credit for knowing what he's doing and even more of this socialist nonsense will be foisted upon us all.
Exactly.
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 14:29 ET by AlanaExactly.
Ye old doublecross
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 13:41 ET by StarAZI have been wondering about this reconciliation thing--it requires both houses to pass an identical bill, the president to sign it, then bring in amendments. What if those amendments don't, you know, get brought in...or if they fail the 51 votes, or any number of other things. What does the pres say: "Ha, ha, got ya, suckers?" I mean---"folks." The WSJ editorial today wonders this, too--would the Dems have to suck it up and just go along for their "legacy"?
Difficult to keep track...
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 14:35 ET by srqvet..of the many reasons for HC "reform". Wasn't it to save the budget? Did not play when Obamao and his communist party blew up the federal budget to pay off their donors. Then it was availability of health care. Blow to bits as well. On and on and now it's because on eof the most regulated industries (insurance companies) are evil? Would be nice if this band of thugs could keep their stories straight. And they wonder why normal Americans don't want to eat their excrement sandwich.
Story in NYT on the Rahmonster
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 15:16 ET by StarAZHe was brought in to make things happen and bad things happened. I posted that for one thing he should quit trying to make the president sound funny--he's not funny. I got the most Recommends I ever have!
God Bless Alice Kramden:
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 16:34 ET by samhermanmdGod Bless Alice Kramden: "I've seen better heads on a mug of beer."