Nothing groundbreaking here. Just same old hype! Unsmiling faces, silly dresses, grotesque models.....We've already seen it many times!

My spouse watched the Specter town hall meeting in Pennsylvania and told me that the coverage of that meeting was grossly hyped by the media. Obviously, a great deal of what goes on in one of these meetings is not being covered. All the news outlets are cashing in on this subject...the coverage is more a comment on the deplorable quality of the news integrity in this country than health care.

For what it is worth, this American family nearly crashed several times in the UK because of the unfamiliarity with left side driving...the roads are narrow and terrifying in many cases, plus the Brits drive fast. And those roundabouts!!! We never got the hang of them. We do not intend to drive again in Great Britain.

I'm not at all convinced that the public option can pass as easily as Glenn Greenwald suggests nor do I believe Obama can lean on blue dogs, etc. to do his bidding willy-nilly. I say this and I am very much in favor of a public option. There is a very conservative (growing) element out there that is dedicated to defeating this legislation and they have succeeded in making Americans back away from the public option. Recent polls are sliding for it and Obama is nothing but completely practical. Americans love to hate government while at the same time demanding that it take care of them...these ignorant deluded schizophrenics are totally self-destructive!

I don't see how any health insurance reform is going to take place. Everyone is either angry, feels betrayed, or has been violently against reform from the beginning. If it happens, it will be a miracle.

Obama is fighting...today he compared the Republican strategy to that used against Bill Clinton. One problem he has is a rather lackluster media environment and they seem only to describe his efforts as uphill even when he gets the spotlight. I think the media don't want this legislation to pass...big pharma with all their advertising has influenced their coverage. So much obviously hyped space is devoted to the lies, the truth gets buried. Actually, I think Barney Frank's comment to the extremist woman got more media attention than Obama.

Jumping up and down and stamping his feet is not Obama's style...it's simply not in him, but he can cut to the quick when he wants to and I wish he would do more of it....and he will. The Dem's need to come up with a gimmick of their own...something very attention getting to wake up Americans. Perhaps they need to focus on the negatives of doing nothing, hype them up, and throw them at the media.

I, too, want a public option...in fact, I'd like to see private insurance out of the medical business altogether. They only add another layer to already burgeoning costs as they gouge, deny coverage, and generally rip off their insureds. BUT, I don't think a public option is going to fly with the American people who have been thoroughly trained to suspect and hate the government by Republicans and even the media...Nor do I think a defeat for Obama will be good for liberals or any Democratic initiatives. I consider myself a liberal and Obama's standing has not dropped with me. I think we should back him. It's okay to push back; however, to insist that there be a public option is playing right into Republican plans!

Your lists say it all!!!!!

There is one possibility for what went wrong that this article does not address, that being timing. Healthcare reform was introduced much too quickly after the stimulus passed and Americans, already angry about egregious bonuses and such, were simply not inclined to feel that healthcare reform was a priority at this time. Too much was happening all at once and the American people were afraid, demoralized, and skeptical. Also, Americans are suspicious of government. They have been trained by the Republicans for years and years. They want to be taken care of but they don't want to do what is necessary to get it achieved. In short, they are hypocritical and ignorant.

I hope Feingold's update is correct and that people in favor of health care reform are actually showing up for the health care meetings. The right wing is being facilitated by the media. Tonight's CBS News was all about the soaring deficit with references to entitlements although they did mention the War in Iraq as driving up deficit spending. Raising taxes to pay for the deficit was also covered. Of course, the right wing is going to jump all over this and further scare Americans. Little attention was given to the uptick in consumer confidence and stock market returns. This kind of media attention does not work in favor of health care reform.

I don't only blame the Democrats...I blame the Republicans, the ignorant American people who live on Republican fed paranoia, and, of course, the media who are reporting their BS.

The British are so level headed in most things and come off as caring. They are very friendly to travelers with few exceptions. I really like the Brits!

World War I and the Iraq incursion vie for first place in our lists of stupid wars.

This article sums up my opinion of the media. I have often wondered if they all get together to decide how to carry a story. They ape each other incessantly. There is little, if any, real honesty coming out of mainstream media in any format.